Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony with a Design by Ora ïto

Vacheron Constantin celebrates the 20^th anniversary of its Patrimony collection with a special edition produced in collaboration with French designer Ito Morabito, more widely known as Ora ïto. The understated soul of the Patrimony is inspired by Vacheron’s slim men’s dress watches of the 1950s, a formula applied across the board to all Patrimony references. As the epitome of technical complexity married to restrained style, the Patrimony is a natural partner for Ora ïto, whose designs are directed by his pursuit of providing simple responses to complex problems. Produced in a limited edition of 100 pieces, the Patrimony x Ora ïto comes in a 40mm yellow gold case with a mesmerising dial composed of concentric circles.

Introduced in 2004, Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony collection took its design cues from the brand’s ultra-slim 1950s timepieces. Famous manual-winding movements like the 2.94mm thick calibre 1001 and the 1.64mm thick calibre 1003, powering the references 6179 and 6187, were the spiritual godfathers of the collection.

No matter the degree of complexity below deck, the Patrimony family is united by common traits: round cases with slim bezels, domed dials with slender curved hour markers, baton-style hands, pearl minutes tracks and refined finishings. Whether you are looking at the Minute Repeater (at one point, the world’s thinnest repeater) and its ultra-thin calibre 1731, the Moon Phase and Retrograde Date, the Perpetual Calendar, the Retrograde Day-Date or the more straightforward Self-Winding and Manual-Winding models, the design is consistent.

Ora ïto believes that “a good design wasn’t created to be disposed of after a period of usage; it is designed around essentials to make it eternal”. A multi-disciplinary designer, Ora ïto’s work, which ranges from architecture to furniture, fragrances, phones and public transport, embraces his overriding philosophy of “Simplexity”, the art of making complicated things look easy. Far from interpreting complexity with simplistic solutions, his objects are seemingly simple but incorporate invisible complexity.

A longtime admirer of the Patrimony collection, Ora ïto’s vision for the 20th-anniversary timepiece is based on the 40mm Self-Winding model. Yellow gold – to be precise 18k 3N yellow gold – is the protagonist of this collaboration piece, starting with the 40mm diameter x 8.5mm thick case with its slim bezel, small crown and polished finishings throughout. The choice of yellow gold, popular in the 1950s, underscores the vintage inspiration behind this model.

The gold-coloured dial features a series of concentric rings, expanding in size from the centre. Simple yet mesmerising, the rippling rings subtly play with the light. A thin flat band separates the central area from the chapter ring with its concentric grooves and hand-applied gold pearl minute markers and the slim applied gold hour markers. The gold hands are slightly curved to follow the domed contours of the dial, and the date appears in a stepped window above the 6 o’clock marker with a golden background that blends perfectly into the dial. The only other information on the dial is the metallic transferred Vacheron Constantin logo at noon.

The exhibition caseback reveals Vacheron’s in-house self-winding calibre 2450 Q6. Just 3.6mm thick, the movement has 196 components, beats at 4Hz and has a 40h power reserve. A Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece, the movement is beautifully decorated with circular graining on the mainplate, Côtes de Genève on the bridges and an openworked gold rotor with the brand’s Maltese cross symbol.

The Patrimony x Ora ïto is paired with a burgundy calfskin strap with retro embossed rectangular shapes and a yellow gold pin buckle. A limited edition of 100 pieces; it will retail for EUR 38,600. More information at vacheron-constantin.com.