Chinese dancer CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) is “One of not many” – A partnership based on a quest for excellence and transmission of knowledge

Source:  Images and content by Vacheron Constantin

• CHAN Chun Wai, one of the Maison’s “One of not many” talents since 2021, joins the “One of not many” mentorship program
• CHAN Chun Wai personifies the Patrimony and Traditionnelle collections
• This young prodigy of the ballet world was appointed Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet in 2022
• He shares with Vacheron Constantin a perpetual quest for excellence, a determination to ensure transmission of his knowledge and a vocation for self-surpassing

CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威), a young Chinese prodigy appointed Principal Dancer of the New York City Ballet in 2022, is part of Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” talent circle and has joined its associated mentorship program. Based on perseverance in the practice of his art, self-sacrifice to shine therein, and humility to perfect it, this collaboration highlights shared values. Just like ballet, High Watchmaking is all about elegance, high-precision skills, intelligent movement and the transmission of knowledge.

Youthful ballet prodigy CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威), currently a Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet, embodies Vacheron Constantin values of excellence and personifies the Patrimony and Traditionnelle collections since 2021, as part of the Maison’s “One of not many” talent circle.  Taking this partnership one step further, CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) is today part of the “One of not many” mentorship program, which offers talents the opportunity to develop their skills with a mentor. Together, the Maison and the dancer share an unwavering commitment to an art that transcends them as well as the transmission of it. For CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威), this vocation manifested itself very early on: “At the age of six, I already knew that I wanted to become a dancer, like my sister”, he explains. When I turned 12 and had to convince my parents to let me embark on a professional career, I made them understand that if I was to find personal fulfilment, I just had to dance. In other words, without dance, I would never really be me. Since then, I have never stopped dancing my heart out.”

Always doing better

This unwavering inclination for creation where technique and aesthetics perform a perpetual pas de deux is not the only characteristic that CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) shares with the Maison’s watchmakers and other artisans. At the heart of the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin, the transmission of knowledge is essential, always with the aim perpetuating this age-old horological science. “Personally, I was lucky enough to have masters who taught me not only how to be a good dancer but also how to be a good person”, comments CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威). “This has helped me throughout my career. Now it’s my turn to give back so that my students can live out their dreams. Dance gives meaning to their lives.” Just as with Vacheron Constantin, this meaning inevitably involves the quest for perfection, through tirelessly repeated movements, sequences and graceful elegance. “In ballet, there is always room for improvement”, says CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威). “For me, it’s a kind of addiction because I’m always seeking the best possible performance.” In watchmaking parlance, that translates into the search for the ultimate timepiece in which function becomes art.

A culture of sharing

It was in 2021 that CHAN Chun Wai joined the circle of Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” talents, personalities who are open to the world and recognised for their expertise as well as their innovative, creative spirit. Visionaries and enthusiasts, they astonish observers with the aesthetic quality of their art, as does CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) in the world of ballet. Shortly after the partnership began, this young prodigy became Principal Dancer of the New York City Ballet, the only Chinese and one of only four Asian nationals in the history of this American dance institution to have achieved this position. Entirely dedicated to the heritage of ballet in a contemporary approach, CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) personifies Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony and Traditionnelle collections, which also draw on the Manufacture’s heritage of watchmaking excellence adapted to the latest technologies. Just as for CHUN Chun Wai (陈镇威), this osmosis between tradition and innovation would never have been possible without a culture of sharing dedicated to creativity. And in the continuity of sharing comes transmission. CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) has mentored two young dancers in a New York City studio and according to him, strictness and patience represent core values for mentoring. “There is an age limit in a dance career. However, the passion for dance has no boundaries, which enables me to share what I have learnt with the next generation.”  CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) himself had mentors who supported and help him progress during the course of his career.

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SUM-UP

Since 2021 CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) has belonged to Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” talent circle uniting personalities who are experts in their respective fields of expression and recognised for their spirit of innovation as well as openness to the world. Building on this partnership, CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) is today part of the “One of not many” mentorship program, offering talents the opportunity to develop their skills with a mentor. Appointed Principal Dancer of the New York City Ballet in 2022, and  entirely dedicated to honouring the heritage of ballet through a contemporary approach, CHAN Chun Wai (陈镇威) personifies Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony and Traditionnelle collections, which also draw on the Manufacture’s heritage of watchmaking excellence adapted to the latest technologies.