Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom: Where Haute Horlogerie Meets the Extraordinary

Six artists, six extraordinary crafts and six miniature worlds of wildlife redefine the possibilities of Métiers d’Art watchmaking

There are moments when a watch becomes more than a timepiece. In Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom, the dial becomes precisely that: a miniature stage on which craftsmanship, nature and Haute Horlogerie converge.

The Maison presents six concept watches created within its “One of Not Many Crafts Programme,” an initiative dedicated to exploring the future of horological craftsmanship through unconventional artistic practices. Six independent artisans, each working outside the traditional Métiers d’Art associated with watchmaking, were invited to transpose their respective disciplines onto the demanding scale of a watch dial.

The result is a remarkable dialogue between six crafts featherwork, glass sculpting, micro-origami, gold embroidery, paper sculpting and wood marquetry and one enduring source of inspiration: the animal kingdom.

A new vocabulary for Métiers d’Art

Since its foundation in 1755, Vacheron Constantin has placed the preservation and transmission of creative savoir-faire at the heart of its identity. Traditional disciplines including guilloché, engraving, enamelling, gem-setting and high watchmaking have been cultivated and transmitted across generations.

Yet heritage, for the Maison, is not synonymous with repetition.

Through the One of Not Many Crafts Programme, Vacheron Constantin deliberately looks beyond established horological disciplines, inviting artists to bring unfamiliar techniques into the world of watchmaking while respecting the uncompromising technical requirements of a fully functional timepiece.

The six resulting creations emerged from an ongoing dialogue between the invited artists and the Maison’s own watchmakers and Métiers d’Art specialists. Their collaboration demanded new tools, new techniques and new approaches to miniaturisation, enriching the expertise of both sides.

As Sandrine Donguy, Product & Creation Director, explains, the Maison’s mission is to continue building and innovating while pushing the boundaries of Haute Horlogerie, combining the transmission of centuries-old savoir-faire with the exploration of new creative fields.

Christian Selmoni, Maison Legacy and Style Director, describes the programme as a form of creative incubation, expanding the vocabulary of Métiers d’Art by bringing practices rarely associated with horology onto the watch dial.

Six crafts, six visions of nature

The scale of the challenge is extraordinary. Each creation is housed within a 42-millimetre case, with no more than four millimetres between the surface of the dial and the sapphire crystal.

Disciplines traditionally practised on substantially larger surfaces therefore had to be completely reconsidered.

The six artists were required to transform their familiar gestures into microscopic ones, often developing bespoke instruments and processes specifically for the project.

The watch itself provided an unexpected canvas. Vacheron Constantin’s Calibre 2460 G4, with its unconventional peripheral display, indicates the hours, minutes, day of the week and date through four apertures positioned around the extremities of the dial. By leaving the central surface largely open, the architecture of the movement allows the artistic composition to take centre stage.

The six creations consequently become miniature works of art.

A fantastical serpent emerges through featherwork in Feathersnake. A transparent octopus seems to float beneath the surface of an imagined ocean in Glassoctopus. Miniature manta rays glide through a nocturnal blue landscape in Oraygami. A shimmering tiger prowls through embroidered vegetation in Tigerbroidery. A white crocodile appears almost carved from ice in Papercroc. And in Woodenwings, a sculpted falcon seems ready to take flight.

The art of the almost impossible

What unites these creations is not simply their subject matter, but the extraordinary degree of adaptation required to make them possible.

Feathers had to be cut into fragments measuring only fractions of a millimetre. Glass was sculpted to create a three-dimensional octopus only 3.5 millimetres above the dial. Origami was reinvented through entirely new folding sequences. Gold embroidery was reduced to a scale approximately half that of the artist’s previous miniature work. Paper was embossed, laser-cut and layered into a composition just three millimetres high. Wood marquetry was transformed into a three-dimensional falcon using microscopic tools and techniques.

The artisans were not simply reproducing their established practices. They were redefining them.

The collection is united by further details that underline its connection to craftsmanship: a specially designed 22K gold oscillating weight, hand-engraved with motifs inspired by artisans’ tools, and dedicated straps whose embossed patterns echo the visual language of each dial.

At the heart of Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom lies therefore a compelling paradox: the smaller the canvas becomes, the greater the creative ambition.

By bringing six unconventional disciplines into the world of Haute Horlogerie, Vacheron Constantin transforms the watch dial into a laboratory of artistic experimentation and demonstrates how far craftsmanship can evolve when tradition is given room to imagine.

