"History
and the absolute pursuit of perfection pinpoint to the
essence of what we are, true watchmakers. I am happy
to share a short step in their long history."
Johann Wilhelm Bauernfeind
Watchmaker
New York 1992 -1997
THE
END OF A DYNASTY
The
Vacheron dynasty was about to end; its last years were
much like the first, with father and son working side
by side. Charles-Cesar died shortly thereafter and his
son continued in his footsteps with the energy and resourcefulness
that had always been the Vacheron family trademark. Charles
traveled ceaselessly, building a solid and reliable network
of jewelers in Germany to sell his timepieces. But in
1870, when he was only 24, his career and his life were
cut short by illness. The last member of the founding
family to play an active role in the management of the
company, he remained a true watchmaker practically to
his dying breath. His last request was that the most recent
watch to come out of his workshops be brought to him,
an exquisite miniature ordered by Czar Alexander II.A
former banker, Philippe Auguste Weiss, was put in charge
of sales while Georges-Andre Leschot oversaw manufacturing.
They took pains to maintain the uncompromising standards
that their predecessors had set. As their own successors
have done to this day.
