In the middle of the 18th Century, in the city of Geneva, a young man called Jean-Marc Vacheron decided to open his own watch-making workshop. This exceptional craftsman founded a business that was to become, two and a half centuries later, one of the most renowned in the science of time.

15 years after its foundation, Vacheron Constantin creates its first ‘complication’ watches.

First appearance of engine-turned dials at
Vacheron Constantin.

The grandson of Jean-Marc Vacheron,
Jaques-Barthélemy, takes the head of the family business and initiates the brand’s first exports to France and Italy.

Creation of a collection of watches of six quarter-repeater watches. These watches strike the hours and the quarters upon request.

Jaques-Barthélemy, grandson of Jean-Marc Vacheron together with François Constantin creates the company name “Vacheron et Constantin”.

In this year on 5th July, François Constantin sends from Turin a letter to Jaques Barthélémy Vacheron containing the words that were to become the company motto:
“Do better if possible and that is always possible”.

Georges-Auguste Leschot is taken on as production engineer in 1839 and proceeds to revolutionize watch-making techniques by adapting the pantograph to the requirements of his industry.

With the use of that instrument, certain watch components can be copied repeatedly by a machine, and no longer need to be hand-made as before, thus propelling Vacheron Constantin to the forefront of the industrial age.

When the very demanding Geneva Observatory staged a precision contest for timepieces in 1872, Vacheron Constantin entered a number of its watches. The awards won proved to be the first in a long line of awards, records and prizes received.

Appearance of the “Maltese Cross” symbol in the logo of Vacheron Constantin. This motif is taken from the shape of a component of the movement fixed to the barrel. Its use means that the number of wheels can be kept low.

At the Swiss National Exhibition held in Geneva in 1896, a prestigious gold medal was awarded to Vacheron Constantin in recognition of a range of outstanding achievements.

Inauguration of the very first Vacheron Constantin boutique, which is still in the same place today in Quai de l’Ile, in Geneva

Creation of one of the most complex pocket-watches ever sold by Vacheron Constantin. This masterpiece, commissioned by King Farouk of Egypt, takes five years to make.

Precisely two hundred years after is foundation, Vacheron Constantin demonstrated that it had lost none of its creative verve and technical ingenuity. To mark the start of its third century of existence, the company’s master watchmakers designed and built nothing less than one of the thinnest watches ever produced with a calibre only 1.64 mm deep!

In this year, the Big Four Summit Conference brings together in Geneva the heads of state N. A. Bulganin, Sir Anthony Eden, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Edgar Faure. At the request of some prominent Genevan citizens, Vacheron Constantin creates four wrist-watches as gifts to the Conference participants.

Vacheron Constantin presents a wristwatch with an astonishingly novel appearance, featuring an extremely daring design for the period. Paris awards the rare and highly coveted “Diplôme du Prestige de la France” for this aesthetic accomplishment.

Gerhard Kremer (1512-1594), known as Mercator, was highly regarded as a mathematician and geographer due to his invention of the first navigational maps.

Vacheron Constantin saluted the 400th anniversary of his death with the very limited production of a pair of watch designs. Their hand-enamelled dial featured Mercator’s own maps of the hemispheres as well as a pair of compass-like watch hands invented and built specially for these timepieces .

Vacheron Constantin introduced its highly successful Overseas sports line.

The Richemont group acquired the entire share capital of Vacheron Constantin.

The Manufacture launches ‘Egérie’, Vacheron Constantin’s first collection for women.

The new headquarters and Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, located in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva – in the aptly-named chemin du Tourbillon.

Renovation of the historical headquarters of the brand: “Vacheron Constantin House”, containing an exclusive boutique, a patrimonial space and the workshop of the master watchmakers, dedicated to the various crafts of the watchmaker’s art.

Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watchmakers in the world in continuous activity since it was founded in 1755, prepares to celebrate its 250 years of existence and creates the Tour de l’Ile watch.
It is the most complicated double-faced wristwatch in the world, with a unique combination of 16 complications and astronomical dials. Its exceptional calibre of 834 components involves Vacheron Constantin’s designers, engineers, constructors and watchmakers in more than 10,000 hours of research and development. It bears the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Seven of these timepieces are produced.

he Saint Gervais brings together a permanent calendar, a tourbillon and more than 10 days of power reserve in the same timepiece.

Vacheron Constantin’s new 2250 calibre assembles a permanent calendar, which with its four barrels extends the power reserve to 250 hours, coupled with a tourbillon mechanism and a permanent calendar. It bears the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. Fifty-five of these timepieces are produced.

