Vacheron Constantin continue their 12-year journey through the Chinese zodiac with this watch dedicated to the year of the goat, which begins on 19 February 2015. This limited edition is available in two variants, pink gold and platinum, with 12 pieces for each. So definitely a piece for Chinese collectors, presumably with a price tag around €100,000 or thereabouts.

The Calibre 2460 G4 Calibre provides uninterrupted space for the goat because hands are replaced by windows, two above for hours and minutes – dragging indications, so in constant movement – and two below for day and date, which are jumping indications. The movement powers four circular discs, and it has a power reserve of about 40 hours. The sapphire caseback reveals part of the movement, and above all the oscillating weight in gold, with a pattern based on the Maltese cross emblem that forms part of Vacheron Constantin’s trademark. The day and date indications can be adjusted using recessed pushers on the case side: the piece is supplied complete with a corrector wand, and a magnifying glass for examining the craftsmanship.

Vacheron Constantin’s engravers sculpt the goat, while the leaf motif on the dial (this year the decoration is honeysuckle flowers) is relief-etched, with enamel then applied to the depressions in successive layers and grand-feu-fired at 800-900°C. The platinum version has blue-coloured enamel, the pink gold version has bronze-coloured enamel.

The reference numbers for the two versions are 86073/000P-9890 for the platinum version, and 86073/000R-9889 for the pink gold piece. They have Hallmark of Geneva certification.

This piece follows the two previous pieces in the Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac collection, the snake and the horse.

Vacheron Constantin have a long history of digital date-date watches, as can be seen from this 1920s piece auctioned by Christie’s in Hong Kong in 1912. This piece sold at HK$150,000, US$18,416, near the top of the pre-sale estimate. Photo courtesy of www.christies.com