Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Florilège Tulip Ref. 82550/000G-9918

The Tulip, which originates from the foot of the Himalayas, soon conquered the entire Ottoman Empire. No other flower has so greatly enthused humankind, to an almost manic extent. Its bulb engendered strong speculation that led in the 17th century to a total collapse of the market and the financial ruin of some unconditional tulip-lovers. Yet this crisis did not diminish the interest in this flower, as confirmed by the plate featured by Thornton as the first in his publication. It also proves the spectacular diversity of the shades one can achieve through successive crossbreeding. This model with its more contemporary, linear graphic design highlights various guilloché motifs. The strongly contrasting colours of the enamels, between the beige background and the mingled yellow, rosé and aubergine shades of the petals, accentuates the realism of the depiction. The Métiers d'Art Florilège-series is set with 60 baguette-cut diamonds (totalling 1.40 carats) in the five-piece limited edition exclusively reserved for Vacheron Constantin Boutiques, and 64 round-cut diamonds (0.89 carats) on the 20 watches comprising the main collection. The precious stones are individually set around the rim of the bezel and lend the final touch to the watch.