From exceptional watchmaking to a specially commissioned world by Emirati artist Mariam Abbas, Vacheron Constantin’s latest regional exhibition considers what happens when heritage meets curiosity, culture and new perspectives.
For a watchmaker with more than 270 years of history behind it, standing still has never really been part of the plan. Vacheron Constantin’s latest regional exhibition, “Explore All Ways Possible,” has arrived in Dubai, tracing the ways travel, culture and technical experimentation have continued to shape the Maison’s approach to watchmaking. Built around the idea of discovery, the exhibition offers a fresh perspective on a heritage defined by curiosity and innovation.
Rather than following a conventional chronological route through Vacheron Constantin’s history, the experience is organised around the four points of the compass. Each direction introduces a different idea and a different expression of the Maison’s identity.
The North is connected to movement and travel, bringing the Overseas collection into focus. The South looks towards civilisation, heritage and the decorative arts, while the East considers challenge, resilience and the influence of cultures encountered beyond Switzerland. The West turns towards modernity and unconventional design, with pieces such as the Historiques American 1921 demonstrating Vacheron Constantin’s willingness to rethink familiar watchmaking forms.
For the Middle Eastern chapter, however, the four directions are joined by a more personal project as Emirati illustrator and visual designer Mariam Abbas has created a fifth world specifically for the region.
Her imagined landscape brings together references that feel deeply connected to the UAE without being too literal. Desert flora, date palms and golden dunes share space with teela marbles, a hoopoe bird, wind towers and contemporary buildings. Memory and fantasy overlap, creating an environment where the region’s past and present exist side by side. Tasmeem Tashkeel translated Abbas’ artwork into a physical installation, extending her illustrated world into the exhibition space.
The watches themselves offer another avenue for exploration. Among the contemporary pieces on display is the Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin, fitted with the 2.4mm-thick Calibre 2550 and presented in platinum with a salmon-lacquered dial. Limited to 255 pieces, it demonstrates the technical precision required to reduce a mechanical movement without compromising performance.
The Égérie Moon Phase “Spring Blossom” offers a more decorative interpretation, with a pink mother-of-pearl dial and a hand-painted calfskin strap adorned with floral motifs. Produced in an edition of 100 pieces, it introduces a softer expression alongside the highly technical Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Skeleton, a unique creation that reveals the complexity of its openworked movement.
Elsewhere, the Overseas Dual Time “Cardinal Points” brings the exhibition concept directly onto the wrist. Created in collaboration with photographer and explorer Cory Richards, the four titanium references each correspond to a compass direction.
The experience extends beyond the watches themselves, incorporating tactile materials and digital elements designed to make the mechanics and craftsmanship feel more immediate.
