Le Louvre is shining a spotlight on the often unknowable world of the mechanical arts, with a new exhibition exploring humanity’s awesome attempts to measure time.
Amongst a collection of extraordinary historical artefacts - including an Egyptian water clock from the Ptolemaic period, a spherical watch dating from the sixteenth century and an astronomical clock presented to King Louis XV in 1754 - there is a contemporary work from Vacheron Constantin.
The La Quête du Temps, created to mark the maison’s 270th anniversary is an exceptional astronomical clock, the result of seven years of work. ‘What is quite outstanding is that it is perfectly in perspective with the ancient artworks around, like another chapter added to an immemorial story, the search of beauty and the mastery of time,’ says Le Louvre curator Oliver Gabet.
‘Moreover, it is a contemporary expression of the idea of automaton, which has been so important since the Renaissance, and later in the 18th century. At the core, it is a celebration of craft and art, ideally embodied by the collections of the Louvre, and the talents of human teams, from the museum and from Vacheron Constantin, whose artisans and watchmakers have cultivated a unique expertise over centuries, blending time-honoured techniques with a relentless pursuit of innovation and excellence.’
Standing more than a metre high, La Quête du Temps encompasses over 6,000 mechanical components, and integrates the automaton into the timepiece itself to ensure a sharp functionality throughout. Pushing at the horological envelope, the timekeeping machine has resulted in the filing of seven watchmaking patents, and 8 for the automaton. As well as massive technical innovation, the focus is also very much on beauty, with an intricate aesthetic delicately bringing the cosmos to life.
The work was a natural choice for inclusion in the exhibition, and acknowledges a long and fruitful relationship between Le Louvre and Vacheron Constantin. ‘Among the several aspects the partnership has developed, from 2016, is the restoration and conservation of one of the treasures of the French national collections, the clock of the Création du Monde. If the Louvre is celebrated for his numerous, extensive and remarkable collections, from Archeology to Old Masters, we can admit his collection of clocks and mechanical art, and horlogerie, is much lesser-known,’; Gabet adds. ‘So the idea has been to gather, around a very unique dialogue between The Création du Monde, dated 1754, and La Quête du Temps, 2025, a small number of important artworks from our collection of horlogerie, to draw and unveil an unusual history of time and beauty.’
La Quête du Temps is to be unveiled as the centrepiece of exhibition, Mecaniques d'Art, at Le Louvre from 17 September to 12 November 2025
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