{"product_id":"vacheron-constantin-prestige-de-la-france-as01995","title":"Vacheron Constantin Prestige de la France","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIt was a fine summer afternoon in late June. A gentle sun shone on the squares and the boulevards of Paris. Tourists and locals alike strolled in the Jardin des Tuileries, sipping lemonade, the scent of roses and tulips rich in their nostrils.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eClose by, on the Place Vendôme, a group assembled in a salon of the famous Ritz Hotel. This was where Hemingway drank martinis, where Cole Porter would pen “Let’s Do It” (with the charming couplet, “The world admits, bears in pits do it, \/ Even Pekingeses at the Ritz do it”), and where Coco Chanel lived for thirty years in Suite 302. In their business suits and ties, with the ghosts of those memories around them, the group seemed at home in the ornate setting in which they found themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThere, on June 23, 1972, they gathered to honor Vacheron Constantin, who was about to receive a high honor: the Diplome du Prestige de la France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAmidst the clicking of camera shutters and a smattering of polite applause, Louis Christaens, the President of the Comité de Prestige et de Propagande Nationale, presented the diploma to Jacques Ketterer. Ketterer, the President and Director of Vacheron Constantin, had been in office since 1969. It was Ketterer who would guide Vacheron through the uneasy period following the introduction of the Seiko Astron and the beginning of the quartz revolution.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e(It was also under Ketterer that the manufacture would lose the ampersand in its name, in 1973).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWith the watch market being flooded with quartz watches from Japan, the presentation of the diploma to Vacheron proved that some people, at least, still appreciated fine mechanical wristwatches. The message was not lost. Shortly after the presentation, the manufacture released a wristwatch with an unusual asymmetrical case and called it the Prestige de la France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e1972 was the year that Audemars Piguet, another member of the horological \"Big Three,\" released the Royal Oak. With the Royal Oak's distinctive eight-sided case and integrated bracelet, Audemars Piguet single-handedly created the genre of so-called\u003cem\u003e luxury sports watches\u003c\/em\u003e. While Vacheron wouldn’t throw their hat into \u003cem\u003ethat\u003c\/em\u003e ring until the 1977 debut of the 222, the Prestige de la France’s unusual silhouette and stunning silver dial subtly foreshadowed what was to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWhether Vacheron created the Prestige de la France specifically to celebrate this diploma, or whether they bestowed the name to a watch that already existed, is unknown. But whatever its origins, the Prestige de la France stood out among the more traditional, round-cased watches that Vacheron offered at the time. It would comprise a part of Vacheron’s collections until being redesigned at the dawn of the 21\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12.5px;\"\u003est C\u003c\/span\u003eentury.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eEven with such an unorthodox case shape, the Prestige de la France is mathematically perfect. Its proportions are in keeping with the Golden Ratio, which has fascinated mathematicians and artists for two thousand years. Powered by the Calibre 1050, the model is a true testament to Vacheron’s enduring legacy as one of the most prestigious manufactures in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis particular example is a stunner in 18K white gold with a jet black dial, and has been recently treated to a full spa service. Coming complete with box and Extract Of The Archives from Vacheron Constantin, this is a special example of an already-special model.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vacheron Constantin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36428563585,"sku":null,"price":6900.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Vacheron_Constantin_Prestige_De_La_France_35202_AS01995_2.jpg?v=1499963622","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/vacheron-constantin-prestige-de-la-france-as01995","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}