Elegance and refinement, the desire to emerge without attracting too much attention, the need to stand out without falling into the banal.

Have you ever wondered how to achieve such an effect? And above all, which timepiece perfectly embodies these characteristics?

I have always believed that true elegance lays in the ability to get noticed without necessarily falling into the obvious banality of following fads and trends of the moment.

To further clarify, the construction of an elegant classic suit has always remained mostly unaltered. There will always be those who will say that a three-button jacket is more chic than a two-button one, or those who do not even consider a lapel wider than 8 cm, but in the end it’s all about  personal preferences, and there is nothing more special than feeling good about yourself.

What about a timepiece instead? Which do you think best embodies the virtues listed above?

We at IWS try to answer the question by presenting a unique object for those who cultivate an innate vocation for elegance, the Vacheron Constantin American 1921 unique piece.

The rebirth: the Roaring 20s

Let’s get on the time machine guys, let’s jump 100 years and try to better contextualize the golden years within which this extraordinary piece comes to life.

We are in 1921, the hell of the first great war is over and the atmosphere is characterized by considerable cultural and economic fervor. The great metropolises are a riot of effervescence, the explosion of jazz, theaters, cafes and art galleries are the main meeting places, everything takes shape and form in a climate of global rebirth that makes cities real and own international creativity workshops.

Industrial expansion is also experiencing a golden moment. It is not just a quantitative leap forward, but a real qualitative transformation that affects all sectors. It is estimated that within the reference decade, one car was in circulation for every five inhabitants, more than half of the population owned an iron, and about 15% a washing machine, a toaster and a fan.

It is in this golden age that Vacheron Constantin concretizes the idea of ​​creating a functional and at the same time elegant object, in step with the modernity of the time.

In fact, the American 1921 comes to life to meet the needs of those who loved to drive cars. The machines marketed in the early twentieth century were very different from those of today. They required the driver a series of complex operations, for which maximum concentration was required.

Vacheron Constantin’s idea was precisely to offer the public a wristwatch characterized by an inclined dial, in such a way as to allow the time to be read without particular distractions while driving.

A highly original display, made possible by rotating the dial and the entire movement by 45 degrees. The result of extravagance and rigor, creativity and technical mastery, the American 1921 is a candidate to all intents and purposes as a symbolic icon of the fine watchmaking of that time.

The quest: building a new American 1921 with old equipment

To celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the iconic American 1921, Vacheron Constantin powerfully captures the attention of enthusiasts by drawing from its historical archives, presenting to the public a unique, faithfully recreated piece of the historic model from the 1920s, preserving its original elegance and refinement.

Let’s take a step back and try to understand together the reasons that led VC to recreate this wonderful piece.

The American 1921 of the time, an icon of the “crazy creativity” of the 1920s, was limited to only 24 pieces, one of which is extraordinarily preserved in the private collection of Vacheron Constantin.

The ambitious project of the Geneva-based maison was fueled by the strong desire to offer enthusiasts from all over the world a journey back in the techniques and craftsmanship practiced a century ago.

The reconstruction company has in fact involved for more than a year all the specialists of the restoration atelier as well as the major experts of the historical heritage of the maison, who, by tying the extreme technical ability to the superb knowledge of the past, have brought back to life the iconic timepiece.

Most of the components were created from scratch for its construction, while the existing ones were recovered from the vast internal historical archive. Even the instrumentation used is original of the time. Drilling machines, pliers, small parts and assembly techniques are the same ones that the master watchmakers of the early twentieth century used to make the American.

Let’s have some fun by taking a closer look the extraordinary features of the timepiece and the historic devices brought it back to life.

The case

As widely celebrated in the previous paragraph, the aesthetic reproduction of the American 1921 represented a real feat in terms of manual processing and study of archival documentation. 

The case with a diameter of 31.5 mm and a thickness of 8.75 mm was completely made according to the dimensions and features of the original American 1921, retaining all the unique charm of both the 45-degree off-centered coussin shape and the crown of winding positioned at 12 o’clock, recalling the most popular pocket timepieces at that time.

The middle case, the bezel and the back were obtained using a special 19th century lathe. Even the welding of the lugs is faithfully carried out with techniques of the time.

