Purism and elegance are undoubtedly the most appropriate terms to describe this collection born in 2004 and inspired by the aesthetic codes characterizing traditional watchmaking from the 1930s to the 1950s. A round case with harmonious proportions, thin but straightforward lugs, a refined dial, punctuated only a ‘pearl’ minute track... The Patrimony line is an anthem to classical, frill-free watchmaking, based on timeless minimalism as a guiding principle. Two models created in 1957 have particularly inspired the timepieces that are now part of the Patrimony collection. They feature a round case, a thin bezel, short lugs, a flat dial and a ‘pearl’ minute rack. Reference 6187 provides hour and minute indications as well as a large central seconds hand, while Reference 6179 displays small seconds at 6 o'clock, simply marked by a thin cross, without a rimmed counter. Based on the refined design of these two watches, ideally embodying functional aesthetics devoid of anything superfluous, Vacheron Constantin laid the foundations for the Patrimony line in 2004. From then on, all the models in this collection were to display the same sobriety, whatever the horological complications offered, from the simplest to the most complex. In 2013, Vacheron Constantin took on a double challenge: that of combining a minute repeater, embodying authentic watchmaking process, with the excellence of an ultra-thin movement. With the Patrimony minute repeater ultra-thin and its Caliber 1731 bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, the Manufacture set two records at the time of its presentation. One of the world’s thinnest minute repeater movement at just 3.90mm thick; and another for the thinnest manual-winding repeater watch on the market at the time, measuring just 8.09mm thick The Patrimony collection is now available in multiple versions for both men and women, in diameters from 36 to 42.5mm, powered by Manufacture movements featuring varying degrees of complexity. In addition to the famous minute repeater, the Patrimony line includes an ultra-thin perpetual calendar, a retrograde day date version, and a moon phase with retrograde date. It also features more refined interpretations, faithful in every respect to the original inspiration, with self-winding versions displaying the hours, minutes, seconds and date; and a Patrimony driven by a manual-winding caliber.

• Round mechanical watch inspired by two models created by Vacheron Constantin in 1957