Patron & Artisan

Les Cabinotiers and its repertoire of complications is testament to why Vacheron Constantin is still the first choice for bespoke commissions

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

TO UNDERSTAND THE HOROLOGICAL – and cultural – significance of Vacheron Constantin’s deeply esteemed Les Cabinotiers department, one needs to, as it were, turn back the clock to 18th-century Geneva. Back then, its cityscape featured five- to six-storey industrial buildings. At the uppermost levels of these buildings, there were spaces known as “cabinets”, which served as workspaces commonly occupied by skilled craftsmen referred to as cabinotiers. With their workstations situated high above the bustling noise of the streets below, these craftsmen enjoyed the advantage of abundant natural light that bathed their workbenches, eliminating any unwanted shadows. Here, they were able to create some of the finest timepieces for their patrons – the kings and noblemen of their time.