The famous designer Ora-ïto was invited by the watchmaker Vacheron Constantin to reinterpret one of its cult models, the Patrimony watch. Inspired by the celestial phenomenon of “Baily pearls”, the designer signs this new version with rare balance. An exceptional piece to treat yourself to for the end of year celebrations, and to place under the tree.
Ora-ïto takes a new look at the iconic Patrimony watch
“The first time I visited the factory Vacheron ConstantinI was fascinated by discovering this place which almost gives you the impression of entering a NASA laboratory. All these gowns, these caps, this clinical cleanliness, the purified air, the silence, the order, the attention to detail, the high-precision machines…” Here are the terms in which the famous French designer Ora-ïto recounts this meeting which inspired one of the most beautiful versions of the Patrimony watch to have been designed in recent years.
The exercise was not simple. A refined watch par excellence, with a rare balance, the Patrimony stands on a ridge line. If we do too much, we deprive it of its natural simplicity; if we don't do enough, it loses its character. To summarize his approach, Ora-ïto also puts forward a principle which seems original, but ultimately quite logical: that of “simplicity”.
This neologism, which summons two antagonistic notions, simplicity and complexity, condenses what makes up the main features of a successful watch, simple in appearance, but sophisticated in the details. “The dial is inspired by a photo of the 'Baily Pearls', an astronomical phenomenon that occurs during solar eclipses. On the surface of the Moon, light rushes into the canyons that cover its floor and then disintegrates, causing a series of concentric stripes. I found it extremely beautiful. And then this phenomenon also echoed the craftsmen's guilloché work, this meticulous work of engraving metals”, he explains.
The Patrimony of Ora-ïto, between light and vintage design
The photo mentioned by Ora-ïtosigned by Chinese Yu Junwon first prize in the annual Sun photography competition in 2016, organized by the Royal Observatory of Greenwich. It is somewhat reminiscent of a vinyl record in which light plays in the grooves. An effect that the designer decided to apply to the Patrimony watch by creating guilloché furrows on its dial.
Thus, by examining the object under a ray of light, we can observe the famous play of light of the pearls of Baily. Characterized by its polished faceted index, its hemispherical timer, its hands with a curved tip languidly following the shape of the dial, the watch combines vintage notes typical of the designer's obsessions.
“For the bracelet, I thought of the large armchairs of the 70s. I wanted these little leather pads to evoke this blessed decade. And this burgundy brown, combined with a yellow gold case, made me think of color codes in vogue on certain Italian cars created by Giorgetto Giugiaro or Giovanni Bertone. A gold bodywork on a burgundy leather interior, I find it sublime”, he emphasizes.
Final detail? The burgundy typography of the date at 6 o'clock matches the color of the bracelet. Sometimes, in the smallest details of the ornament, the marvelous is hidden.
