The collection features engraving in three gold colours, with each dial composed of several plates cut from yellow, white, and yellow gold. This is the first time Vacheron Constantin has employed this approach.

The engraving was done using micro-sculpture techniques and line-engraving incisions. The master artisan worked on plates that were no more than 0.8mm thick with only a maximum of 2/10th of a millimetre available for engraving. It’s no wonder that it requires at least 200 hours to create one dial.

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“For Vacheron Constantin, the transmission of knowledge is essential and constitutes the very foundation of its activity. For this reason, the manufacture has always recognised the true value of artistic craftsmanship and is committed to preserving these techniques, some of which are in jeopardy of going extinct,” said Christian Selmoni, the style and heritage director of Vacheron Constantin. 

It’s a testament to the skill of the engraver that he was able to recreate not just an uncanny likeness of the subject but also incredible depth. The trees that appear in the Angkor Thom and Summer Palace watches were even given the damascening treatment that involves embedding a metal wire in an engraved surface for a more realistic touch. 

The image of the entrance to the Confucius Temple, which was built during the Yuan Dynasty, was based on a drawing by Emile Thérond that appeared in a travel journal in 1864. The dial consists of six engraved and sculpted pink, yellow, and white gold plates. 

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One of the best-known landmarks in China, the Summer Palace and its gardens cover a vast expanse of land. The sprawling vista has been faithfully recreated using eight engraved and damascened pink, yellow, and white gold plates. 

The image of Angkor Thom, a remnant of the Khmer Empire, was based on French naval officer and artist Louis Delaporte's depiction of its southern gate and is composed of nine engraved and damascened pink, yellow, and white gold plates. 

Encased in a 40mm 18k 5N pink gold case, the watches are powered by the self-winding Caliber 1120, an ultra-thin movement that was developed in 1966.

“The collectors’ community is of the opinion that the 1120 features excellent technical solutions, accompanied by well-proportioned architecture,” noted Selmoni. “When it was first unveiled, it was the thinnest self-winding calibre: accurate, reliable, and an achievement itself. When we revisited it in 2010, we made only minor improvements notably to the power reserve, providing ample proof that this movement was indeed—almost—perfect from the outset.”

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