Vacheron Constantin's 'The Pleats of Time' – A Concept Watch & Égérie Moon Phase
This is a singular creation, as much for its looks as for the creative process leading to its birth. The Égérie concept watch stems from an artistic collaboration between Vacheron Constantin and Yiqing Yin, a "One of Not Many" talent.
A “One of Not Many” creation
United in their quest for refinement and a shared vision of excellence, the Manufacture and the Haute Couture designer have come up with the Égérie The Pleats of time, a concept watch. This creation orchestrates a dialogue between three worlds: Haute Horlogerie, Haute Couture and Haute Parfumerie. The roundness of the 37 mm pink gold case embellished with diamonds, the ‘pleats’ pattern adorning the powdered lilac dial, as well as the asymmetrical geometry so cherished by the Maison whose name appears at 8 o'clock in a diagonal with the moon phase and crown at 2 o'clock… All combine to create a refined and original feminine silhouette into which Yiqing Yin has instilled an aesthetic appeal that awakens the senses. The Maison and the Haute Couture designer also called on French master perfumer Dominique Ropion to craft an original fragrance that is encapsulated in the watch strap.
Above and beyond the object, a sensory experience
Under Yiqing Yin’s impetus, the Égérie collection reveals a new facet of its personality through a markedly different aesthetic, infused with the designer’s inimitably ethereal universe.
The dial is freed from hour-markers, extending an invitation to experience time in an intuitive and emotional way. Crafted in mother-of-pearl, it is draped in a ‘pleats’ pattern that unfolds in two stages across its entire surface: in the centre, encircled by fine gold ‘pearls’, as well as around the edge, extending the folds and hollows. Yiqing Yin chose a soft lilac colour, "a feminine, evanescent shade like a delicate embodiment of a daydream". This hue also adorns the moon phase sculpted in mother-of-pearl. A row of diamonds enhances the complication, swept over by extremely slender hours, minutes and seconds hands.
Yiqing Yin has designed an exclusive strap adorned with exquisite artistic embroidery, in which mother-of-pearl shards are inlaid between silk threads. According to the designer, "this work recounts the sinuous course of water in a natural landscape, unfurling its scalloped volutes, somewhere between the fragility of shed snakeskin and the elegance of abstract lace. The irregularities adorning the strap bear the imprint of the human hand, creating a visual dialogue with the pure geometry of the dial.” Invisible yet essential to the personality of this timepiece, a fragrance imagined by master perfumer Dominique Ropion is encapsulated in the strap.
A scent of innovation
The dedicated fragrance specially created for this concept watch stems from numerous exchanges between the master perfumer and the Haute Couture designer. "Dominique is an alchemist of emotions. Our initial idea was to create a watch offering a singular and sensorial perception of time”, says Yiqing Yin. Then came a wealth of creative and brainstorming sessions to combine emotions and formulas until the scent that would embody the Égérie - The Pleats of Time watch came to life.
As Dominique Ropion explains when evoking the core aims of the process, it was about "creating a fragrance that would be universal, like time itself. A mineral scent with pastel, wintry, powdery and iridescent notes, playing with the sun and wisps of smoke.
”To ensure this fragrance would echo Yiqing Yin's approach, a meticulous combination of ingredients was created: a mineral and marine accord of ozonic notes and galbanum; notes of lavender and orange blossom; winter freshness based on a honeysuckle and immortelle accord; iridescent highlights with tuberose and ylang-ylang; sunshine in a bottle conveyed by orange and lemon; wisps of time passing through incense (olibanum, myrrh, opoponax) and oud.
Once the fragrance had been defined, the idea was to encapsulate it in the heart of the strap and "accept the passage of time in order to breathe and be receptive to wonder", as Yiqing Yin points out. This led to a comprehensive innovative process in which the droplets of fragrance concentrate were encapsulated. Each component of the strap (lining, loop, embroidery, etc.) was then steeped in these encapsulations. The perfume contained in the nanocapsules is released randomly, as the strap rubs against the skin and in step with wrist movements.
A dress to prolong the experience
To accompany the Égérie concept watch, Yiqing Yin created a Haute Couture dress epitomising its spirit and which she describes in these terms: “The light fabrics swirl around the body, creating a pleated, swirling showcase of supernatural hues, evoking the moiré dial diffractions. This undulating silhouette, in harmony with the body, offers a suppleness suspended in time, culminating in the wearer’s movement and the caress of the elements. The evolving volume of the skirt unfolds in sunburst pleats, composed of cascades of iridescent satin that continue their journey in silk chiffon, creating superimposed transparency effects and ever-changing silky reflections that capture the splendour of each given moment. Inspired by the vitality of the elements, this creation celebrates movement’s inherent beauty, where infinity is gracefully reflected in fluidity.”
Exploring the latest fabric technologies, the designer combines manual bath-dyeing with eco-sensitive nanodyeing, steeping fibres and fabrics in mineral powders to create gradient-type haloes. This bespoke gown with its singular allure thus weaves symbolic and visual ties between Haute Couture, Haute Parfumerie and Haute Horlogerie.
Égérie moon phase
A creative collaboration with Yiqing Yin
Inspired by the refinement of Haute Couture and Vacheron Constantin's aesthetic heritage, the Égérie collection welcomes a moon phase watch issued in a 100-piece limited series developed with designer Yiqing Yin. Paired with a choice of three interchangeable straps, this edition with its 37 mm pink gold case and gemset bezel adopts subtle lilac hues while retaining the collection’s aesthetic codes: the mother-of-pearl dial is alternately smooth or decorated with a “pleats” motif, while the moon phase appears as part of a subtle diagonal line formed by the Vacheron Constantin logo and the crown.
