Manufacturer: Vacheron Constantin Year: 1951 Reference No: 4695 Movement No: 581'444, stamped VXN Case No: 321'946, case top interior stamped 946 Model Name: "Cornucopia" Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Manual, cal. 9''', 458/3B, 17 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Gilt Buckle Dimensions: 24mm x 24mm square case, 40mm overall length including the lugs Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by the original box and an Extract from the Archives confirming production of this watch in 1951
Catalogue Essay
With the end of World War II, there was renewed optimism for the future. Countries began to rebuild, and war factories returned to civilian production. In the arts, artists and designers looked beyond their historical past, and together with changing consumer tastes, shaped a new modern look and feel in architecture, furniture and design. Mid-Century modernism challenged traditional concepts, and built upon the clean sleek lines of the Bauhaus and International movements. As early as 1949, Max Bill of the Swiss Werkbund organized traveling exhibitions called Gute Form (Good Form). These shows reached a broad audience, and demonstrated the merging of form and function.
Vacheron Constantin’s Cornucopia, as collectors affectionately refer to it, is a wonderful example of this newfound exuberance. The oversized flared lugs amplify the case, giving it a larger than life feel. The watch is transformed from a tool into a biomorphic design. Pattern and ornamentation are replaced by bare surfaces and revealed structures. With the VXN code on the movement, the watch was destined for the United States, which was establishing a new democratic way in a post war world. The watch is in lovely overall condition, with an original, crisp silver guilloché dial. The new aesthetic of the mid 20th century is perfectly exemplified by the Cornucopia.
The world's oldest watch brand in continuous operation since its founding in 1755, Vacheron Constantin was the first watch company to manufacture movements with interchangeable parts beginning in 1839. Vacheron's watches are admired for their Latin-influenced case designs, well-balanced proportions and exquisitely finished movements of the highest quality. The Geneva-based manufacturer is known for their highly complicated masterpieces, including the King Farouk Grand Complication made in 1935, the Tour de l'Ile that was the most complicated serially produced wristwatch when introduced in 2005 and the 57260 — the world’s most complicated watch — made in 2015.
Key vintage models include minute repeating wristwatches such as the references 4261, chronographs such as the references 4178 and 6087 and the oversized Cioccolotone models such as ref. 4737. Collectors also appreciate Vacheron's Chronometer Royal pocket and wristwatches, as well as the '222,' the brand's first luxury sports watch produced from 1977 through 1984.