A tribute to decorative face coverings from ancient civilisations in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, the Les Masques* collection is a series of 12 watches released between 2007 and 2009, each taking inspiration from a mask in the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva. This edition features a traditional Indonesian example, with a semi-transparent sapphire glass below revealing the various time-telling disks and an inscription of a poem.

The Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art collection showcases some of the finest artistic craft, encompassing areas such as engraving, guilloché work, enamelling, and gem-setting, all while maintaining the watch's technical excellence. The Les Masques collection is group of twelve watches released between 2007 and 2009, each produced in a limited series of 25 and retailed as a boxed set of four. Four watches were released each year, representing four different continents - Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The masks were modelled from examples in the Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva, which holds the largest collection of non-Western art in the world.

The central feature of the dial is the mask, which on this edition is an example traditional to Indonesia, more specifically to the island of Lombok, and usually created from wood. The face covering on the dial is taken from the kind worn during wayang topeng performances, which usually drew from Balinese chronicles, and often encompassed a wide variety of styles. The earliest mask performances date back to around 896 A.D., and each example was considered incredibly sacred, as it was thought they contained the soul of the respective character. This one is of an old man with details like sunken cheeks and a furrowed brow rendered vividly even in its miniature form. The old man is a character often found within these performances, which scholars have suggested signified human mortality.

Further to this, the dial is semi-transparent, to allow the information below to be read, but the green-tinged, smoky surface holds a surprise in the form of a poem written by Michel Butor, a French poet and novelist. The words can only be read when the watch is held up to light at a certain angle, an effect achieved by a process called vacuum metalisation, where the letters are sprayed onto the crystal. The poem encircles the mask, commenting on the passage of time. Loosely translated, it reads:

I dance the duration the wait
patience the resistance
to suffering and to evil
the slowness of the days and nights
stammering recognition
resignation but vigilance
the hasty passage of the months
and the devouring of the months

The watch is fitted with the 2460 G4 movement, which allows the time to be read without the use of hands. Four separate, equal-sized disks are used to represent the hours, minutes, day and date respectively. It is a poetic design decision, showcasing the preciousness of time, irrespective of its quantum. Seen through the sapphire caseback, the movement displays a gold rotor with guilloché detailing, and a glimpse at the calibre. At 40mm in size, the watch is a sizeable art piece for the wrist.

If sold within the United Kingdom, this Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Arts “Les Masques” will be subject to 20% VAT

Closer look

Condition

This Vacheron Constantin Metiers d’Arts “Les Masques” is in excellent condition overall. Very light superficial marks are found on the case and lugs, with the case proportions and bevelled edges remaining well pronounced. The semi-transparent sapphire glass, dial, mask, discs, and movement are free from any signs of imperfections. The hallmarks on the caseback are crisp and well defined. 

The watch was serviced by Vacheron Constantin in February 2023 and thus comes with the remainder of its servicing warranty.

Warranty

The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.