The very first Vacheron Constantin boutique celebrates its 100th anniversary. Inaugurated in 1906, it is still located “en l’Ile”, the brand’s historic birthplace at the heart of Geneva, in the very same building that once housed the company’s production workshops.

There are only one hundred and fifty of these beautiful masterpieces crafted each year, and it seems that 2010 may see the end of the model line.  This makes them ever so much of a coveted prize!  Deposits have to be made some time in advance, which makes them less than ideal for a holiday gift, but the joy you would bring that special someone might well be worth the forward planning!

The Boxsters and Caymans, from about two to three hundred horsepower, might be good for the teenager, but lets get real, you’re going to want the 911. Specifically, the six speed, five hundred and thirty horsepower Porsche 911 GT2. From zero to sixty miles per hour in just over three and a half seconds, for all those times you needed just that.

1900:

The Lohner-Porsche electric car is presented at the World Fair in Paris. The wheel hub engines of the young engineer Ferdinand Porsche bring him international attention. In the same year, he develops an all-wheel-drive racecar, as well as a hybrid petrol/electric vehicle – a world first.

1906:

Ferdinand Porsche becomes Technical Director at Austro-Daimler in Wiener Neustadt. At the age of only 31, he is responsible for the model range of one of Europe’s largest automotive concerns.

Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, later known as ‘Ferry’, is born on September 19 in Wiener Neustadt.

1910:

The Austro-Daimler touring car designed by Ferdinand Porsche scores a triple victory in the Prince Henry Trials. At the wheel of the winning car sits none other than Ferdinand Porsche himself.

1923:

As Technical Director and Board Member of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, Ferdinand Porsche designs the legendary Mercedes Compressor Sports Car. The following year, the 2-litre racecar developed under his aegis wins the Targa Florio. The Mercedes-Benz S-Type models dominate international motorsport from 1927.

1931:

Crowning his career, Ferdinand Porsche opens an office for ‘engineering and consultation on engine and vehicle design’ in Stuttgart on April 25. Created for such renowned manufacturers as Wanderer, Zündapp and NSU are not only entire vehicles, but such trend-setting detail solutions as the Porsche torsion bar suspension.

1933:

For Auto Union, Porsche develops a Grand Prix racecar with a 16-cylinder engine in mid-ship configuration. The rear-engine vehicle concept designed for the compact car (Type 32) developed for NSU is ultimately incorporated in the Volkswagen Beetle.

1934:

The company Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG receives an official order for the design and construction of a German Volkswagen. Only one year later, the VW prototype is test driven. The ‘Ur Beetle’ is assembled in the garage of the Porsche villa in Stuttgart.

1935:

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche is born on December 11 in Stuttgart as the eldest son of Ferry Porsche.

1936:

Parallel to road trials of the Type 60, production facilities are erected under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche for the Volkswagen renamed the ‘KdF-Wagen’.

1939:

Under the designation Type 64, three racing coupés are developed at Porsche in Zuffenhausen. Built for long-distance endurance competition, the ‘Berlin–Rom-Wagen’ are considered the forefathers of all later Porsche sports cars.

1944:

Owing to wartime conditions, the Porsche KG engineering office moves to Gmünd in the Austrian province of Carinthia.

1946:

Under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche’s son Ferry, design of an all-wheeldrive Grand Prix racecar – the ‘Cisitalia’ (Type 360) – is begun for Italian industrialist Piero Dusio.

1948:

The 356 is the first sports car to bear the Porsche name. ‘No. 1’ is roadcertified in June. Only one month later, the lightweight mid-engine roadster wins its first class victory at the Innsbruck Stadtrennen.

Porsche KG returns to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen and commences series production of the Porsche 356.

1951:

Company founder Ferdinand Porsche dies on 30 January at the age of 75. With the class victory of a 356 SL at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the young sports car manufacturer Porsche wins international acclaim.

1953:

The Porsche 550 Spyder debuts at the Paris Auto Show. Driven by an extremely powerful 4-camshaft engine, the light and agile racecar scores countless international triumphs.

1956:

Coinciding with the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the 10,000th Porsche 356 leaves the factory. At the Targa Florio the Porsche 550 A Spyder for the first time logs an overall victory.

1960:

During its very first racing season, the Porsche 718 RS 60 scores overall victories at the Targa Florio and the 12 Hours of Sebring. In Formula 2, Porsche finishes first, second and third in the 150 Miles of Aintree, Great Britain, with the Type 718/2.

