A new innovative & contemporary line developed & manufactured in-house by Vacheron Constantin. Named after the companies historical address dating back since 1873-1874. Case: – Palladium Case – brushed/satin finished case with polished finished bezel & lugs. Palladium is a rare metal of the Platinum family – Cushion shaped. – Composed of 38 individual components. Dial: – Darker tinted semi-transparent sapphire crystal dial covering a Rhodium plated movement, giving the dial a grey color. – Laser engraved “VACHERON CONSTANTIN GENEVE” & some of the hour markers (1,2,4,5,7,8,10,11) & “SWISS MADE” all filled with White ink. – Laser engraved Date numbers filled with black ink. Unlike traditional date wheels where the date is printed on a wheel & the wheel turns each day, the Quai de l’Ile date numbers are engraved & on the dial crystal – there is a separate contrasting solid colored plate that moves beneath the date & creates a contrasting background to the current date. – 12,3,6 & 9 Arabic numeral hour markers & the Maltese Cross Logo are applied to the dial by a complex & time consuming process called “Galvanic growth of nickel” which begins with the deposit of base materials on the sapphire crystal & then the build-up of metallic-nickel is done according the desired shapes (in this case the 12,3,6,9 & the Maltese Cross). Once the process is finished the nickle plating is polished & colored in Rhodium or Rose Gold according the desired finish. – A process called “Metallization” is sprayed onto the surface of the dial with a fine deposit of white gold to form micro-text around the date numbers. The micro-text is a translated extract from a letter sent from Italy by François Constantin in July 1819 to his friend & associate Mr. Jaques-Barthélémy Vacheron: “With your able assistance, Ipromise you that we will make as much from watchmaking as all the commercial travellers together…. I assure you that we will be strong: our watchmaking is highly esteemed here, by continuing to do better if possible and that is always possible.” – The dial also feature a small “sun” design which is also produces my the “Metallization process”. The “sun design is inspired by the clock on the Tour de l’Ile in Place Bel-Air, in the Saint-Gervais district of Geneva. At one time, all the watchmakers on the square set their watches and clocks by it. – Finally “Security Transparent Film” is stuck to the underside of both the crystal protecting the dial & the crystal on the bottom through which the movement is visible. The “Security Transparent Film” has micro-characters, uses security inks & has UV markings using invisible ink which is only visible under UV light. – On the dial side, the security transparent film has a pattern of concentric lines representing the spiral of time. These also serve as a seconds track. These lines/rays are printed alternately with light grey and sepia (reddish/brownish) ink or with light grey and white ink – depending on the model. – On the movement side, the security transparent film has a pattern of hundreds of Maltese Crosses and concentric circles. Depending on the version, it is printed with white or black ink.
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