Alfardan Jewellery and the world’s oldest Haute Horlogerie manufacture, Vacheron Constantin, hosted an exceptional evening on Oct 21 to celebrate the launch of its FIFTYSIX® collection in Doha, Qatar. The travelling exhibition made its second stop in the Middle East at the prestigious Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel in Doha, showcasing key models from the FIFTYSIX collection: The FIFTYSIX® Day-Date, FIFTYSIX® Complete Calendar as well as the collection’s first major horological complication, The FIFTYSIX® Tourbillon.

An exclusive performance by Jazz crooner and composer Omar Kamal provided the musical narrative for a sophisticated evening that drew more than 150 VIP guests and connoisseurs who were introduced to the Maison’s new artistically-inclined “One of not many” campaign. The experiential event brought to life the distinct world of FIFTYSIX® through a series of distinguished, immersive activities curated to create a memorable arena geared especially for those with exceptionally refined taste.

Guests were given the opportunity to intimately discover the striking collection as well as interact with Alexander Schmiedt, Vacheron Contantin’s Brand Director for the Middle East. Commenting on the exclusive gathering, Mr. Schmiedt said, “The launch of the FIFTYSIX® collection is a momentous occasion in Vacheron Constantin’s 263 year history and I am delighted to be able to share this moment with our valued Qatari connoisseurs. FIFTYSIX®embodies Vacheron Constantin’s spirit of constant innovation – blending tradition with progression to deliver a horological experience which consistently resets precedents.”

“I am very pleased with the launch of Vacheron Constantin’s latest collection; FIFTYSIX® in Qatar. The launch of the FIFTYSIX® is another new milestone in the successful partnership between Al Fardan Jewellery and Vacheron Constantin in Qatar and we are looking forward to many more to come. I am very positive that this new collection will please the tastes of all watches connoisseurs in Qatar”, Mr. Ali Hussein Alfardan, Vice Chairman of Alfardan Group and President of Alfardan Jewellery, said.

The FIFTYSIX® Collection

Geneva’s oldest watch Manufacture, Vacheron Constantin is heralding a new chapter in its history with its FIFTYSIX® collection. It represents an important new step as this original line, inspired by a historical Vacheron Constantin watch dating from 1956, instils a modern momentum capable of opening up the world of Fine Watchmaking to contemporary enthusiasts.

The style of the Fiftysix® is a direct tribute to a watch created in 1956: reference 6073. The distinctive design of this iconic model embodies the creativity of the Maison during the 1950s – a period representing the golden age of watchmaking refinement, as well as the heyday of musical creativity. With its classic dial, daring case and avant-garde technical characteristics (it was at the time one of the first watches from the Manufacture to be equipped with a self-winding movement and a waterresistant case), this 1956 watch wove ties between respect for tradition and a taste for innovation.

For the first time in its storied history, the Maison has decided to offer a classic collection both in gold and in steel, while treating the latter material with the same high aesthetic standards as the precious metal. As an example of this, see the use of white gold hands and appliques on the steel versions of the FIFTYSIX®.

FIFTYSIX® Day-Date with Power-Reserve Indicator

The day-date FIFTYSIX® with its 40 mm-diameter case in steel or 18 carats 5N pink gold provides additional functions driven by its self-winding movement, Calibre 2475 SC/2. Equipped with a stop-seconds device, the latter powers the day of the week indication appearing at 9 o’clock, the date at 3 o’clock and the power-reserve display at 6 o’clock. The 22 carats gold openworked oscillating weight visible through the sapphire crystal caseback is fitted with a ceramic ball bearing rotation system requiring no lubrication and guaranteeing the movement’s longevity. In keeping with the characteristic face of this collection, this version features a monochrome dial with double opaline-sunburst effect, enhanced by the additional contrast of its two snailed counters. Gold Arabic numerals, hour-markers and hours & minutes hands punctuate the dial of this FIFTYSIX® model.

FIFTYSIX® Complete Calendar with Precision Moon Phase

Behind the understated elegance of the FIFTYSIX® complete calendar model’s monochrome dial with opaline-sunburst effect lies one of the horological complications most appreciated by discerning connoisseurs and collectors. The indications of the day of the week, date, month and moon phase are driven by a self-winding movement, Calibre 2460 QCL/1. Its construction and its extreme precision mean that the moon-phase function requires adjustment only once every 122 years (compared with once every three years or a standard moon phase). The collection’s characteristic dial is graced with two rectangular apertures at 12 o’clock, respectively indicating the month and the day of the week. The date is displayed by a central gold hand, while the moon disc at 6 o’clock features a blue night sky and 18K gold moons. A 40 mm-diameter case in steel or 18 carats 5N pink gold; gold Arabic numerals, hour-markers and hours & minutes hands; alligator leather strap with steel folding clasp or pink gold pin buckle depending on the model: the FIFTYSIX® complete calendar embodies a perfect blend of Vacheron Constantin’s stylish elegance and the sophistication of its mechanical functions.

FIFTYSIX®Tourbillon The most prestigious composition in the collection to date, the FIFTYSIX® Tourbillon is beautifully slender at less than 6 mm thick and equipped with a 22-carat gold peripheral rotor, the calibre of this model may be observed through a transparent caseback revealing all the beauty of the mechanism with its refined ornamentation. The tourbillon alone called for over a dozen hours of chamfering and other hand-crafted finishing operations. Like a metronome, its 2.5 Hz frequency provides a chance to follow its steady beat, framed by a 41 mm-diameter case. On the two-tone opaline-sunburst dial, decoration plays an equally exceptional tune. The FIFTYSIX® Tourbillon will be available exclusively from Vacheron Constantin boutiques as of April 2019.