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拍品專文
The present watch is part of a limited series of watches, launched in 1994 in honor of the famous cartographer and humanist Gerardus Mercator on the 400th anniversary of his death.
Gerardus Mercator
Born in 1512 in Flanders (now Belgium), Gerardus Mercator was educated in the Netherlands and received his training in Christian doctrine and Latin. He went on to study the humanities and philosophy, and at that time began to doubt his religion due to the conflict between the biblical account of the origin of the universe and that of Aristotle. Mercator began to study geography, mathematics, and astronomy, and went on to construct a terrestrial globe with its celestial counterpart. He became known as the foremost geographer of his time, but with his fame came an arrest in 1544 on charges of heresy. He was released after seven months, and continued his studies. Public recognition came after he perfected his "Mercator Projection", which plotted straight lines over long distances, and allowed mariners to steer a course without having to constantly adjust compass readings. The last project he worked on was a series of publications, to describe the creation of the world up to the present time, to be called "Atlas". This project was never fully completed, with some sections being published after his death in 1594.
The Vacheron Constantin Mercator Collection
Produced over ten years, between 1994 and 2004, the Vacheron Constantin Mercator collection featured various dials that were made for different markets. They included a map of Africa/Europe/Asia, a map of North America, the Chinese Zodiac, and several others. All of the dials were made by Jean and Lucie Genbrugge, enamellers of Broechem Belgium.
The Chinese Zodiac
The present watch features a dial depicting the Twelve Zodiac Animals, each of which represents a particular year for the Chinese, as well as characteristics of people born in that year. The animals are: a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, and a pig.
Gerardus Mercator
Born in 1512 in Flanders (now Belgium), Gerardus Mercator was educated in the Netherlands and received his training in Christian doctrine and Latin. He went on to study the humanities and philosophy, and at that time began to doubt his religion due to the conflict between the biblical account of the origin of the universe and that of Aristotle. Mercator began to study geography, mathematics, and astronomy, and went on to construct a terrestrial globe with its celestial counterpart. He became known as the foremost geographer of his time, but with his fame came an arrest in 1544 on charges of heresy. He was released after seven months, and continued his studies. Public recognition came after he perfected his "Mercator Projection", which plotted straight lines over long distances, and allowed mariners to steer a course without having to constantly adjust compass readings. The last project he worked on was a series of publications, to describe the creation of the world up to the present time, to be called "Atlas". This project was never fully completed, with some sections being published after his death in 1594.
The Vacheron Constantin Mercator Collection
Produced over ten years, between 1994 and 2004, the Vacheron Constantin Mercator collection featured various dials that were made for different markets. They included a map of Africa/Europe/Asia, a map of North America, the Chinese Zodiac, and several others. All of the dials were made by Jean and Lucie Genbrugge, enamellers of Broechem Belgium.
The Chinese Zodiac
The present watch features a dial depicting the Twelve Zodiac Animals, each of which represents a particular year for the Chinese, as well as characteristics of people born in that year. The animals are: a rat, an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a goat, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, and a pig.