VACHERON CONSTANTIN Skeleton Antique 1900\'s Art Deco Watch Fabulous Engraved
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VACHERON CONSTANTIN Skeleton Antique 1900\'s Art Deco Watch Fabulous Engraved:
$910.00
Vacheron Constantin Antique Wrist Watch.
Wristwatch re-cased from pocket watch.
MOVEMENT: This beautiful wristwatch has the original antique movement in an excellent status which was very well saved, considering age of this watch. Manual wind, powered 15 ruby jewels. Signed \"Vacheron Constantin\" #256871.
Each part of the the mechanism, each millimeter it is decorated by a magnificent ornament.
Mechanism has been recently serviced to ensure it winds and sets smoothly while keeping great, accurate time. The winding crown is in very good shape and operates properly. It comes with a new 22mm genuine leather strap. Watch Measures:Size(from lug to lug):56 mm
Case Diameter (with crown):52 mm
Case Diameter (without crown):47 mm
Watch crystal diameter:43 mm
Thickness:14 mm The short history of Vacheron Constantin:
The Once and Future KingOne of the greatest names in Swiss watchmaking, Vacheron & Constantin is the archetype of the Prestige Swiss Watch Company. Vacheron & Constantin, along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, make up the classic Trinity of 20th century Swiss watch brands. With a customer list in their Golden Book that reads like a veritable World Who\'s Who of the past two and a half centuries, Vacheron and Constantin\'s pedigree and recognized brand cachet is without question. That they have maintained their position at the apex of the watchmaking firmament throughout their existence, across the years and spanning the generations, makes their reputation all the more impressive.
To understand the glory that is Vacheron & Constantin, knowledge of their history and past achievements is necessary. Since their earliest days, the Vacheron name has been synonymous with fine watchmaking. The name has been well regarded by the cognoscenti and the industry insiders, always spoken with a degree of reverence and respect.
Set amidst the backdrop of the European Age of Enlightenment, Revolution, and the chaos of social and political upheaval, Vacheron & Constantin\'s story parallels that of the history of the modern Western World. It is an interesting and worthy history indeed.
Watchmaker\'s Workshop in 18th Century Geneva
Christophe De Ziegler, Geneva Kunsthistorisches Museum
Vacheron and Constantin\'s origins can be honestly traced back to 1755, when the 24 year old Jean-Marc Vacheron joined the ranks of the Cabinotier of Geneva. Cultured, well read, and a respected member of the intelligentsia of the time, young Jean-Marc quickly established a reputation for producing timepieces of the highest grade. Vacheron\'s reputation extended to the Royal Courts of Europe, where their creations impressed even the Court Timekeeper and Royal Watchmakers.Timeline:1755 Jean-Marc Vacheron hangs up his own shingle
pocketwatch from 1760 signed J.M. Vacheron
The company\'s own archives contain nothing about its first 60 years, starting as they do in 1810 with letters signed by Jaques-Barthelemy Vacheron. In fact, most of the information about the company from Jean-Marc Vacheron\'s founding in 1755 to 1810 are derived from referent secondary sources, including documents and references from the public record. For centuries, until the discovery of the Jean-Marc Vacheron contract of 1755, even the company itself held 1785 as its founding date. 1785 company name ownership, name changed to Abraham Vacheron-Girod1810 company name ownership, name changed to Vacheron-Chossat, under Jacques Barthelemy Vacheron1819 critical event in the history of the company - Francois Constantin, previously with J.F. Bautte, joins the company in a sales and \"marketing\" capacity. He coins the phrase which becomes the company slogan, Faire Mieux si possible, ce qui est toujours possible - Do better when possible, and it is always possible!During this time, there is a second quality range signed variously as Abm Vacheron a Geneve or Chossat & Cie; lesser models were signed Abraham Vacheron1825 First Jumping Hour pocketwatch produced by Vacheron1830 representation in New York by Jean Magnin; in New Orleans by Brey1839 Georges-Auguste Leschot joins Vacheron, and begins design and development work on precision machines for production1844 Cesar Vacheron joins the company1845 Vacheron becomes an OEM manufacturer, supplying movements to other companies1854 Jean-Francois Constantin took over as sales director after death of Francois Constantin1864 Vacheron and Constantin agency opened in US1867 company ownership, name changed to \"Cesar Vacheron & Co\"1869 company ownership, name changed to \"Charles Vacheron & Cie\"1870 Laure Vacheron-Pernessin, Catherine-Etiennette Vacheron take over running of the company, name changed to \"Vve. Cesar Vacheron & Cie\"1877 The company name is formally and permanently changed by charter to \"Vacheron & Constantin,\" regardless of ownership changes1880 Maltese Cross logo registered; the origin of this symbol is the tension spring regulator1910 First VC wristwatch1928 VC Grande Complication pocketwatch produced1938 after years of close cooperation, LeCoultre takes a partial ownership position, and a Jaeger-LeCoultre marketing alliance is formed.