The Artisans Behind Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom

Julien Vermeulen Feathersnake

Featherwork reduced to the rhythm of a heartbeat

The serpent at the centre of Feathersnake is constructed from more than 200 tiny pieces derived from seven rare Lophophore feathers. Rising only three millimetres from the dial, its blue-green plumage creates the illusion of living scales, while goose feathers form the surrounding vegetation.

The extreme scale required the development of a custom micro-scalpel and a modified sewing needle for applying microscopic dots of glue. The project demanded approximately 250 hours of research, prototyping and execution.

Interview

What was the most unexpected challenge in this project?

The microscopic scale required me to completely rethink my approach, and I realised that my whole body had to become engaged in the process. The smallest feather elements measured only a few tenths of a millimetre, so even breathing too heavily could send them flying.

At certain moments, I found myself almost holding my breath while placing a feather, because even the beating of the heart creates tiny movements in the hands. As the serpent progressed and the curves became tighter around the head and eye, each stage introduced a new level of difficulty.

I could not work for more than four hours a day on the project because it demanded such an intense level of concentration.

What does this project represent for you personally?

This project represented several firsts for me. It was the first time I had worked with natural Lophophore feathers, which are extremely rare and difficult to handle, and also the first time I had worked at such a microscopic scale.

Throughout the process, I remember warning Vacheron Constantin several times that I was not sure I would be able to complete the project because we were constantly pushing the material beyond what I thought was possible.

The fact that I ultimately succeeded is a source of pride, because it enabled me to venture beyond what I believed were my own limits.

About Julien Vermeulen

Julien Vermeulen discovered his passion for featherwork during a formative period at the atelier of French couturier Jean Paul Gaultier, where he realised that feathers could become far more than ornament in skilled hands.

Trained in applied arts at the Lycée Octave Feuillet in France, where he learned featherwork, Vermeulen founded his own workshop in 2014 with the ambition of reviving and reinventing a fading craft.

Simone Crestani Glassoctopus

A transparent creature suspended between glass and time

In Glassoctopus, Simone Crestani transforms transparent glass into a miniature underwater vision. Rising just 3.5 millimetres above a hand-guilloché gold dial coated in deep blue, the octopus appears to float within an imaginary nocturnal ocean.

The sculpture required an entirely new technique. Tiny glass rods were melted and shaped piece by piece with tungsten tools, while every tentacle and sucker had to be constructed progressively to prevent the delicate glass threads from collapsing.

The development lasted more than a year, beginning with the first prototypes in spring 2025.

Interview

What was the most unexpected challenge in this project?

Without doubt, the scale of the project.

In glassmaking, one usually thinks in centimetres, sometimes even in monumental volumes, whereas here everything had to be controlled to the tenth of a millimetre.

Although I had previously created minute glass details, including bees adorning a Venetian-style goblet presented at a previous edition of Homo Faber, nothing had approached the microscopic scale required for this dial.

This forced me to completely rethink my technique and adapt all my tools to ensure that every detail remained readable and alive within the dimensions of the dial, while still giving the octopus a sculptural presence and a sense of movement, as if floating underwater.

What does this project represent for you personally?

This project constitutes a real turning point in my work because it forced me to develop a new technique that I had never used in twenty-five years of working with glass.

It opened a new perspective in my practice and made me realise that I can now apply this knowledge to create even smaller, more intricate elements in future works.

I am proud to have completed it because making something so small ultimately proved as demanding as creating something monumental, which is typically considered the greatest challenge for a glassmaker.

About Simone Crestani

Italian glass artist Simone Crestani began working with glass at a young age, often remarking that it was the material that chose him.

Renowned for his poetic sculptures in transparent glass, Crestani explores the contrasting nature of the material simultaneously fragile and resistant while preserving its transparent essence.

Deeply inspired by vegetal and marine worlds, he creates sculptural objects that reveal transparency through light and precision of contour.

Anya Midori Oraygami

When origami learns to move like a manta ray

For Oraygami, Anya Midori brings a school of miniature manta rays into an imagined underwater universe.

Each creature measures between five and ten millimetres and is folded from hand-coloured Japanese paper before being mounted on fine brass stems. The deep-blue hand-guilloché dial and a moiré effect on the crystal reinforce the sensation of shifting light beneath the ocean.

The project required a completely new origami sequence, developed after extensive study of photographs and videos of real manta rays. The paper itself had to be dyed specifically for the project, using water, natural cellulose and acrylic pigment.

Interview

What was the most unexpected challenge in this project?

There were really two major challenges.

The first was creating the manta ray itself. In origami, artists usually work from existing folding sequences developed by other masters, but for this project I had to invent my own model from scratch.

