Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers is one of the most famous workshops in all of watchmaking. They work the loftiest perches of haute horology on both a technical level and artistic, wielding both mechanics and Metiers d’Art to produce stunning grail watches. Unsurprisingly many of their creations are unique pieces and to close out 2025 they have unveiled a flood on one-off timepieces to complete their 270th anniversary celebrations. The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers La Quête watches are split across three distinct collections that each play on the idea of a ‘quest’ so let’s take a look at them in order.
Homage To Epic Warriors
The first collection of four unique pieces takes the form of the Homage To Epic Warriors series. A set of four minute repeaters with 41mm gold cases that are heavily engraved. However, the focal point of each watch is the hand-engraved, Grand Feu enamel dials produced in the style of a miniature painting of a titular warrior from history. Those soldiers are Alexander the Great – he of Macedonian fame, Antar (‘Antarah ibn Shaddad) – a famous Arabian poet and knight, Genghis Khan – warlord of the largest continuous land empire in history, and Sasaki Moritsuna – Japanese Samurai military commander. An ode to human endeavour and the almost mythic levels that humans can rise to.
Inside, each model houses the calibre 1731, a movement that debuted as part of the Patrimony collection in 2013 and which still stands out over a decade later for its combination of a minute repeater chiming complication and its ultra-thin proportions. It has a thickness of just 3.9mm, allowing the watch itself to have a thickness of only 8.59mm.
Labours of Heracles
For the second collection, Vacheron Constantin are sticking to the subject of mythic heroes but in the sense of actual myths and legends this time. Each watch depicts a battle from the tale of the labours of Heracles (you can tell that they’re hipster and cool by using the original Greek instead of the Roman Hercules). In the story Heracles takes on 12 trials and four of them are represented here: Nemean Lion, Lernean Hydra, Stymphalian Birds and Cretan Bull. It’s a sign of my misspent youth that I didn’t even need to look those up.
The watches themselves feature miniature sculptures of our hero battling the monsters set against an enamel backdrop while the righthand portion of the display is taken up by a wandering hours display and a map of the Greek peninsula and surrounding Ionian and Aegean seas. Powering it is the calibre 1120 AT with 40-hour power reserve.
La Quête
The final series is La Quête, which translates to ‘The Quest’. These models are inspired by the human quest for knowledge and as such are dedicated to the science of astronomy. They are in many regards the companion watches to the flagship La Quête Du Temps anniversary watch. There are five watches in this series, each with a distinct arrangement of complications and Metiers d’Art engravings. Let’s go through them:
Armillary Tourbillon – Myth of the Pleiades
Retrograde hours and minutes alongside small seconds on an armillary tourbillon, inspired by famous star cluster.
Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication
Double sided watches equipped with 23 astronomical complications including moonphase, sunrise & sunset times, tides, sidereal time and many more. White gold for Ptolemy, pink gold for Copernicus.
Cosmica Duo Grand Complication
Blue opaline design with off-centre hours and minutes against a star chart background with sidereal time, perpetual calendar and minute repeater.
Grand Complication High Jewellery Moon Dust
Tourbillon minute repeater with blue guilloché dial and gem-set case. It features a combination of baguette and brilliant cut diamonds across the bezel, case and lugs with galaxy motif.
Every watch featured in this article is a unique piece destined for exclusive collections and museum displays. As ever, Les Cabinotiers is a premium showcase of Vacheron Constantin’s abilities when it comes to both the artistic crafts and mechanical skills.
More details at Vacheron Constantin.