1962:

In April, the 50,000th Porsche, a 356 B, rolls off the assembly line. In Weissach, the first segment of the new test grounds becomes operational. In Formula 1, the Porsche 804 wins the French Grand Prix.

1964:

The Porsche 911 launched in the previous year as the ‘901’ goes into series production. The Porsche 904 Carrera GTS likewise designed by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche is acclaimed for its exceptional design and outstanding performance.

1965:

Presented as the ‘Safety Cabriolet’, the Porsche 911Targa is introduced and enters series production in 1966.

1967:

Following the previous year’s success of the Porsche 906 Carrera 6, the Zuffenhausen factory team scores a triple victory with the Porsche 910 at the Targa Florio. For the first time Porsche logs an overall victory in the legendary 1,000-kilometre race on the Nürburgring.

1968:

Porsche achieves its first overall victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona with the Type 907-8. The grand successes of the previous year at the 1,000-kilometre race on the Nürburgring and the Targa Florio are repeated. The 911T wins the Monte Carlo Rally.

1969:

At the Frankfurt Auto Show, the mid-engine VW-Porsche 914 sports car makes its debut. In addition to the Monte Carlo Rally and the Targa Florio, Porsche for the first time wins the World Championship of Makes with the 908/02 and the new 917.

With nine of ten possible victories, Porsche captures its second consecutive World Championship of Makes. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hans Herrmann and Dickie Attwood chalk up a first overall win in the Porsche 917.

1971:

The new Porsche Development Centre in Weissach is inaugurated. In motorsport, Porsche again takes top honours in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the World Championship of Makes.

1972:

Porsche KG goes public under Supervisory Board Chairman Ferry Porsche. As a sporting top-of-line model, the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 reaches the market.

1973:

‘Dr. Ing h.c. F. Porsche AG’ is officially entered in the commercial register. The 911 model range of the ‘G Series’ with safety bumpers is presented. In the Can-Am racing series, the Porsche 917/30 wins with ease.

1974:

At the Paris Auto Show during the height of the oil crisis, Porsche presents the 911Turbo – the world’s first production sports car with exhaust turbocharger and pressure regulator.

1975:

With the 924, Porsche for the first time produces a front-engine sports car in transaxle configuration. Porsche becomes the first car maker to employ a double-sided galvanising process for body steel.

1976:

The Porsche 935 and 936 racecars win the double World Championship in Sports Car and Make rankings.

1977:

Conceived as successor to the 911, the Porsche 928 takes new paths in technology and design. Serving as power plant of the luxurious high performance sports car is a light-metal alloy V8 engine. In addition to successfully defending its title in the World Championship of Makes with the Type 935, Porsche once again wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Type 936.

1981:

The Porsche 944 with a 163 hp, 4-cylinder engine rounds out the transaxle model line. In Le Mans an overall victory of the Porsche 936/81 crowns the company’s 50th anniversary.

1982:

With the 911 SC Cabriolet, Porsche offers an open version of its sports car classic. With the Types 956/962, Porsche wins five Team, Constructor and Driver World Championships between 1982 and 1989. In all, this racing sports car books no less than six Le Mans victories.

1984:

The ‘TAG-Turbo’ Formula 1 power plant built by Porsche celebrates the first of its three World Championships. Besides the World Championship of Makes title, Porsche with the 911 Carrera 4×4 marks its first victory in the Paris–Dakar Rally.

1985:

The high-performance, high-tech Porsche 959 is presented at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Shortly thereafter, it wins the Pharaoh’s Rally. In the following year, the 959 is likewise victorious in the Paris–Dakar Rally.

1988:

In the 25th anniversary year of the 911, Porsche introduces the newly developed 911 Carrera 4 with all-wheel drive.

1989:

The Porsche 911 Carrera appears for the first time with the novel ‘Tiptronic’ automatic gearbox system. Body versions offer a choice of Coupé, Cabriolet and Targa.

Porsche becomes the first car maker in Germany to equip all production models with an airbag for driver and front passenger as standard equipment.

1992:

Dr Wendelin Wiedeking takes charge as Spokesman of the Executive Board and steers Porsche back onto a success course with a comprehensive turnaround package.

1993:

At the Detroit Motor Show, Porsche displays the study for a roadster with boxer mid-engine named the Boxster. The totally revised 911 Carrera premieres at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

1995:

With Emission Control System OBD II, the 911 Turbo becomes the world’s lowest-emission production car. In addition to the 911 Carrera 4S, the 911 Targa with power glass roof expands the model range. The Porsche 911 GT2, which can also compete in motorsport, is launched in a limited series.