I spent a long time studying photographs and videos of real rays to understand their proportions and the way they move through water before translating those observations into folds. Some solutions emerged only late at night or unexpectedly while I was away from the studio.

The second great challenge was the paper.

The blue tones available in my usual Japanese papers were not the right colour for the project, so, for the first time, I had to experiment with dyeing the paper myself using a mixture of water, natural cellulose and acrylic pigment.

Because the paper is extremely thin, every colour mixture changed its behaviour, thickness and flexibility. It took a long time to find the right balance.

What does this project represent for you personally?

This is probably the most significant project of my origami career so far.

It was the first time I had been involved from the very beginning of the creative process rather than simply executing a finished idea. I learned an enormous amount, not only technically, through developing new folding sequences and experimenting with dyeing paper, but also personally.

The project taught me to trust that even when something initially seems impossible, there is always a way to make it possible.

Working with Vacheron Constantin also gave me confidence because they constantly encouraged me to push further and trusted my work at every stage, even when I was not sure I could accomplish my task.

Completing the project and meeting the quality standards of such a prestigious Maison are a real source of pride for me.

About Anya Midori

Based in Germany, Anya Midori discovered micro-origami less than a decade ago and has rapidly established herself as one of the inventive figures in the field.

For Midori, folding is a meditative discipline requiring total concentration and an almost obsessive attention to detail. In origami, optimal results depend on folding the undersides with the same care as the visible surface, even when they remain unseen.

Vacheron Constantin: Gold, Paper and Wood Reimagined on the Watch Dial

Laura Baverstock Tigerbroidery

Gold embroidery captures the movement of a tiger

A tiger in honey and tangerine hues prowls through a richly embroidered jungle in Tigerbroidery, Laura Baverstock’s interpretation of gold embroidery at miniature scale.

The animal is created from 9-karat yellow and white gold embroidery wires, while specially developed ceramic-coated black wires form its stripes. The surrounding landscape is embroidered onto bespoke green silk, with grasses rendered in several shades of Japanese silk.

The final dial required approximately 210 hours of work. Every detail had to respect the severe spatial limitations imposed by the watch, including the curved sapphire crystal and the positioning of the four apertures displaying the indications.

Interview

What was the greatest technical challenge of translating goldwork embroidery onto a watch dial?

This project was, from start to finish, a venture into the unknown.

I usually depict animal faces, but Vacheron Constantin challenged me to create the entire animal and portray it in motion. This required extensive research using wildlife imagery and documentary footage.

Vacheron Constantin also challenged me to work with wires containing the highest possible gold content. After various experiments, 9-karat gold proved to be a material I could successfully manipulate, although it was the first time I had worked with it.

On top of that, I was working on a scale approximately half that of the smallest piece I had ever previously created. This required the development of bespoke tools capable of producing entirely new materials for the project, including miniature gold wires and ultra-fine needles.

Another major challenge was fitting the embroidery within the watch’s strict constraints, particularly the curved crystal above the dial and the precise placement of the guichets. Even the slightest movement in the silk could distort the final result.

What does this project represent for you personally?

Thanks to this project, I believe I have brought embroidery to the level of art.

Embroidery is a traditional craft, but Vacheron Constantin pushed me to such an extent on a technical level that I feel I reached an entirely new level through this collaboration.

I have always loved the phrase, “Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” For me, this project perfectly embodies the balance between artistic innovation and the technical discipline of embroidery that defines my creative process.

About Laura Baverstock

A graduate of the Royal School of Needlework in the United Kingdom and a member of the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers, Laura Baverstock has developed a distinctive visual language by adapting traditional stitching techniques to contemporary design.

Her work is characterised by bold silhouettes and an obsessive attention to detail, with deep inspiration drawn from illustration and the natural world. Her work has appeared in film costumes and creations for renowned fashion houses.

Marianne Guély Papercroc

Paper becomes sculpture in a monochromatic vision

In Papercroc, Marianne Guély transforms white cotton paper into a miniature sculptural landscape.

An all-white crocodile moves through apparently snow-covered vegetation, its three-dimensional form created from sheets of 250- and 300-gram paper through embossing, laser cutting and hand assembly.

The composition measures only three millimetres in height. Specially developed brass matrices, heated to between 60 and 70°C, were pressed onto the paper to create the crocodile’s scales and the surrounding foliage while preserving microscopic precision.

Interview

What were the greatest technical and artistic challenges you encountered in crafting this micro paper sculpture?

The greatest challenge was achieving such precision and detail on paper at a microscopic scale.

Cutting proved particularly difficult because natural-fibre papers tend to create tiny burrs and ridges along the edges.

