Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin Style & Heritage Director (Geneva, Switzerland)
Suzanne Wong, Editor-in-Chief, WorldTempus (Geneva, Switzerland)
Video recordings of lectures are available immediately to HSNY members, and the general public with a 2 month delay.
Beyond seconds, hours and minutes, the calendar organizes our days, weeks and months. With that in mind, it makes sense that calendars were among the earliest complications added to clocks and watches. Understanding the calendar complication can lead to a deeper understanding of what makes a mechanical watch tick, and the effort that goes into designing and manufacturing them.
At the February 2022 meeting of the Horological Society of New York, Vacheron Constantin Heritage & Style Director Christian Selmoni will explore the very notion of time through the medium of calendar watches. Join Selmoni for a deep dive into the stories behind the Maison’s calendar watches and their roots in astronomy. Watch journalist Suzanne Wong will join Selmoni in uncovering the innovations Vacheron Constantin has developed in this field through timepieces such as Celestia, Planetaria and more.
About Christian Selmoni
Born in 1959 to a Swiss family of watchmakers in the Vallée de Joux, one of the historical birthplaces of watchmaking, Christian Selmoni serves as Style and Heritage Director at Vacheron Constantin.
Christian joined Vacheron Constantin in 1990 as Sales Administration Manager, becoming Purchasing Manager in 1992, and Production & Purchasing Director in 1996, during which time he played a key role in overseeing all aspects of manufacturing and sourcing.
In 2001, he was tasked with incorporating all product-creation aspects of Vacheron Constantin – from concept to final prototypes and product launch – into a unique Product Department, notably responsible for the design and development of the company’s famous 250th anniversary elements.
Christian was appointed Artistic Director at Vacheron Constantin in 2010, with responsibilities including the long-term definition of products and future “product” tendencies for the Maison; its creative aspects as well as the development and consolidation of the Métiers d’Art workshops (artistic crafts such as enamel, engraving, gem-setting and guillochage), together with Les Cabinotiers workshop which includes design and development of made-to-order timepieces.
In 2017, Christian was appointed Style and Heritage Director. Within the Heritage department, his main responsibilities are to enrich and develop the Maison’s heritage, as well as to extract designs and design elements from the past to nurture Vacheron Constantin’s present and future creations. In addition, he consolidates and develops relationship with international press, clients and watch collectors.
About Suzanne Wong
Suzanne Wong is a veteran watch journalist, born and raised in Singapore, one of the world’s most influential and mature watch markets. Her experience — which includes four years as editor-in-chief of Revolution magazine’s original flagship Asia edition and her current position as editor-in-chief of online media WorldTempus — spans both print and digital publishing and ranges from directing editorial strategy to creating compelling watch-related content.
At the heart of Suzanne’s work is the passion for furthering appreciation of fine mechanical watchmaking on a worldwide level. Her commitment to building relationships within the Swiss watch industry, allowing her to create stories that better reflect its core values, led her to relocate to Geneva in 2017, where she is now based.
Suzanne has been a member of the Cultural Council of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie since 2017, served three years on the jury of the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), is part of the pioneer cohort of the GPHG Academy, and is the co-founder of Watch Femme, a non-profit association dedicated to advancing women’s voices in the watch world.