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Part of the prestige of many brands, whether we realize it or not, is usually tied to the age of the watchmaker. I use the word “part of” intentionally, as newer brands (like FP Journe for example) obviously skirt this axiom. But think about many prestigious brands, such as the “Holy Trinity” consisting of Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin. All were founded in the 1800’s, or in the case of Vacheron – even before that. Most luxury watch producers are really old, but who owns the oldest watch brand (and is still in operations)?
Blancpain: The Oldest Watch Brand
The oldest brand still in operation is Blancpain, dating back to 1735. That’s older than the country I’m currently living in. It was founded in Villeret, Switzerland by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, and as a watchmaker, it’s much more than just the “oldest brand”.
Blancpain also introduced one of the first, if not the first, purpose-built diver watches (complete with rotating bezel). That was back in 1953, approximately a year before the now archetypal dive watch of today – the Rolex Submariner – was introduced.
Of course the Sub is more well-known amongst the general public. We can thank James Bond for that, even if the first watch he wore on screen was actually a Gruen.
The company did stop operations for a time due to financial difficulties, but was resurrected by none other than Jean-Claude Biver in 1982. Today, it’s a part of the Swatch Group, and continues to produce its Fifty-Fathoms models, as well as haute-horology pieces. So far, it’s never produced a quartz watch, and apparently never will:
Blancpain might be the oldest watch “brand”, but it’s definitely not the oldest continuous watchmaker. That title belongs to Vacheron Constantin.
The Oldest Continuous Watchmaker: Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755, or two decades after Blancpain. During its very long history, Vacheron Constantin never shut its doors, however, so it can rightfully claim to be the oldest watch manufacturer. As previously mentioned, it’s also one of the Holy Trinity.
Do you remember when the French invaded Switzerland? Can you think of anybody you know personally that does? I’m guessing the answer is “no” – unless you or someone you know is a vampire. That’s because the invasion happened from January to May 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars. Vacheron is so old, it was around even then, producing watches.
By the time the 1800s rolled around, Vacheron Constantin started its ascent into the ranks of the watchmaking greats. Jacques-Barthélémi Vacheron took over the company, and it began to produce more complicated pieces. He would also soon meet François Constantin. This would lead to a partnership (as well as the inspiration behind the company’s current name).
François Constantin’s great-grandnephew, Charles Constantin, joined the company in 1914. He became director of the company in 1936, and would lead it into a new era. By this time, the company was already a prestigious brand, and its client list would include members of high society and Royal families.
Vacheron et Constantin would remain the firm name until the late 1960’s. The “et” would later be dropped and replaced by “&”.
Vacheron & Constantin would be further truncated to just Vacheron Constantin around the late 1970s to early 1980s. Today, it is owned by the Richemont Group.
Conclusion
When talking about watches and who’s the “oldest”, we have to be careful. Oldest brand? Or oldest watchmaker? Or even oldest watchmaker producing watches continuously, uninterrupted?
The correct answer to who’s oldest is in the details. I think we can agree that Blancpain is the oldest brand, however, and Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacture with an uninterrupted, continuous history of producing watches.
Here’s some perspective. By the time the French invaded Switzerland, Vacheron Constantin was already about 43 years old. That makes Blancpain roughly 63 years old. By the time the United States of America was founded, Vacheron et Constantin was already a little over two decades old, and Blancpain was striding into its forties.
Vacheron Constantin continued manufacturing watches this whole time (as well as through two World wars) all the way up until today – uninterrupted. Blancpain pretty much did too, except for those few lean years when it didn’t produce any watches. Pretty crazy to think about.