Mountains and rivers depend on each other, guarding each other: Vacheron Constantin's Métiers d'Art series opens a new chapter
2024-08-19
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To pay tribute to the long-standing Chinese traditional culture, the Swiss high-end watch manufacturer Vacheron Constantin has carefully created the special exhibition themed "Hengshan Sea, Sea, River Cliffs and a Journey Through Time", which will open on August 9, 2024 in the ancient Pudu Temple in Beijing.
This special exhibition is inspired by the "sea and river cliff patterns" that were highly respected in the courts of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It cleverly interweaves China's profound cultural heritage with Switzerland's exquisite watchmaking craftsmanship, presenting a journey through time that spans time and space and integrates the East and the West.
The exhibition is divided into three chapters: "Light but Not Dazzling", "Fushan Shouhai", and "Perfect Match", which cleverly integrates China's excellent traditional culture with Vacheron Constantin's watchmaking art. Guests here can not only appreciate Vacheron Constantin's exquisite watchmaking craftsmanship, but also immerse themselves in the historical evolution and profound meaning of the "sea and cliff pattern".
"Seawater and river cliff pattern", also known as "river teeth seawater" or "seawater and river teeth". This auspicious pattern, which was only used by the royal family, nobles, or officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties, implies "mountains and rivers depend on each other and protect each other". Inspired by the seawater and river cliff pattern, four masterpieces of the Métiers d'Art series created by Vacheron Constantin made their debut at the exhibition. The "Waves Surge" watch and the "Moonlight on the Rivers and Mountains" watch respectively use advanced watchmaking techniques such as enamel painting, hand-carving, and jewelry inlay, vividly depicting the surging waves and towering mountains of the "seawater and river cliff pattern", beautifully presenting the concept of the Métiers d'Art series of "Paying Tribute to Chinese Cultural Symbols".
Since its establishment in 1755, Vacheron Constantin has been deeply rooted in the field of art and culture, committed to exploring the rich scope of watchmaking art. By the middle of the 19th century, the brand had an indissoluble bond with China. With its colorful and unique charm of eclecticism, Chinese traditional culture has become an inexhaustible source of creative inspiration for Vacheron Constantin. In the "Light Without Dazzle" chapter of the special exhibition, Vacheron Constantin introduced a Chinese narrative method and presented the brand's "Book of Light" in the form of an ink scroll. By holding a brush and circling different historical chapters, Vacheron Constantin's historical documents are slowly unfolded under the shade of seawater and cliff patterns, telling the brand's outstanding watchmaking process.
In addition, in the "Perfect Match" chapter of the special exhibition, a series of Vacheron Constantin watches that pay tribute to Chinese cultural elements, such as the Métiers d'Art series Villes Lumières, the Legend of the Chinese Zodiac, and the "Florilège Temple of Flowers" Chinese Crane Orchid, are on display, showing the deep connection between the brand's watchmaking art and China's profound culture through the small dial.
Similarly, the wonderful encounter between China's excellent traditional culture and Vacheron Constantin presents oriental aesthetics in a new art form, which not only injects infinite innovation and vitality into the watch world, but also pays tribute to Chinese culture and broadens the international stage. In the "Fushan Shouhai" chapter of the special exhibition, each frame of light and shadow vividly tells the meaning of "seawater and cliff patterns" in Chinese civilization through flowing images, injecting extreme imagination and vigorous creativity into it.
In addition, the cultural relics full of historical deposits loaned by collectors show in detail the changes of the traditional pattern of "sea and river cliff patterns" from the original mountain patterns and water patterns to the symbols of eternal stability of the country and prosperity of mountains and rivers. At the same time, it also witnesses the continuous and sustainable magnificence of China.
"High mountains and flowing water meet bosom friends". China has a long tradition of making friends with guqin and expressing emotions with music. At the opening ceremony of this special exhibition, Mr. Yang Zhijian, a guqin player of the China National Orchestra and a national first-class player, played the famous guqin piece "Flowing Water", implying the encounter between Vacheron Constantin and Chinese traditional culture. At the same time, Mr. Jürg Burri, the Swiss Ambassador to China, Mr. Song Haiyang, the curator of this exhibition, Ms. Gu Jialin, CEO of Richemont Group China, and Mr. Yang Zhengfeng, CEO of Vacheron Constantin China, all attended the scene and witnessed the grand moment of the opening of the exhibition.
Through this exhibition, Vacheron Constantin personally experienced the Chinese culture and historical heritage, which coincides with the brand's long history of watchmaking and cultural tolerance. In the future, the brand will continue to uphold its inexhaustible enthusiasm for art and culture, and convey the beauty of art and time with respect for traditional Chinese culture.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Mr. Bai Ruiyi mentioned that "the Swiss watchmaking industry has a long history and is highly representative. It plays an important role in the cultural exchanges between China and Switzerland. This exhibition vividly presents the fruitful results of the cultural exchanges between China and Switzerland, as well as the common vision of China and Switzerland in the fields of cultural education and cultural relics protection."
This exhibition is invitation-only and will start on August 9, 2024 and last until August 18. This cultural journey, with its ingenious watchmaking art, highlights the timeless cultural essence, conveys Vacheron Constantin's sincere respect for Chinese culture, and also expresses its vision of looking at the world and paying tribute to diverse cultures.