The partnership with Vacheron Constantin, which supported both my team and me throughout the process, proved invaluable in solving this issue. The Maison connected us with specialists in ultra-precise laser cutting, allowing us to achieve the level of refinement required by Haute Horlogerie.

What is truly bewildering is to realise that such a small paper sculpture is actually the result of the research and work of so many people my own studio, the teams at Vacheron Constantin, and all the specialised artisans and technicians involved in overcoming the project’s many technical challenges.

What does this project represent for you?

This project represents the fulfilment of a dream I had carried with me for many years.

I have always been passionate about watchmaking and had long imagined bringing paper into this universe. When Vacheron Constantin contacted us, it felt almost like destiny.

I also find it deeply meaningful that a Swiss Maison chose to explore the artistic potential of paper. In Europe, paper is still often considered merely a medium and is frequently associated with fragility notions I have always challenged in my work.

This project allowed us to demonstrate that paper can enter the world of Haute Horlogerie as a true form of art.

About Marianne Guély

Paris-based Marianne Guély is renowned for her distinctive sculptures, monumental installations and minute designs, all created from paper.

Originally trained in industrial design, she founded her studio to explore the possibilities of the material. Combining embossing, folding, laser cutting and layering, Guély creates works that play with shadow and light, giving sculptural presence to white paper while challenging its conventional associations with fragility.

Anna Le Corno Woodenwings

The natural grain of wood takes flight

In Woodenwings, Anna Le Corno transforms twelve different wood species into a fierce falcon poised above the dial.

Smoked eucalyptus and dark blue-dyed birch are among the materials used to create the bird, whose plumage is rendered through a combination of circular marquetry, sculpted layered marquetry and a feather-by-feather assembly technique developed specifically for the wing.

At only three millimetres in height, the composition required microscopic carbide bits, surgical-style scalpels and custom sanding instruments, with much of the work performed under binocular magnification.

Interview

What was the main challenge of the project?

The greatest challenge was creating volume within such a restricted space.

I am accustomed to working on large furniture pieces and sculptural objects, where I enjoy large surfaces that allow me to create relief and highlight the material’s natural texture and character.

More broadly, my work is always about highlighting the natural grain of wood while combining it with dyed woods treated with vivid pigments.

On my larger pieces, the grain is immediately visible and viewers can fully immerse themselves in the materiality of the wood. This becomes much more challenging at a smaller scale.

But what interested Vacheron Constantin was precisely this sculptural approach to wood and how it could be transposed onto the miniature scale of a watch dial.

To achieve this, I had to completely rethink both my tools and my techniques. I also had to learn to work under binocular magnification.

This involved sourcing highly specialised instruments as well as creating some custom-made tools myself.

It was essential to find the right balance between natural wood species and brightly coloured dyed woods that could catch attention and enhance the beauty of the natural material. At such a small scale, every minute detail had to contribute to revealing the wood’s richness and texture.

What does this project represent for you?

What fascinates me most is the dialogue with the material itself, with wood.

This project allowed me to develop an even deeper understanding of it.

The more I sculpted and experimented, the more I discovered entirely new possibilities within the material. It became a stimulating process because I constantly had the feeling that an idea that seemed technically possible in my mind could actually work in reality.

And once executed, the result would often surprise me positively, creating unexpected effects and opening up even more possibilities.

That dynamic of experimentation continued throughout the entire process until the final result.

In that sense, it was a particularly rewarding and inspiring project for me.

About Anna Le Corno

Originally trained in architecture, Anna Le Corno pursued her studies at the prestigious Parisian craft school École Boulle, specialising in woodwork.

She has risen to prominence through contemporary furniture, sculptural works and decorative objects that explore the expressive possibilities of wood, fusing the ancient art of wood marquetry with modernity.

Her poetic yet highly technical approach earned her the Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris in the Emerging Talent category.

Patricia Holdener

Editor-In-Chief

Luxe Mgazine Switzerland

LuxeMagazineSwitzerland VacheronConstantin MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches FineWatchmaking WatchmakingCraftsmanship AnimalKingdom HorologicalArt LuxuryWatchesSwitzerland

AnnaLeCorno WoodMarquetry Woodenwings MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches ArtisanCraft FineWatchmaking

LauraBaverstock GoldEmbroidery Tigerbroidery MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches Craftsmanship FineWatchmaking

SimoneCrestani GlassArt Glassoctopus MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches GlassSculpture Watchmaking

AnyaMidori MicroOrigami Oraygami MetiersdArt HauteHorlogerie LuxuryWatches OrigamiArt Watchmaking