The oldest continuously operating watchmaker, Vacheron Constantin marks its 270th anniversary in 2025. In honour of this milestone, the brand has inaugurated The Quest: 270 Years of Seeking Excellence, an exhibition dedicated to its history and timepieces. Divided into four chapters, the exhibition includes archival materials and exceptional timepieces, illustrating the brand’s impressive heritage and knowhow.

Now on show in Abu Dhabi until April 15, The Quest will make its way to other countries around the world over the course of the year.

The exhibition’s first section, “Beginning”, delves into the brand’s early years with rarely seen historical documents and objects. Notable milestones include the invention of the pantograph, which standardised watch components by improving tolerances, and the Kallista, a 1970s watches made from a one-kilogram gold ingot and adorned with 118 diamonds, and reputedly the most expensive watch in the world at the time.

The second chapter, “Artistic Crafts and Finishing,” highlights the brand’s watchmaking and craftsmanship, including engraving, enamelling, gem-setting, and guillochage.

The “High Watchmaking” chapter invites visitors to explore the intricate craftsmanship behind the brand’s most complex movements with displays that magnify the tiny components of a movement.

Most notably is a set of six sliding glass panels showcasing the 2,877 individual parts and 63 complications of the most complex watch ever, the Berkley Grand Complication.

The concluding chapter of the exhibition, “The Quest,” features the Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication in a room designed to evoke the Milky Way. Making its debut in Abu Dhabi, this watch incorporates a sky chart along with 22 other complications, including a running equation of time.

After viewing the exhibitions, collectors are invited to gather around at the Majlis, a lounge modelled on the traditional Arab gathering space. Here guests will be served food conceived by local chef Mariam Al Mansoori.

The exhibition will run from February 21 through April 15. Visits can be booked online via a dedicated platform on vacheron-constantin.com.