Vacheron Constantin 0

Movement Manual Bracelet/Strap Brown leather Case 18K Yellow Gold Dial Silver Numerals Roman and Gold Arrows Case Diameter 33 mm Crystal Scratch resistant sapphire Buckle Water Resistant No Movement P453/38 Movement Number is 487175 17 jewels Piece is from the 1940s, Art Deco and in absolutely beautiful condition. Serviced by Vacheron two years ago and is running perfectly. Case is absolutely stunning and is made by Verger Freres Paris. I have added a great write-up on verger from Antiquorum and you can read about this great firm at Antiquorum or Sotheby's. Verger was profiled in Vox in 2005. From Antiquorum: Chapter VIII Vacheron Constantin and Verger Lots 70 to 93 Vacheron Constantin and Verger Frères One of the richest, if not the richest period in jewelry and watch design is that of the Art Deco period - a period of so many various styles that one cannot sum up any of its characteristics in a single phrase. The enormous amount of travel and cultural exchanges taking place, the continuum of new discoveries, brought about such themes as: “chiaroscuro”, or the black and white movement; the Chinese and Japanese influences; the Persian or Indian styles; the new Egyptian Revival; and of course, the clean lines of geometry. It is a period where even everyday, mundane articles are transformed into objects of art. Two words come to mind to describe the essence of the period - luxurious exoticism, and two words come to mind to describe one of this period’s great masters, VERGER FRERES. The French were leading the rest of the world in this style, and Paris was at its center, with Verger Frères making magnificent objects d'art for all of the famous jewelry and horological houses at the time. The founder of this great firm was Ferdinand Verger (1851-1928), himself a great man! He was both a jeweler and a watchmaker; he was the President of the “Chambre Syndicale des Bijoutiers”, and at the same time brought together the conflicting egos of the Swiss and French watchmakers (please refer to Antiquorum's VOX, 2005, for a more detailed article on Verger). It is in 1879 that he began to work as agent for the “reknowed Swiss watch manufacturer”, VACHERON & CONSTANTIN. In 1896 Ferdinand registered his own trademark, “FV”. He had two sons, George and Henri, who were trained in the great tradition of their father. They joined their father, and in 1911, moved to 51 Rue Sainte Anne under the name of Verger Frères, (Verger Brothers), - the trademark now inverting to “VF”! It may be interesting to note that Ferdinand had bought out Lepine in 1901, and in 1914 sold all of this remaining stock to Louis Leroy, the famous Parisian watchmaker, but he kept his trademark. It is in the period of Ferdinand's sons, especially with George, that the house of Verger Frères reaches it’s peak, and on January 1, 1921, Ferdinand officially leaves the business to his sons (according to his letter dated December 31, 1920). The house of Verger was unique in that it was involved in all the aspects of jewelry and watch making. The creations of Verger reflect some of the most original designs of the Art Deco period, and their specialty was the jeweled timepiece. They employed a whole array of artisans - lapidaries, stone-setters, gold-, platinum-, and silver-smiths, enamellers, watchmakers and case-makers, designers and renderers and so on, all of whom were fully employed by the firm. In other words, the Maison Verger didn't subcontract to the various craftsmen, but produced their great works of art in house! One cannot define the “style” of Verger; it is as varied, rich and creative as the whole Art Deco period itself. However, the attention to detail - the extraordinary workmanship, the use of the finest gems, no matter how insignificant their part may play in the final design, and the originality of the theme is their calling card. The Maison Verger, as already mentioned, were the French agents for Vacheron Constantin. That later developed into a partnership, and while they are often associated with Vacheron Constantin, Verger produced pieces for the finest houses around the world, sometimes with, and sometimes without Vacheron Constantin. They made pieces for Cartier, Lacloche Frères, Marzo, Boucheron, Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Ostertag, Jaeger, Chaumet, Janesich, Fouquet, Mauboussin, Marzchak, and other important Parisian houses; they made for American firms such as Charlton & Co., Trabert + Hoeffer, Udall + Ballon, J.E. Caldwell, Black, Star, & Frost, Spalding & Co., and Tiffany, and clients elsewhere included Hauser-Zivy y Cia in Mexico, Bulgari of Rome, Gübelin of Switzerland, and firms in England, Denmark, and other European cities. The creativity of Verger Frères is further substantiated by the number of patents for which they are responsible. There is no doubt regarding the greatness of the house of Verger. It is not always easy, however, to discover a Verger's identity. Usually, their mark will be on the inside of the case, as opposed to the retailer's mark, which is usually on the surface of the object. The mark to look out for is a lozenge-shaped stamp, with the initials “VF” inside; this is the mark for the most prized Art Deco pieces. The early pieces will bear the early trademark, “FV”, for Ferdinand Verger (after 1872); “VF” in a lozenge, for Verger Frères, from 1911-1935; Georges Verger et fils, from 1935-1945; and Verger et Co., from 1945-1979. There were not many houses like Verger, that created so many masterpieces, from start to finish, for so many famous jewelers and watchmakers. The amazing point is that they were not handed designs from their clients, but they let the clients decide which of the Verger designs would carry their name. Coupled with the excellence of Vacheron Constantin, the Art Deco period is just that much richer and exotic thanks to the obscure, but magnificent house of VERGER! The partnership between Verger Frères and Vacheron Constantin was formally dissolved in 1938, with the creation of the Société anonyme de produits industriels et commerciales (SAPIC), which marked the strengthening of the ties between Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-Lecoultre, to the detriment of the long-term relationship between Verger and Vacheron. As is evidenced in the following pages, that relationship was a mutually beneficial one; each gave to the other an undeniable advantage. While the Maison Verger had experience in watchmaking, it was the advanced technology of Vacheron Constantin and the horological “know-how” and long history of expertise which elevated the horological aspect of Verger. Verger's creativity and unsurpassed elegance in design gave the artistic stage to Vacheron Constantin, placing this Geneva manufacturer among the highest regarded French artists. Thank you for looking and if you have any questions, please email me at uh_patel @ yahoo Regards, Utkarsh