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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Pocket watch · Keyless dress watch

Vacheron & Constantin 'Le Rêve d'Amour' Dress Watch

Partially verified

This unique 18K yellow gold keyless dress watch, manufactured in 1947 by Vacheron & Constantin, is known as 'Le Rêve d'Amour'. The timepiece features a three-body 'Paris' style case with a polished and brushed finish. Its standout aesthetic feature is an enamelled case back decorated with a painted scene of Venus and Cupid in an Arcadian river landscape, executed by the Geneva artist Helen May Mercier. The watch houses a rhodium-plated calibre 17''' 439 movement with fausses-côtes decoration, 17 jewels, a straight-line lever escapement, and a swan-neck micrometer regulator. The silvered dial is brushed and accented with applied yellow gold dart indices, Arabic numerals at the quarters, and gold bâton hands.

Front view of the silvered dial and reverse view displaying the enamel-painted case back.
Front view of the silvered dial and reverse view displaying the enamel-painted case back. — Antiquorum. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
catalog.antiquorum.swiss
Category
Pocket watch · Keyless dress watch
Maker / attribution
Vacheron & Constantin
Reference
4472
Catalogue / lot identifier
820
Source-reported date
1947
Source-reported place
Switzerland
Source-reported serial
439776

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Case and Enamel Decoration

The watch is housed in an 18K yellow gold three-body case, designated as the 'Paris' style. The exterior surfaces feature a combination of polished and brushed finishing techniques. The reverse of the case serves as a canvas for a finely painted enamel scene depicting Venus and Cupid set within an Arcadian river landscape.

The enamel work is attributed to Helen May Mercier, a Geneva-based enamel painter and student of Charles Poluzzi. The composition of the painted scene is documented as having been derived from an 18th-century vignette.

Evidence for this section
  • “the back with finely painted on enamel scene of Venus and Cupid in an Arcadian river landscape”
  • “Enamel by Helen May Mercier”
  • “The scene of the present watch is taken from an 18th century vignette.”

Movement and Mechanical Specifications

Internally, the timepiece is powered by the Vacheron & Constantin calibre 17''' 439. This mechanical movement is rhodium-plated and features fausses-côtes decoration on the plates. It is a 17-jewel construction incorporating a straight-line lever escapement.

Precision regulation is managed through a swan-neck micrometer regulator. The oscillation is governed by a cut beryllium balance equipped with timing screws and a blued steel Breguet balance-spring. The movement, alongside the dial and case, bears the maker's signature.

Evidence for this section
  • “439, rhodium plated, "fausses-côtes" decoration, 17 jewels”
  • “straight line lever escapement, cut beryllium balance with timing screws, blued steel Breguet balance-spring, swan-neck micrometer regulator”
  • “Dial, case and movement signed.”

Dial and Display

The silvered dial is brushed and provides a clean backdrop for the applied yellow gold indices. The hour markers are configured as dart indices, supplemented by Arabic numerals at the quarter-hour positions.

Time is indicated via gold bâton hands. An outer minute track frames the perimeter of the dial, while a subsidiary seconds register is located at the 6 o'clock position.

Evidence for this section
  • “Silvered, brushed, applied yellow gold dart indexes and Arabic quarter hour numerals”
  • “outer minute track, subsidiary seconds. Gold "bâton" hands.”

Open research questions

  • What is the specific 18th-century vignette that provided the inspiration for the enamel scene?
  • Are there records of other commissions involving Helen May Mercier using this specific caliber 439?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Vacheron & Constantin 'Le Rêve d'Amour' Dress Watch
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
MakerVacheron & Constantin“Vacheron & Constantin, Genève”
Reference4472“Ref. 4472”
Movement Number439776“No. 439776”
Case Number299054“case No. 299054”
Date of manufacture1947“Made in 1947”
EnamelistHelen May Mercier“Enamel by Helen May Mercier”
Case typeThree-body, 'Paris' style“Three-body, "Paris", polished and brushed”

Visible details

  • Painted enamel scene on the case back
  • Applied gold dart indices on the dial
  • Subsidiary seconds dial at the 6 o'clock position
  • Bâton style gold hands

Research qualifications

  • The provenance of the scene is based on an 18th-century vignette which the source does not detail further
  • The exact rarity status relies on the auction description reporting such models were 'always unique pieces'

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

'Le Rêve d'Amour' Vacheron & Constantin, Genève, No. 439776, case No. 299054, Ref. 4472. Enamel by Helen May Mercier. Made in 1947. Very fine and unique, 18K yellow gold and painted on enamel keyless dress watch.

Reviewed 2026-10-26 · Record f349e338c6

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

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