Vacheron Constantin

Founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron, an independent watchmaker in Geneva. In 1819, François Constantin joined as a partner, and the company became Vacheron & Constantin. Constantin traveled worldwide marketing watches, primarily to North America. In 1833, they hired inventor Georges-Auguste Leschot, who standardized watch movements into calibers. The Maltese cross symbol was adopted in 1880, inspired by a barrel component. The company was reorganized as a joint-stock company in 1887. Georges Ketterer acquired majority stock in 1940. Following the quartz crisis, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani became majority shareholder in 1987. The Vendôme Luxury Group, a subsidiary of Richemont, purchased the company in 1996. In 2004, new headquarters designed by Bernard Tschumi opened in Plan-les-Ouates.