Meet Égérie, Vacheron Constantin’s new dedicated ladies collection with a Haute Couture twist

As Bob Dylan crooned all those years ago: times they are a-changin’. The days where haute couture is only catered for women, while haute horlogerie is viewed as a man’s world are slowly leaving us behind. The scales are tipping towards a balance, and we are all for it. One could say that the fires to movements like these are set by the masses, but fuelled by the power players of the said industries. Case in point — when Vacheron Constantin, one of the oldest and revered watch manufactures around, creates a new wristwatch collection dedicated to women, you sit up and take notice.

Enter Vacheron Constantin Égérie. Weaving together design elements from haute couture with the fine art of watchmaking, Égérie is a contemporary classic that exudes both style and substance. A diamond halo encircles the dial rich with exquisite details: concentric circles form a delicate interplay of textures, punctuated by a pleated pattern at its centre and periphery, while leaf-style hands bring to mind seamstress’ needles, and dainty calligraphic numerals evoke embroidery. A smaller halo of diamonds frames the subdial, which forms an infinity symbol with the pleated centre — all part of a subtle diagonal line capped by the brand logo and the crown (adorned with a cabochon-cut moonstone or rose-cut diamond, depending on the model).

The collection features four models: the smaller 30mm quartz model (pink gold), a 35mm self-winding date model (pink gold or steel) the 37mm moon phase model (pink gold or steel) and a diamond-pave version (white gold). The most luxurious option is the moon phase diamond-paved model, sparkling with 292 diamonds on the case, and 510 diamonds adorning the dial. The off-centre display of the self-winding date model is made possible by the 1088 calibre, with its variant 1088 L powering the moon phase versions.

Completing the Égérie beauties are “second skin” metal bracelets accompanying the steel versions, and interchangeable straps for the gold versions (a duo of blue straps in leather and satin for the diamond-pave model, and in a set of three — raspberry pink, night blue, and candied chestnut with satin effect — for the rest). Safe to say that choices are aplenty to suit the many moods of the discerning woman.

The Égérie collection will be available in all Vacheron Constantin boutiques and authorised points of sale from 1 March 2020 onwards. For more information, visit the website.