An original creative collaboration
Since its 2020 debut, the Égérie collection has established its style credentials in the world of Haute Horlogerie dedicated to women. Picking up its aesthetic codes and instilling a new creative dimension were at the heart of the project developed with Yiqing Yin in giving life to the new Égérie moon phase that reflects her creative universe.
Recognisable by the ethereal allure of her creations and the blurred lines of her silhouettes structured by dainty pleated and draped effects, the designer's signature is reflected in the work on the dial whose centre is adorned with a pleated mother-of-pearl motif. Yiqing Yin's stylistic territory is also echoed by the choice of mother-of-pearl colour, which recalls her creation’s silvery mauve fabrics, overlaid with soft lilac or moiré Parma violet colours. According to Yiqing Yin, who has also chosen pastel shades for the three interchangeable straps, "these feminine, evanescent shades are the delicate embodiment of daydreams.”
An exclusive 100-piece limited edition
Softness, daydreams, elegance: these words apply equally well to Yiqing Yin's creations as to the new Égérie moon phase watch. Softness is reflected in the lilac-coloured mother-of-pearl dial, which is either smooth or decorated with a pleated motif, echoing the first Égérie models. Mother-of-pearl, a particularly fragile material, has been meticulously crafted to create the pleated pattern surrounded by individually hand-applied fine gold ‘pearls’. The interpretation of the moon phase, also adorned with lilac mother-of-pearl and festooned with diamonds, is undeniably dreamlike. Elegance pervades the entire timepiece, expressed in the contours of the 37 mm diamond-set pink gold case, in the slender hands reminiscent of dressmakers’ nimble fingers, as well as in the Égérie collection’s characteristic asymmetry: a crown set at 2 o'clock aligned with the moon phase and the Vacheron Constantin inscription at 8 o'clock.
Clearly visible through the transparent caseback, in-house Calibre 1088 L ensures accurate timekeeping, while its hand-crafted Côtes de Genève motif is swept over by the delicately openworked 22-carat gold oscillating weight inspired by the shape of the Maltese cross.
This Haute Horlogerie signature is echoed by that of Yiqing Yin, whose name is engraved in full on the back, along with the number of this highly exclusive 100-piece limited edition.
A watch offering pleasurable variety
The Égérie moon phase watch owes its versatility to an ingenious system of interchangeable straps, present since the launch of the collection. In the blink of an eye, these enable the wearer to play on textures or create contrasts: lilac alligator leather for an elegant tone-on-tone effect, night blue satin-effect calfskin or powder pink grained calfskin leather.
From Geometry to Artistry, the Maison’s annual theme
A Vacheron Constantin watch is far more than merely the sum of its parts. Starting from a sketch, a geometrical drawing and its technical extensions, a whole world of shapes, colours and textures is born. The complex structures of mechanical engineering combine with design; meticulous detail gives life to grace; artisanal intelligence sparks emotions. Based on formal, mathematical study, Vacheron Constantin timepieces are thus endowed with a touch of soulfulness and elegance representing the ultimate expression of artistic talent. The classicism of the Traditionnelle collection; the minimalism of the Patrimony watches; the allure of Égérie; and the sporty-chic spirit of Overseas: all vividly illustrate this alchemy within which art is inspired by geometric shapes, expressed through Vacheron Constantin’s 2024 theme.
About Yiqing Yin
A graduate of ENSAD (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris), Yiqing Yin was awarded the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in 2009. In 2011, she won the ANDAM Prize for First Collections at the ANDAM Fashion Award Paris and held her first catwalk show during the Paris Fashion Week. Yiqing Yin worked with prestigious brands such as Maison Léonard, Cartier, Guerlain, Hermès, Swarovski and Lancôme.A resolutely all-round artist, she also explores other artistic worlds. She combined materials and light to create a dress, in collaboration with sculptor Bastien Carré. She worked in the world of dance, designing the stage outfits of étoile ballet dancers Dorothée Gilbert and Mathieu Ganio for their performance in Tristan and Isolde directed by Giorgio Mancini.Yiqing Yin has been a regular guest at art exhibitions around the world, including A World of Feathers at the Museum of Ethnography in Stockholm, or the Animalia Fashion exhibition in Florence, among others.She has also contributed to the creation of costumes for a number of films, including Leos Carax's Annette in 2020, for which she designed the dress worn by Marion Cotillard.Since 2023, Yiqing Yin has been involved in the creation of a futuristic work, exploring the anthropology and archaeology of the future, part of the French Ministry of Culture's Mondes Nouveaux programme, due to open at the end of 2024.
About Dominique Ropion
His fellow perfumers consider Dominique to be an immense talent, indeed the greatest master perfumer currently exercising this art. The word ‘smell’ lies at the heart of Dominique's inner ‘reactor’, his passion, his very essence. Dominique's ambition is to rival animals’ sense of smell while bringing an artistic vision to bear. This is Dominique's first invitation to a taste of freedom, an invitation to unite mind and body, another of Dominique's great and generous gifts. Dominique sees the composition of perfumes as a mystical and mathematical act, expressing the creative power of a number and its combinations: “You take two raw materials and put them together, discover how they interact, memorise them, before picking three, then four, like Johann Sebastian Bach's cello suites. Perfumers keep count when they work: they count evaporation in minutes and hours, observe how a fragrance behaves and track its imprint over time.”
Dominique Ropion has created some of the world’s most successful fragrances. He is a master perfumer at IFF, the New York-based global leader in the fragrance, bioscience, health, food and beverage industries. IFF's perfume artists have been practising for six decades and form a creative team that is as visionary as it is eclectic. In IFF's NYC headquarters, as well as in Paris, Grasse, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and elsewhere, its perfume artists create olfactory works ranging from international successes to more exclusively distributed products.
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