My friends, we had an unqiue experience in Paris last night.

Vacheron Constantin organized, as in the last 6 or 7 years, a superb dinner.

Our Hosts, the VC Team, and specially Yves Di Martino and Alex, chose one of the most prestigious Parisian Restaurant, " La Tour D'Argent ".

Alex and Yves explained us that the choice was not a coincidence, as VC and La Tour D'Argent had both in common to be an Institution, from 1582 for this Restaurant, and from, of course, 1755, for their Manufacture.

Each time we gather with our friends, at VC, it is something special, friendly, and very pleasant, as we are among passionate watch lovers, but this year, it was even more special.

We had the pleasure to have a preview on the Quai de L'Ile Annual Calendar, but here, I will invite you to see the superb topic our Moderator Bill recently posted.

Firstly, let's share some pictures of the ambiance:

With the Vacheron Team, we always have fun as Yves Di Martino and Alex have a lot of humour, which is an important " value " for me.

So, let's start with some fun!

When I first saw the sublime decorum of this restaurant, with these candles, the silver glasses and plates, I first thought about a personnality who is very dear to me, Vlad Dracul.

Don't you think the same when looking at these 3 or 4 pictures?



" Are our guests late? ":



" No, no, someone is knocking at the door! But who can it be ? "



" My God! Did you see these gorgeous necks??? ... Hmmmm, just in time, we began to be thirsty! "



Alex aka Vlad, and his best friend, Berny, preparing and checking the timing of the menu:



Even the " Maitres D' Hotel " had something strange, like shadows or ghosts, as you can see:





On a more serious, but not less friendly note, it was a real pleasure to have the opportunity to meet this Vacheron Community, a pleasure I don't often have, but always some intense moments, and curious, too, as I met another French Lawyer who wore exactly the same watch than mine, at this dinner, the " Les Historiques " Chronograph with the rare salmon dial:





Then, we had the privilege to spend some time with some Vacheron Watches...

It was impossible to take al the watches in pciture, as there were too many, but seeing them was also a very pleasant moment.

A watch like the Tour de L'Ile is not something you see every day, by the way.

One of the most complex and prestigious Grande Complication from Vacheron:



More human- but are dreams made to be human?- some other very appealing creations:

- The Toledo 52, an old friend, the reminiscence of the Cioccolatone, an original and nostalgic way to display a triple calendar:





- The American 1921, with itis crown located at one edge of the case, a very elegant expression of Time, for sure!





- The infamous Chronometre Royal, certainly one of my next Vacheron Watch... I'm still haunted by this piece, for its classic, elegant, and timeless presentation:



A fascinating, simple and understated dial:



Not that bad for an automatic movement, even if I dream of a manual variation on this chronometric reference:



And what to say about this Patrimony Perpetual Calendar skeleton, in platinum?

Thin, just the right size ( 39 mm ), deliciously decorated, the legibility is not its main virtue, but hey, can't we live with that, when we're in front of such a beauty?

It is not the first time I see it in the flesh, but each time I appreciate it more and more...









Who can complain that this movement is automatic when it is finished and decorated in this way???



To conclude, I would say that I also saw, with big interest, the lastest " Maki -e " creations, and the ultra thin ( round and squared ).

I appreciated a lot the ultra thins, but couldn't take any pictures of them as too many people wanted to handle and admire them, as well as the Maki -e, which let me a bit perplex.

To be honest, my first reaction was not really positive, as I would have preferred a plain dial, and a nicely decorated movement on the back side.

The gorgeous laquered dial would have been even nicer without this aperture, from my own point of view, but this is a first impression, and I will see them again, to see if the feeling I have on these pieces changes, or not.

I would also thank a lot the Vacheron Team for their warm and very friendly welcome, and for offereing us one of these magic moments.

One more magic moment, should I say.

See you in Geneva!

Best,

Nicolas.

This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-12-01 03:00:54 This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-12-07 03:34:26