The start of every new year is a time of reflection for many. For collectors and fans of Vacheron Constantin (VC), one might wonder how to follow 2025, which was a consequential year for the brand on several fronts. So it’s interesting that the brand’s first major announcement of 2026 is not a watch, but a competition.

Announced in partnership with Phillips, VC is hosting the inaugural Concours d’Élégance Horlogère, featuring seven categories and a prize for each. Existing owners of VC wristwatches and pocket watches can register until April 30th, at which point the jury will begin the work of choosing seven winners that will be announced November 10, 2026.

Seven categories

The Concours d’Élégance format is usually associated with vintage automobiles, with events staged regularly around the world at venues like Villa d’Este, Hampton Court Palace, and Pebble Beach – unsurprisingly, many such events are sponsored by watch brands, most notably VC’s sister brand A. Lange & Söhne.

Adapting the format to wristwatches, VC has opened the field to any of its watches produced between 1755 and 1999, divided into seven categories: chiming watches, chronographs, astronomical complications (including calendar watches), multiple complications, Chronomètre Royal, Métiers d’art, and design.

The choice to give the Chronomètre Royal its own category is interesting, and might be a sign of things to come. Originally a high-precision, time-only pocket watch collection that dates to before the First World War, the Chronomètre Royal was reimagined as a wristwatch in the 1950s and featured a Jaeger-LeCoultre-derived movement with hacking seconds long before such functionality became the norm. The name was used again in the 1990s before cropping up most recently in as part of the Historiques collection upon the Chronomètre Royal’s centenary in 2007.

Naturally, the jury will be chaired by Christian Selmoni, VC’s heritage and style director, and Aurel Bacs of Phillips. The rest of the 14-person jury is comprised of watchmakers, collectors, auctioneers, and journalists, including Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk, collector and auctioneer Dr Helmut Crott, Auro Montanari, known to many as John Goldberger, and our founder SJX.

Competition can be a touchy subject for luxury brands, which is why contests like the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) feature many young ambitious brands but comparatively few big names. By organising a competition around its own watches, VC has found a way to create a spectacle and engage with its collectors and fans without the risk that another brand comes out on top.

It’s a promising concept, and the depth and diversity of VC’s historical portfolio make it one of the few brands that could pull off a competition like this with several different categories to keep things interesting. Furthermore, the event should prove to be fertile ground for Phillips by surfacing a wide array of interesting watches.

Application for theVacheron Constantin Concours d’Élégance Horlogère opens January 19th and closes April 30th. Clients can register at any Vacheron Constantin boutique or online. Prizes will be announced November 10, 2026.

For more, visit vacheron-constantin.com