Standing 1.83m tall and 4.8m long, the Great Sphinx of Tanis was acquired by the Louvre in 1826 and is linked to the Middle Kingdom (2035-1680 BC). On the watch, the gold applique featuring the head of the sphinx was created using the pounced engraving technique, where the material is removed to create a sculpture in relief.

The dial’s other decorative elements take their cues from the cartonnage coffin of a certain Nakht-khounsou-irou, which is housed in the Louvre. On the rim, for instance, champleve enamel petals recall the floral motif of a large necklace depicted on the coffin.

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Dating back to between 200 and190 BC, the Winged Victory of Samothrace is a Hellenistic sculpture that was found on the Greek island of Samothrace. Representing the goddess Victory, it was originally made to thank the gods for a naval victory. The draped fabric on the statue proved a challenge for the engraver tasked with reproducing it on the small space of a watch dial.

The centre of the dial is enamelled in brown (a tricky colour to achieve), and on its periphery is a decoration taken from the friezes of two Greek vases. These motifs were created using grisaille enamelling, where white enamel is applied on a dark enamel base.

A wall decoration made of moulded bricks, the Frieze of Lions (circa 510 BC) was originally located in the courtyard of the palace of Darius the Great in Susa, the capital of the Achaemenid Persian Empire in southwestern Iran.

Vacheron Constantin artisans adapted that artwork for this watch in two ways. A gold engraved lion sculpture was crafted and set against a background of glazed “bricks”. To create the wall, artisans used the technique of stone marquetry, where patterns are created using tiny pieces of coloured stones. To recreate the original colours of the Lion de Darius, turquoise and yellow mochaite jasper were used.

The marble bust represented in this watch depicts the first Roman emperor, Augustus, wearing an oak wreath, a civic crown supposedly awarded by the Senate in 27 BC. While he called himself the first citizen of the Roman republic, he was an autocrat who nonetheless brought about two centuries of peace.

The sapphire crystal, which also bears an engraved gold applique of Augustus, features metallised Latin script drawn from an ancient inscription. The dial’s colourful rim was created using stone micro-mosaic; 660 tiny pieces of seven different types of stones were assembled and set with a binder.

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