This autumn, Le Louvre presents a striking tribute to the art of time with La Quête du Temps, an extraordinary astronomical clock created by Vacheron Constantin to celebrate its 270th anniversary. The monumental timepiece stands as both a technical and artistic triumph, reaffirming the maison’s unmatched role in the history of watchmaking.
La Quête du Temps: a masterpiece for Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary
Unveiled as the centerpiece of Mécaniques d’Art, the exhibition running at Le Louvre from September 17th to November 12th, 2025, La Quête du Temps represents seven years of meticulous work. The clock rises over a meter tall and houses more than 6,000 mechanical components, embodying both the spirit of innovation and the poetry of horology.
Conceived as a celebration of human ingenuity, the creation integrates the automaton into its mechanism, allowing it to “perform” time through 144 expressive movements accompanied by dedicated music. This integration marks a groundbreaking step in contemporary watchmaking, bridging centuries of mechanical art with modern imagination.
Celebrating 270 years of watchmaking excellence
For Vacheron Constantin, the 270th anniversary is not simply a milestone but a manifesto: a reaffirmation of its dedication to artistry, technical innovation, and cultural dialogue. La Quête du Temps is not intended for sale but rather as a statement piece, an emblem of haute horlogerie’s boundless possibilities.
By placing this contemporary astronomical clock within the Louvre’s storied halls, the maison underscores that the art of watchmaking belongs not only to the past but continues to shape the cultural and artistic imagination of today.
A dialogue between past and present at Le Louvre
Displayed in the Sully Wing, Room 602, the astronomical clock is part of a carefully curated dialogue between historic timekeeping artifacts and contemporary mastery. Visitors encounter treasures such as an Egyptian water clock from the Ptolemaic period and an 18th-century astronomical clock once presented to King Louis XV, alongside Vacheron Constantin’s 21st-century marvel.
The exhibition underscores the maison’s long-standing partnership with Le Louvre, which began in 2016 with the restoration of the Création du Monde clock. Today, that bond continues through this exceptional presentation, drawing a narrative that spans millennia in humanity’s quest to master time.
Images and video courtesy of VACHERON CONSTANTIN
