Revolution Watch Podcast Ep. 11: Christian Selmoni

Christian Selmoni is a very interesting man. The Style and Heritage Director can readily reel off Vacheron Constantin’s numerous achievements over its 260 plus years of history without batting an eye, and just as easily spend an entire meal talking about his love of tattoos. But when he visited Hong Kong just last month with vintage timepieces in tow, our conversation naturally, was about the brand’s incredible past and the incredible service that is Les Collectionneurs.

Les Collectionneurs is a collection of restored Vacheron Constantin timepieces from the 20th century that the brand’s heritage department chose to repair, authenticate and resell to Vacheron Constantin aficionados around the world. It’s a unique offer in the watchmaking world, and in the podcast, Selmoni explains why Vacheron Constantin decided to take on this challenging project.

18K yellow gold chronometer pocket watch from 1922 in the Les Collectionneurs collection
18K yellow gold chronometer pocket watch from 1922 in the Les Collectionneurs collection
Inscription on the pocket watch in the Les Collectionneurs collection
Inscription on the pocket watch in the Les Collectionneurs collection
The calibre, with a Swiss lever escapement and Guillaume balance, in the 1922 pocket watch
The calibre, with a Swiss lever escapement and Guillaume balance, in the 1922 pocket watch
Also in Les Collectionneurs, a 1947 Complete Calendar wristwatch, which inspired the Triple Calendar 1948 wristwatch in the Historiques collection
Also in Les Collectionneurs, a 1947 Complete Calendar wristwatch, which inspired the Triple Calendar 1948 wristwatch in the Historiques collection
18K yellow gold wristwatch from 1948, restored for Les Collectionneurs collection
18K yellow gold wristwatch from 1948, restored for Les Collectionneurs collection

We also touch on an ongoing exhibition, “Diptyques: A History of Collaborations,” a selection of timepieces that retrace the saga of Vacheron Constantin’s collaborative endeavours that represented technical and artistic breakthroughs for the maison.

For those keen on seeing these exhibits usually kept away in Vacheron Constantin’s archives, the exhibition is currently showcased at Landmark Prince’s boutique in Hong Kong until the end of the month before moving on to the next stop of its tour.

The Vacheron Constantin Diptyques: A History of Collaborations exhibition
The Vacheron Constantin Diptyques: A History of Collaborations exhibition

Show Notes

(00:05) Introduction

(03:46) Conversation with Christian Selmoni

(37:08) Around the World with the #SilverSpitfire

Where to Find Us

You can listen to the Revolution Watch Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcast, Castbox, Stitcher and more. If you like what you hear, leave us a rating and give us some feedback.

If there are any topics and questions you’d like us to cover in the podcast, you are more than welcome to leave us a message on Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to hear from you.

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