Vacheron Constantin Metiers d'Art Watches Tribute To Great Explorers Columbus And Marco Polo

Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin has presented two new additions to its Metiers d'Art watch collection, which honor the accomplishments of legendary explorers Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.  Both of the new Vacheron Constantin watches are distinguished by their extraordinary grand feu polychrome enameled gold dials whose exceptionally challenging execution by an enamel master reveals the historical routes charted by Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.   Adding to the great difficulty of producing each dial--which can require over 30 individual kiln firings--is the two-part design, which is carried out on two different levels to accommodate the unique satellite time display.    Vacheron Constantin first introduced the Tribute To Great Explorers watches in 2004, when it presented two timepieces that were dedicated to Chinese admiral Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty, and 15th century Portuguese mariner Ferdinand Magellan.

The Vacheron Constantin Metiers d'Art Tribute to Great Explorers watches present a novel and ingenious mechanism to tell the time.  The self-winding 1126AT caliber, which features a 40-hour power reserve and a 28,800 vph balance frequency utilizes a system of number-bearing rotating satellites which traverse the minute scale that appears at the lower section of the two-piece dial.  The key to the functionality of this mechanism is an hour wheel with three arms and an hour crown and a Maltese cross cam which orient the hour satellites properly and ensure that they travel precisely across the 60-minute scale.  

Both Vacheron Constantin Metiers d'Art Explorer watches are presented in 18K yellow gold cases, and measure 40mm in diameter; the timepieces feature sapphire crystals, and are fitted with hand-sewn alligator straps as well as an 18K gold folding clasp whose closed profile presents the Maltese cross--famous symbol of the Vacheron Constantin brand.  The edition is limited to a series of 20 pieces for each explorer.