Jaeger\'s Swiss sales organization were moved into the VC business address in Geneva1940 George Ketterer, through SAPIC, takes a majority shares position in VC. Ketterer was Managing Director at SAPIC, which was the holding company for Le Coultre, Jaeger-Le Coultre, and a majority shareholder of VC; he was also a Manager in VC. There was a Ketterer in charge at VC - either George or his son Jacques - until 1987.1940-1950\'s VC\'s operational role became etablisseur to LeCoultre\'s manufacture1944 The caliber 2003 is announced - 1.64mm thinnest manual wind in history - by AP, and VC participates in a similar announcement.1946 AP ships the finished Ultra Thin based on the cal. 2003 (AP company literature, No. 1, 2000)1950\'s US importer was VC-Le Coultre, which was itself a division of Longines Wittnauer Watch Co1955 VC 200 year bicentennial -
VC releases Ultra Thin announced in 1944 as a 200 year anniversary piece. Vacheron claim several advanced features not claimed by AP for the cal. 2003, including unique escapement and regulator innovations, which allowed for the elimination of shock protection and the elimination of adjustment normally required after cleaning and lubrication.
VC presented to Bulganin (Soviet Union), Eden (Great Britain), Eisenhower (USA), Faure (France) 1965 George Ketterer left Jaeger LeCoultre and went to head VC, thus separating the LeCoultre ownership connection.1967 thinnest ever full rotor auto movement of 2.45mm - 21 kt rotor mounted on beryllium-bronze rails that rested on ruby rollers on the outer edge of movement, rather than on a center bearing, allowing for less point friction and lower overall height. (AP also claims this milestone - ref: No. 1, 2000 - cal 2120)Piaget produced the 12P at 2.3mm in 1959, but it was with micro-rotor.1969 George Ketterer died, succeeded by Jacques Ketterer, his son1979 Kallista - most expensive watch in the world - $5,000,0001987 Jacques Ketterer died. Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia, Harvard MBA, and avid watch collector, became majority shareholder, who then folded VC into the holding company Investcorp. There are those that would argue that VC stagnated during this phase.1987/88 Claude Daniel Proellochs becomes CEO1996 Johann Rupert and his holding company, Compagnie Financi?re Richemont AG, through its 70% shareholding of the Vendome Luxury Group, takes over ownership of Vacheron & Constantin. The buyout is announced in 1997, preceded by the introduction of the Overseas, new luxury sport line1998 DGA wholly acquired to become an in-house manufacture for Vacheron ConstantinRecommendations for the owner of antiquarian watches: All Antique watches are mechanical. Many repairs will not be cheap, as most likely they will require replacement of non-standard parts (unlike most late model watches). - Antique watches should not be beaten or dropped - because repairs may be expensive. Antique watches are generally NOT waterproof. This is because waterproofing was not in general production until the middle of the 20th century for most watches. Therefore you should protect your antique watch from exposure to moisture. - If your watch becomes wet it should be dried off quickly. Carefully open all covers and use a hair drier to blow dry the movement, dial, covers, crown. This will reduce the amount of rust. If your watch becomes wet with any kind of salt water you should immediately immerse or spray your watch with fresh (no-salt) water to remove all the salt from the works before drying the watch completely. Any salt left in the watch will combine with moisture in the air to rust metal components of the movement, case etc. Winding any mechanical watch tight may break the mainspring. If you can avoid it do not wind the watch hard. - When adjusting the hands of your watch, move them in a clockwise direction only. Counter-clockwise adjustments may damage the movement. - If you must adjust counter-clockwise make it for small adjustments only (i.e. for minutes, NOT hours). Be careful and gentle when adjusting the movement speed (faster or slower). Don\'t make sharp movements, and don\'t touch other components in the movement especially the pendulum mechanism. Every 2-3 years it is necessary to service and oil vintage watches. IF the watch is dirty - allow the watch to run down, don\'t wind it again until you have it serviced by a qualified watch repair expert. Dust will absorb and remove important lubricants and cause the movement pieces to wear down. To clean the case, dial and crystal you should use a cloth that does NOT leave fibers as these may get caught up in the movement. Check with your Watch repair expert to get an appropriate cloth. Keep your antiques watch away from magnets. Strong magnetic fields may affect the accuracy of your watch since some vintage watches were made with iron based components in the movement. Most Cases and Covers are fine components and will not handle abuse well. The watch should not be shaken, beaten, or stressed. Antique watches generally experience an error of up to 5-7 minutes a day. Any accuracy of +- 5 minutes is very good.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE offerDING:
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Vintage watches are very delicate and I package it to the highest degree to prevent damage. High altitude flights can be hard on watches due to extreme temperature changes.
This can cause the oil viscosity to decrease (gum up) and prevent a watch from ticking (the balance moving freely etc.). It may need to be oiled when it arrives regardless of its recent servicing (if applicable). Although this is only a very slight possibility it can occasionally happen. Please bear in mind that you are buying a used watch and it will require service at some point in time. Return policy: I guarantee you complete satisfaction with all my high quality products. If you receive an item you did not order or if an item you ordered is received damaged or defective, I will refund you the price you paid for it or replace it with identical one. If you\'re not satisfied with your purchase, contact me, and it will be a pleasure to discuss with you to resolve the situation.
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VACHERON CONSTANTIN Skeleton Antique 1900\'s Art Deco Watch Fabulous Engraved:
$910.00