Vacheron Constantin Chronometer Royal & Patrimony

Have you ever noticed how many top 5 lists are created on watch forums:  What are the top 5 brands? Who are the top 5 independent watchmakers? What are the top 5 Rolex watches of all time? What are your top 5 grail watches? While these lists can sometimes get tedious, they can just as often as not lead to some interesting discussions. I’m hoping for the latter result with this thread, and, if it is successful, may spin this concept off into other list generating questions, hopefully with interesting discussions as a consequence, about our beloved Vacheron Constantin watches.

What are the three favorite Vacheron Constantin watches to have ever been in your collection?

I recognize that some forum participants do not have, or have had, this many VC watches in their collection, and propose that you answer by sharing the three VC’s that you have handled in person. As for myself, and in no particular order:


Chronometer Royal, reference 6161


This was only the third vintage Vacheron Constantin watch to enter my collection. I was initially drawn to the bold lug design, which was based on the 200th anniversary pieces of 1955, such as the reference 6099, which in turn is the inspiration for the current Historiques 1955, ref 33155. My example was crafted in 1959, and it features the calibre 1008/BS


I have always liked the calibre 453, which was the workhorse movement base for many of Vacheron Constantin’s watches in the 1940’s and 1950’s, including the stunningly beautiful triple calendar moonphase watches (references 4240 and 4461 are my favorites). It found its highest expression in the 1008/BS, where there was a lever to stop the balance when the crown was pulled out, to allow for precise time setting to a reference clock. In addition to the hacking function and extra jeweling, it also earned the Geneva Hallmark and has the highest possible quality of decorative finishing.


Patrimony Contemporaine, Excellence Platine, reference 81180


When Vacheron Constantin launched the Patrimony “Grande Taille” in 2004 I hated it. Dress watches were 36 mm or less, and complicated watches could be 38 mm. Anything bigger was a sports watch, period, and this was no sports watch! At that time I was very happy with my Malte Grande Classique, the first simple watch to employ Vacheron Constantin’s in-house calibre 1400. I loved the movement, and the 36 mm diameter. The finishing was top notch, and the winding feel second to none.


When 2005 rolled around and I wanted to participate in VC’s 250th anniversary , the only affordable watch for me was the 40mm Jubile 1755. I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the size when I saw the press release, but once I saw it in person, and that it just worked, I was excited have it and I reconsidered my previously held beliefs about the proper size for a dress watch, and was primed for the Patrimony Contemporaine (so renamed in 2006). I finally added this to my collection in 2011, a mere 7 years after the introduction!

While I would be happy with any standard version, this particular piece, with platinum dial and part of a limited edition Excellence Platine run, makes the experience just a little more special.



Overseas Chronometer, Ref 42042.


My first Vacheron Constantin, and so probably it is inevitable that it would be on my list. I purchased this watch in 2001, after having begun to collect watches a couple of years before. I was quite attracted to all the details of the design: the angles of the case, the mix of high polish and satin surfaces, the shape of the bezel and case back. And of course the rich blue dial with bold Arabic numbers. It was only years after the purchase did I learn that this particular dial was for a limited run of 75 pieces for the North American market!

It is safe to say that the Overseas was the watch went on my wrist more than any other. While collectors now demand that top tier brands like Vacheron Constantin produce in-house movements for their watches, the fact that the Overseas Chronometer did not have a manufacture movement didn’t bother me at all. The base movement from Girard-Perregaux proved to be reliable and accurate.



Final Thought


One thing that this exercise has revealed to me is that, though I have owned complicated Vacheron Constantin watches in the past, both vintage and contemporary, and watches that many of us hold in very high esteem, my favorite watches are the simple ones.

Bill Lind
VC Forum Moderator

 
This message has been edited by WHL on 2012-09-30 12:06:01