1996:

After only 31/2 years development time, production starts on the Porsche Boxster. The 1 millionth Porsche rolls off the Zuffenhausen assembly line on July 15.

1997:

Under the motto ‘Evolution 911’ a new generation of the Porsche 911 Carrera is presented. For the first time, it is powered by a water-cooled four-valve 6-cylinder horizontally opposed engine. To satisfy high demand, the Boxster is now also produced by Valmet Automotive in Finland.

1998:

On 27 March, Ferry Porsche dies at the age of 88. The decision to initiate production of the third series is announced – the Cayenne is on its way. With the 911 GT1, Porsche logs a double victory in Le Mans and can now chalk up a total of 16 overall wins.

1999:

With the 911 GT3, Porsche rounds out the 911 series with an exceptionally sporty version. The Boxster S, a higher performance version of the mid-engine roadster, is available. The Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) is presented as a world first.

At the Louvre in Paris, Porsche celebrates the world premiere of the highperformance Carrera GT sports car. The ready-for-the-road concept car features a carbon-fibre chassis, as well as a 10-cylinder naturally aspirated engine. In Leipzig construction begins on a new Porsche assembly plant for the multi-purpose Cayenne SUV.

2001:

The new 911 GT2 is equipped with the PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake as standard and generates 462 hp. The new generation of the 911 Carrera receives a 3.6-litre engine with variable valve lift. Available as new versions are the 911 Carrera 4S and 911Targa.

2002:

Porsche presents its third series: the sporty and off-road Cayenne SUV. The revised Boxster, thanks to VarioCam technology, achieves lower consumption and emission ratings with simultaneous power boost.

2003:

Series production of the Porsche Carrera GT starts up in Leipzig. By 2006, a total of 1,270 units of the fast (up to 330 km/h) high-performance sports car are built. In addition to the new Porsche 911 GT3 and 911 GT3 RS, the 911Turbo Cabriolet and the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet further expand the product line.

2004:

The new generations of the 911 and Boxster sports car series are introduced in both Basic and S versions.

2005:

At the Frankfurt Auto Show, the Porsche Cayman S with 6-cylinder boxer mid-engine is presented for the first time. Additionally, the model range is extended with the 911 Carrera 4 and 911 Carrera 4S in Coupé and Cabriolet versions. Porsche becomes the largest Volkswagen shareholder. In Zuffenhausen, construction begins on the new Porsche Museum.

2006:

Alongside the new 911 GT3, the 521 hp Cayenne Turbo S marks a new power peak. In Geneva, the new 911 Turbo with Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) is introduced. The Cayman with 245 hp rounds out the model range. Further new entries are the 911 GT3 RS and the 911Targa 4 models. In the American Le Mans series, the Porsche RS Spyder prototype achieves a championship victory in the LMP2 class. Expansion of production facilities begins in Leipzig. There assembly of the Panamera, commences in 2009.

Source: porsche.com

“As with all things that are part of daily life, there should be luxury versions of them. They ultimately make the difference” – Peter Aloisson

Status is expressed in everyday objects.  A cell phone by Peter Aloisson makes the difference.

It is pure indulgence for those who want the very best.  Every piece is a one-of-a-kind creation amidst an ocean of artless plastic bricks of the commoner.  This is what makes them special, with such a unique item, you can stand out and display your individuality. These are beatiful exclusive designs that use radiance and glamor to bring attention to their owners and to the pieces themselves.

“To be different and to stand for something is one and the same thing.” – Émile Benveniste

Peter Aloisson is an Austrian designer and jeweler, and the pioneer who eliminated the boundaries between art, jewelry and technology.  In 1998 he produced his first diamond-encrusted cell phone.  He is also known for his extravagant designs for exquisite interior architecture.

Made of solid 18 carat yellow gold, white gold and rose gold. A fabulous combination. The white gold line is encrusted with a total of 138 brilliant cut diamonds of the best quality. But the main feature of this one-of-a-kind phone is it’s “home button”. It carries a rare 6.6 carat diamond. Integrated in the design as if this diamond has been made for “taking you home” . - aloisson.com

You are now saying “a cell phone for more than 2 million dollars?”  I am saying, yes, and you are worth it!

Apple had something indeed with the invention of this device, but also they had something missing.  Aloisson added that missing piece in the form of 139 diamonds.

Sure to dazzle, and make you the envy of the party!

Whether on an important call, browsing the web, or just playing a game – this is the phone for you!  And I for one cannot wait to see the matching ipad!