Vacheron Constantin Books and Ephemera Collecting
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Vacheron Constantin Books and Ephemera Collecting

By respo · Jul 29, 2014 · 27 replies
respo
WPS member · Vacheron Constantin forum
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Respo shares a unique aspect of collecting Vacheron Constantin: the joy of acquiring the brand's lavish publications. His post highlights the aesthetic and educational value of these books, framing them not just as accessories but as significant collectibles in their own right. This perspective offers a refreshing take on watch collecting, extending beyond the timepieces themselves to the rich historical and artistic context provided by the manufacture's printed works.

One of the chief pleasures in collecting Vacheron Constantin lies not with the watches themselves but with the books and other ephemera produced by the brand.

I just had the good luck to add a book published by VC in 2002 to my growing bookshelf of watch-related volumes.








The book is titled, and is indeed about, Horological Complications.




Among the pages we can read the statement by Francois Constantin that we are all so familiar with...in English translation...



...or more poetically, perhaps, in French:


The book is full of fabulous illustrations, drawn, painted and photographed.




There are special pages such as this cut out window page (I am sure there is a technical term for it) that overlays atop the image of the skeleton Malte Tourbillon. 




The text of the book is very interesting, presenting an overview of complications and how they and the basic movements of watches work.  It is fairly educational and very entertaining.  There are several profiles of individual collectors inside that are interesting to read as well. 

One of the things I admire about Vacheron Constantin is their publishing practice.  I am unaware of any other brand that has produced or continues to produce on a comparable level the often lavish and gorgeous books, large and small, that VC does.  These volumes have definitely added to my enjoyment of the watches, while providing something else to collect that is, well, less taxing on my bank account.  I hope that VC will uphold this publishing tradition, and it seems judging by the printed products of the past several years, that they have every intention of doing so. 

I am a happy reader.

Best,

respo


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BL
blomman Mr Blue
Jul 29, 2014

VC always makes such a nice books! :) Best Blomman

AN
Ancienne Le Brassus
Jul 29, 2014

not as elaborate as the VC things... but I DO understand the draw!! Thanks for posting! S

WH
WHL
Jul 29, 2014

which make a nice sideline to collecting the watches. The gray VC wool scarf made the miserable weather of this past winter a bit more bearable. Bill

AM
amanico
Jul 29, 2014

Have a lot of pleasure reading this one, my friend. Nicolas

YE
yesjb
Jul 29, 2014

It's a great little book. Vacheron does a magnificent job on these publications. The other two you may like is the Patrimony in English and French and the 250th Anniversary masterpieces. Both are excellent with superb illustrations. They do have very nice treats for their clients! Best, Joseph

RE
respo
Jul 29, 2014

Thanks for looing, Joseph. I have the 250th Anniversary Masterpieces volume, and it is lovely (a similar size to the Horological Complications book I showed): I think I have the Patrimony book, too. Is this the one to which you are referring, Joseph? It is a small volume, but very nice. Best regards, respo

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