The image of the dragon is often associated with East Asia, so it’s very appropriate that Vacheron Constantin has presented an amazing dragon-themed timepiece during the Watches & Wonders exhibition, which recently concluded in Hong Kong.
Part of the Swiss brand’s Métiers d’Art collection, the timepiece, called L’empreinte du Dragon (The Dragon’s Footprint) is entirely hand-engraved with an exquisite dragon scale patter. This was done by one of the most experienced and skilled master engravers in the world, who was awarded the distinction of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (“Best Craftsman of France”) in 2011.
The timepiece has a 44mm rose gold case, which houses the Vacheron Constantin Caliber 2253, a technical marvel comprising 457 components, with tourbillon and perpetual calendar, as well as equation of time, sunrise & sunset indications. The manual wind mechanism beats at a frequency of 18,000 vph and has a power reserve of 14 days.
You can see images of the watch, its inner workings, and the artisan practicing his craft in the gallery below.
[Perpetuelle]
