The Holy Trinity of Watches (Haute Horlogerie)


 

The Holy Trinity of Watches (or additionally generally referred to as the Big Three), a reputation bestowed to a few prestigious watchmakers — Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet — for his or her pioneering spirit, boundless innovation, and remodeling the posh watch panorama.

Every business has leaders who dominate the market and the standard of the merchandise. In this identical vein, the Holy Trinity of Watches denotes the three leaders of the world of horology. While these manufacturers are distinctive in their very own manner, all of them share some similarities. Such as wealthy legacy, creating in-house actions, impeccable ending, clever watchmaking, and high-quality craftsmanship. For these causes, and in recognition of their journey to the head of Haute Horlogerie, these three manufacturers obtained this title within the Seventies.

You could be questioning, what makes these three manufacturers the Holy Trinity, and who gave them the title? It is a widely known incontrovertible fact that the watch business is ever dynamic. Any fashionable expertise or new innovation can simply make some manufacturers irrelevant. Going again to the Quartz disaster throughout the Seventies and the Nineteen Eighties, the watch business noticed a decline in Swiss producers on the outset of a digital revolution. Despite these components, the Big Three have stood sturdy, radically reworking when wanted. But they did so with out compromising the normal strategies to provide world-class watches with the best decadence.

Moreover, these three are the oldest manufacturers within the business. Vacheron Constantin dates again to 1755, Patek Philippe to 1839, and Audemars Piguet to 1875. Consequently, watch aficionados related the time period, Holy trinity, to those manufacturers, crowning them the unbeaten kings of Swiss luxurious watchmaking.

Holy Trinity of Haute Horlogerie

The watch world stands divided at the moment on associating simply these three manufacturers because the Holy Trinity. However, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet proceed to show they’re worthy of the title. Let’s have a look at the historical past and milestones of the manufacturers, to know why they’re a league of their very own.

Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet logo

Established in 1875, two younger watchmakers, Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet, got here collectively to comprehend their ardour for watchmaking and creating difficult actions. This noticed the beginning of the model, Audemars Piguet, with a wealthy historical past and unparalleled legacy. Milestones just like the world’s first-minute repeating motion launched in 1892, the primary skeleton watch in 1934, and extremely thin-automatic tourbillon in 1986 sealed Audemars Piguet’s destiny as a world-class watchmaker. Contemporary achievements embrace the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar and the world’s first mechanical chronograph with a three-column wheel and impartial reminiscence.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK TOURBILLON 41 EXTRA THIN ROSE GOLD WATCH 26510OR.OO.1220OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillion

The model’s Royal Oak assortment is, by far, essentially the most celebrated and essentially the most profitable even at the moment. To this extent, many celebrities like Jay-Z and Arnold Schwarzenegger personal the Royal Oak, additional rising its recognition. Audemars Piguet unveiled this assortment as a countermeasure to the Quartz Crisis. With putting never-seen-before design and meticulous detailing, the Royal Oak comes engineered in a hexagonal case with eight screws and an built-in bracelet. This makes the Royal Oak a signature of the model’s promise to fabricate Haute Horlogerie timepieces.

Based in Le Brassus, this watch model upholds the fervour of its founding fathers. Collections just like the Millenary and Code 11.59 boast of the best artistry of luxurious watchmaking. The Millenary assortment comes geared up with an oval case to provide the viewers a 3D view of the motion. Code 11.59, alternatively, showcases a twin self-winding chronograph, perpetual calendar, and double curved sapphire crystal. These watches have extra to the story than what meets the attention. A better look will inform tales of its daring structure and refined supplies for a novel expertise.

Audemars Piguet’s exquisiteness displays within the value as effectively. Given their high-end value brackets, these watches aren’t for all. But, you’ll be able to learn our alternate options to the Royal Oak assortment right here, to get your fingers on one thing comparable at an inexpensive value.

Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe logo

Originally launched in 1839 by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek, the watch firm re-established itself as Patek Philippe in 1851 after getting Jean Adrien Philippe on board. The former founding members launched the corporate, pushed by their ardour to create pocket watches. However, they couldn’t make the partnership work and separated across the time Antoine Norbert de Patek got here involved with Jean Adrien Philippe. Philippe, alternatively, was steadily rising to fame for his keyless hand-winding mechanism. Thus started the story of Patek Philippe as we all know it at the moment.

