Vacheron Constantin

Beautiful

Oscar Wilde once wrote; “no object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly”. However, the Irishman clearly never saw this latest creation from Vacheron Constantin.

I could never envisage any condition where the graceful form of the Patrimony Traditionnelle Lady manual-winding could ever look anything other than beauteous. The Genevan brand made a bold statement to the assembled journalists at SIHH 2013. With only a couple of exceptions, all the novelties were aimed at female purchasers. Models were presented in both round and tonneau shaped cases, with mechanical and quartz movements and in some instances with lustrous enamelled dials.

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This week Vacheron Constantin introduced two new men’s versions of their unique asymmetrical dress watch, the 1972 Prestige. Both models come in 18K white gold and measure 25 mm x 47 mm. Inside is the world’s slimmest manual wind movement: caliber 1003 made in yellow gold and only 1.64mm thick. The first version has a grey dial with a herringbone guilloche motif and rose gold hands. The second has a sliver dial with geometrical guilloche pattern and is limited to 40 pieces.

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Last month at SIHH, Vacheron Constantin released new versions of several of their classic men’s lines, specifically the Patrimony Traditionelle Manual Wind in platinum with a new grey dial (pictured) and the Patrimony Traditionelle Chronograph in white gold with contrasting rose gold markers and hands. They also introduced an Overseas Chronograph with a new blue dial and an exquisite manually wound 18K rose gold pocket watch with exhibition case back. A number of new ladies’ watches were released, all with mechanical movements and diamonds. This a big deal — since very few luxury brands are bothering to put mechanical movements in watches designed for the fairer sex, despite an increasing number of female consumers paying attention to such things. The ladies’ collections include the Malte Lady, the Overseas Lady, the Patrimony Traditionnelle Lady manual-winding (pictured below), the Patrimony Contemporaine Lady gold bracelet and the Lady Métiers d’Art Florilège collection.

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At the upcoming Antiquorum Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces auction in Hong Kong on January 26th, there will be a beautiful skeletonized Vacheron Constantin platinum pocket watch for sale. This rare, keyless, platinum dress pocket watch features a reeded bezel and comes in a 43 mm diameter case. The movement’s mainplate and bridges are fully skeletonized, allowing a full view of the 20 jewel movement from the front and back. Furthermore, the straight line lever escapement, flat balance spring and balance wheel are visible from either side, as they work to regulate the movement as it oscillates. Blue baton hour and minutes display the time only, no seconds. Oddly, Antiquorum has not listed the year it was made. Condition is exceptional — the highest of the five grades given by Antiquorum’s in-house watch experts.

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The 1970s was an important decade for watch designer Gérald Genta, he designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972), then the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976) and then the Vacheron Constantin 222 (1977). More than thirty years later, these three timepieces — which defined the luxury sports watch category — are still icons of three of the most coveted brands in watchmaking.

While the 222 is no longer in production, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas (which came out in 1996) is its predecessor. The Overseas shares many design cues and features with the 222 such as a fluted bezel and one-piece case design, as well as its shock resistant, water resistant and anti-magnetic movement. However, while the Nautilus and Royal Oak are virtually unchanged from their respective original designs, the Overseas is a modernized design that is more sporty and aggressive than the original.

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Originally introduced at SIHH 2010, the Vacheron Historiques Ultra-Fine 1955 is a very basic vintage inspired timepiece with just indications for: hours and minutes. Don’t let the simplicity fool you though, as the creation of a timepiece this thin is anything but simple. At 1.64 mm thick, the in-house manufactured caliber VC 1003 is the thinnest mechanical movement in the world. Housed inside a svelte 36 mm by 4.10 mm 18K yellow gold case, it is also the thinnest manually wound timepiece in the world.

The silvered opaline dial — with polished gold hour markers and hands — is simple and classic. The movement has a 31-hour power reserve, 18 jewels, 117 parts and runs at a rate of 18,000 vph (2.5Hz). The bridges and mainplate are crafted from 18K gold, which can be admired through the sapphire crystal case back (shown below). As with all Vacheron Constantin timepieces, the movement features the “Hallmark of Geneva.”

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In September of 2011, the world’s oldest watch manufacture, Vacheron Constantin, opened their first ever boutique in North America. The store sits on the prestigious Madison Ave (at 64th street), and acts as a flagship point of sale and service facility for the brand.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of visiting the store and meeting with the very knowledgable and friendly management and staff, including the on-site expert watchmaker (who can provide a number of basic and high level repairs in-house). As you would expect, the two story location has exquisite interior design details, and most importantly — a wider selection of timepieces than any authorized retailer in the country. During my visit I was able to peruse the collection, and I photographed five of my favorite pieces for your enjoyment (below).

If you are not in the New York area, it is worth noting that there is a newly opened boutique in Las Vegas, and there are two new locations that will open soon in California as well (click below to learn more).

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