Introducing the Métiers d’Art Les Aérostiers Collection by Vacheron Constantin

Swiss luxury watch brand Vacheron Constantin have tapped into the history of flying to create a new collection of lavish timepieces.

Inspired by the heritage of hot air balloons, all five watches feature an unorthodox motif depicting the distinctive air-borne vehicles, which were first designed in France in the late 18th century.

The watches on the dials all feature a translucent plique-à-jour enamel background. Against this is a hot air balloon sculpted over three weeks to effectively capture the range of details.

A combination of techniques and plenty of expertise is required to create these faithful reproductions of what is widely considered a significant historical moment – when hot air balloons were first sent into the sky.

In order to display the time without marring the design with hands and numerals, Vacheron Constantin used a Manufacture Caliber 2460 G4/1. The watch also uses coloured discs to reveal the date and time through gaps in the plique-à-jour enamel dial.

Each of the five timepiece in its Métiers d’Art Les Aérostiers Collection also features a 40mm white gold case and is priced at $135,000.

Founded by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755, Vacheron Constantin have grown to become one of the world’s most famous luxury watch makers.