Vacheron Constantin has been at the vanguard of mechanical
watchmaking since 1755 — and it intends to stay there.
Vacheron Constantin can take pride in something that is true
of only a handful of Swiss watchmakers: It has managed to thrive for centuries
without growing old-fashioned. Since 1755, the Geneva-based manufacture has
produced timepieces of exceptional quality and delivered them to kings, queens,
celebrities, captains of industry and connoisseurs. And yet the revered maison
remains at the forefront of innovation in terms of both style and substance.
For proof, look to its highly sought-after mechanical watches, whose
extraordinary technical features, contemporary design codes, and Hallmark of
Geneva certification ensure that the brand lives up to its remarkable historic reputation.
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Caliber 1120 QP |
Platinum Status
Few wristwatches reflect Vacheron Constantin’s capabilities
better than the Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Collection Excellence Platine,
which was unveiled earlier this year in Geneva. As the newest model to join the
watchmaker’s flagship Patrimony collection, the timepiece is the embodiment of
classic horology.
Whereas simple calendars need to be manually corrected after
every month with fewer than 31 days, the perpetual calendar keeps ticking, as
its name suggests, in (virtual) perpetuity. Beloved by watch aficionados, the
complication allows for the watch to display the correct date, including leap
years, until March 1, 2100. The technical know-how required to keep track of
minute irregularities in the calendar is matched only by the expertise it takes
to miniaturize the movement so that it remains ultra-thin, slimness being a signature feature of Vacheron
Constantin’s timepieces.
The model’s 41mm platinum case houses an automatic winding
movement (caliber 1120 QP) that bears an exceedingly slender profile; just
4.05mm thick. The dial, meanwhile, contains a wealth of information — date
counter, moon phase, day of the week, plus a 48-month display with a leap year
indication — without sacrificing the clean and sophisticated styling for which
Vacheron is known.
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Patrimony 42mm |
Big Time
Even though the Patrimony collection remains Vacheron
Constantin’s iconic line of dress watches, the brand recently endowed three of
its models with a more generous 42mm case.
The minimalist aesthetic of the new Patrimony timepieces —
which come in platinum, white gold, or rose gold editions — mixes taut lines
with gentle curves to create a pleasing and powerful design statement. The
dials — slate-colored in the platinum version and silver opaline in the gold
versions — are simple and understated. A small seconds subdial is the watch’s
lone concession to ornamentation.
The Patrimony 42mm is equipped with a sapphire crystal
caseback that reveals the watch’s hand-wound movement, which was designed,
developed and built entirely in-house as part of the watchmaker’s strict
manufacturing process.
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Patrimony Small Model |
Refined Romance
For its new Patrimony Small Model, Vacheron Constantin opted
to take the opposite tack. Instead of boosting the watch’s diameter, the
watchmaker designed a compact 36mm timepiece that’s ideal for smaller wrists.
Equipped with an automatic movement certified by the
Hallmark of Geneva, the streamlined watch measures just 8.1mm thick. Its silver
opaline dial features an aperture-type date display and a central seconds hand,
as well as long applied hour markers. Available on a white or rose gold
bracelet, the Patrimony Small Model is the perfect timepiece to wear every day.
Understated and classic looking, it blends seamlessly with office attire, and
yet, when paired with an evening wardrobe, it easily transitions into night.
Global Ambition
If the Patrimony collection represents Vacheron Constantin’s
refined and serious side, the Overseas collection reflects its sportier and
more robust persona. Introduced in 1996, the Overseas model borrowed some of
its design elements from the legendary “222,” a sport watch fitted with a
screwed-down bezel and caseback that was presented in 1977 to honor the watchmaker’s 222nd anniversary (the 222 was
itself derived from Vacheron’s steel form watches of the 1930s.)
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Overseas World Time |
With world travel as its guiding inspiration, the Overseas
has remained a touchstone for the brand for the past two decades. Reinvented
earlier this year, the collection now includes the handsome Overseas World
Time, a model that displays 37 time zones on the dial — even those offset by a
quirky quarter-hour (such as Nepal.)
Encased in steel and boasting three dial variations —
translucent blue, silver-toned, or brown lacquer — the World Time model, with
its iconic six-sided bezel, features a Lambert projection map depicting the
continents and oceans, as well as a translucent lacquered disc marked with city
names. A sapphire overlay uses subtly graded smoky tints to indicate day/night
hours, while a translucent and lacquered outer ring shows the hours and
minutes.
Developed and manufactured entirely in house according to
the strict guidelines of the Hallmark of Geneva, the World Time is powered by
an automatic movement that carries a 40-hour power reserve. Interestingly, the
model achieved a high rating of anti-magnetism (it is protected up to 25,000
A/m) while maintaining a sapphire crystal back. The watch is fitted with an
interchangeable strap system that includes a stainless steel bracelet, an
alligator leather strap and a rubber strap.
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Overseas Small Model |
Small Wonder
For jetsetters with a strong sense of style, the Overseas
Small Model features all the signature touches of the collection — from the
gold luminescent faceted hands and hour markers to the Maltese Cross emblem on
its bracelet. It addition, it includes 84 round-cut diamonds, totaling more
than one carat, that decorate the six-sided bezel.
Available in either stainless steel or rose gold with three
dial variations — rosy beige, blue or brown — the model’s 37mm case houses a
new in-house automatic movement with a 48-hour power reserve. Visible through
the sapphire caseback is a 22k gold oscillating weight decorated with a wind
rose. Like all watches in the Overseas collection, the Small Model is sold with
three interchangeable bracelet and strap options. And like all of Vacheron
Constantin’s mechanical timepieces, it bears the prestigious Hallmark of
Geneva.
All of which is by way of saying that even as the firm is
now entering its 27th decade of continuous operation, make no mistake: Vacheron
Constantin is, and will remain, a paragon of contemporary watchmaking.
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