As many years handed, Patek Philippe claimed its spot with the higher echelons of the posh watchmaking enterprise. To this extent, Patek Philippe stays probably the most prestigious model alive at the moment. Some of its loyal patrons being Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, and Leo Tolstoy, amongst many different international leaders.

 

Patek Philippe Nautilus Moon Phase Blue Striped Dial Steel Watch 5712/1A-001
Patek Philippe Nautilus Moon Phase

Year after yr, Patek Philippe launched new innovations. In 1863, they launched their first tourbillon watch. In 1925, they unveiled their first-ever perpetual calendar wristwatch as a part of the Patek Philippe Calendar Chronograph assortment. Remarkably, the model holds as much as 100 patents for its innovations that reshaped the world of luxurious watchmaking. Celebrating the model’s a hundred and fiftieth anniversary, the model launched Calibre 89 with over 30 issues inducing dawn time and perpetual calendar accounting for leap years. As of 2020, Patek Philippe additionally holds the file for the most costly wristwatch offered at an public sale at about 31 million {dollars}.

Driven by their philosophy, “You by no means actually personal a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the following technology”, the model worth is a testomony to the standard and sturdiness for a few years. The Grand Collection, is one such version, embodying Swiss watchmaking legacy with Patek Philippe’s magic. Above all, the model created its personal certification, referred to as the PP seal. Awarded to solely these watches becoming the best requirements of precision and accuracy, the PP seal stands acknowledged globally. To date, Patek Philippe makes watches with a number of issues in distinctive, luxurious designs, proudly befitting the title of the Holy Trinity of Watches.

Read right here to know extra about Patek Philippe and why they’re so costly.

Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin Logo

The oldest of the Holy Trinity, Vacheron Constantin, arrange store in 1755 in Geneva. Famously acknowledged for making a watch with essentially the most issues, Vacheron Constantin continues as an instance its wealthy historical past and legacy as of at the moment. Creating a watch with 57 issues and a couple of,826 parts isn’t any straightforward feat. However, for Vacheron Constantin and its elite Haute Horlogerie crew referred to as Les Cabinotiers, this comes on account of their 266 years of watchmaking data.

The Les Cabinotiers was born within the 18th century with the hovering demand for custom-made watches. As of the current day, this group personifies one fundamental ingredient, to protect its age-old custom of watchmaking. Some of the model’s most distinguished shoppers embrace King Fuad I of Egypt, Monarch of Patiala, Napoleon Bonaparte, and lots of different Royals. Even Hollywood superstar Marlon Brando obtained a Vacheron Constantin with a hand-crafted guilloché dial to rejoice his Oscar win.

Vacheron Constantin Malte Silver Dial Men's Watch 82230/000R-9963
Vacheron Constantin Malte Small Seconds

The model’s wealthy craftsmanship and a focus to detailing dates again to the 1800s. For occasion, the model’s first gold pocket watch with the map of Italy engraved on it showcases the fineness of watchmaking. In 1869, they launched a marine chronometer, paving the way in which for brand spanking new discoveries within the world of scientific horology. In 1880, the model trademarked its Maltese cross emblem, showcased on watches until at the moment. From the Twenties, Vacheron Constantin started its journey with advanced issues, the primary being the grand complication pocket watch, then the primary world time watch with 31 time zones. Subsequently, timepieces with ultra-thin motion, chronograph with tachymeter scale, and thinnest minute repeater graced the world of horology.

In 1996, the Richemont Group acquired Vacheron Constantin. Yet, the model continues to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art, mechanical watches, in contrast to another model. The Historique Collection pays tribute to the model’s legacy by upholding its values. The Overseas Collection, most well-known of all, showcases chronographs, world timers, moon part, and tourbillons. The Patrimony Collection epitomizes basic design with magnificence and class. Finally, the Traditionelle Collection expresses Geneva’s Haute Horlogerie traditions worthy sufficient to final many generations.

The Holy Trinity of Watches made it to the highest 50 luxurious watches of 2020. Learn about these manufacturers and extra right here.

 



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