What about the materials instead? The gold alloy used for the historical model, 18K 3N yellow gold, was identified and recreated following an accurate and unique study using a specific spectrometer.

The only non-original feature of the time, compulsorily inserted for customs reasons, is the laser engraving applied to the caseback.

The movement

Although the great skill of the maison’s master watchmakers in bringing to life the timepieces that wrote the history of the family, never before has there been a challenge which saw the reconstruction from scratch of a caliber of the time using the same equipment available during that period. 

The famous caliber 11 or “Caliber Nouveau”, so called for the 11 lines that fed the original model, has been meticulously disassembled, analyzed with extreme care and finally redesigned. 

It was a work of incredible precision, which engaged the artisans for almost a year in creating the movement according to historical specificities. It all started by noting the measurements and dimensions of each of the 115 components of the original movement, creating diagrams and dimensional models of the caliber. 

In this phase, the historical documents received in the archive proved to be extremely valuable, allowing the engineers to redesign and build the bridges and the plate according to the features of the time. 

The final result is a synthesis of mechanical perfection and manual mastery, which in tandem have made it possible to bring back to life the historic hand-wound movement characterized by 30 hours of power reserve and 18,000 vibrations / hour.

On the other hand, the ancient machines and tools used, which are fundamental in the reconstruction, finishing and calibration of every single component before assembly, deserve a separate chapter. 

The profile of the wheel teeth, for example, was obtained thanks to a rounding machine dating back to the second half of the nineteenth century.

The most difficult challenge, according to the Vacheron engineers, was to be traced back to the drilling of the movement plate together with the setting of the rubies, which we remember being made from the 40s exclusively through the insertion technique and not the setting, was won thanks to the Heritage department that pulled a couple of aces out of its sleeve, making two drilling machines available to the master watchmakers one vertical dating back to the eighteenth century, and the other to the early twentieth century.

The dial

The dial of the American 1921 is yet another work of art created by the Vacheron decorators. 

The traditional gréné processing, which gives the object a great brightness, is enhanced by the Grand Feu enamel, an ancient decorative technique that requires numerous firings in the oven at high temperatures. 

The clearly visible Arabic numerals marking the hours are faithful to the style of the time, as are the small seconds at 6 o’clock on a graduated scale of ten. The blue pomme hands have been rigorously made and hand enamelled according to the original techniques and materials recovered in the archives. 

The house logo is placed as in the original model at 12 o’clock.

Also noteworthy is the strap made entirely by hand in brown calfskin with tone-on-tone stitching. The work is completed by the pin buckle in 18K 3N yellow gold, which recalls the case. 

To discover more about the American 1921 read our dedicated article or visit the offial Vacheron Constantin website

Final remarks

What can I say guys, after having made an incredible journey into the magic of the roaring twenties, relived the effervescent spirit and creativity of the time through the faithful reconstruction of this incredible timepiece, the time has come to take stock trying to put focus the goal that Vacheron Constantin has set for itself by launching itself in this incredible undertaking. 

The key concept that supports the ambitious project is undoubtedly driven by the desire to showcase all the mastery and technical skills of the maison. But let’s go further. 

Personally I believe that the reproduction of an icon of the time through techniques, materials, and technologies of the past, should not be interpreted as a sign of contempt for the present or as a fear of the future, but rather wants to offer a concrete tribute to the art of watchmaking in all. its fields, ingenuity, technology and manual skills.

Although we are faced with a faithful reproduction of the past, I consider this magnificent creation, one of a kind, characterized by a very strong symbolic value that goes beyond the value and material beauty of the object. 

I find that this quality is unequivocal to be found in the extraordinary importance that the Geneva-based company attributes both to the Manufacture and to the concept of handing down the watchmaking art of the time to future generations, in such a way that it is not lost.

Going back to the questions posed at the beginning, I therefore consider this fantastic timepiece as a unique symbol that inextricably binds the past, present and future of fine watchmaking through elegance and ingenuity.

And do not be scared if, like me, you are imagining yourself at the wheel of a splendid Bugatti Tank de Tours of the time wearing the American 1921, it is completely normal.

Author: Jacopo Invernizzi

Translated by: Enrico Della Guerra