Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra Thin & Perpetual

mywrongwrist · 2016-08-15T04:52:11Z

Hands-on review of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra Thin and Perpetual Calendar. Luca shares insights on pricing, design, and market position. Discover collector reactions.

mywrongwrist

WPS member · Vacheron Constantin forum

32 replies16992 views4 photos

mywrongwrist shares his hands-on impressions of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra Thin and Perpetual Calendar models during a trip to Geneva. He provides a critical assessment of their design, pricing, and market positioning, inviting community discussion on these flagship new releases.

Hi all,
In my quick watch trip to Geneva I had the opportunity to try also the two flagship models of the new Overseas collection
Great, really great watches, particularly impressed by the Perpetual Calendar to die for, but, there is always on or more but:
1) it a shame VC decided to produce these two versions in WG only a steel version would have been a real killer (let's wait and see)
2) retail price out of this world, especially in this period, and I'm not referring to the WG models only, take for instance the steel crono... My VC AD in Italy thinks they went for a sort of suicide (again let's wait and see)
3) looking the press pictures I thought both dials were more "bronish", or at least with some light brown reflection, in reality they're plain grey, my taste liked a lot the impression I got from the press material
4) strap exchange ingenious and easy, to be tested over
Time, but at the first impression it seems pretty solid
5) resale value still a big question mark... Especially vs direct competitors like the Nautilus or the RO
At the end I really liked both, if money were not a problem I'll take the Perpetual, considering what I wrote I think a wise decision could be to wait and see, hoping for new steel iterations in the near future, maybe couple with different dial colors

Ultra Thin time only (avaliable for sale)

Perpetual Calendar (mock up which travelled the world, this is way it shows some hairlines...)

Curious to hear your thoughts on these two models, and more in general on the new Overseas line, in which VC is investing a lot of marketing effort
Ciao
Luca

Key Points from the Discussion

There is a strong consensus that the retail pricing for the new Vacheron Constantin Overseas collection, particularly the Ultra Thin and Perpetual Calendar, is excessively high and out of touch with market realities.
The decision to offer the Ultra Thin and Perpetual Calendar only in white gold is criticized, with many collectors wishing for a more accessible steel version.
The new Overseas models are expected to suffer from poor resale value, similar to previous Overseas generations, making them less attractive compared to direct competitors like the Patek Philippe Nautilus or Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
The new strap exchange system is praised for its ingenuity and ease of use, appearing solid upon initial impression.
The Ultra Thin's movement has a historical connection to the first series of the Nautilus and Royal Oak, making it potentially collectible despite other concerns.
The perceived 'bronish' or light brown reflection in press photos for the dials was misleading, as the watches appear plain grey in reality, disappointing some collectors.

The Discussion

crown comfort

Aug 15, 2016

I agree on your "complaints". I still prefer the blue/grey new GP Laureato, but that''s me, not surprising, still the VC is fantastic and if available in Steel a real killer. Perpetual Calendar not my thing in general.... CC

KMII

Aug 15, 2016

There really are no complaints on this one apart from the price demanded The PC I am not so sure about - especially the design of the months, which results in relatively poor legibility, at least at a glance... Thanks for sharing!

Arie - Mr Orange

Aug 15, 2016

Sadly I haven't been able to see it live. But the price is steep. Very very steep. Too steep. What will someone choose? A steel Nautilus for more than half the price? A Royal Oak Extra Thin for a quarter of the price (almost) Or this? Hopefully they will make a steel version to compete with the Nautilus and 15202ST. They should.

Mike H

Aug 15, 2016

...I would choose the chrono with blue dial (this blue is mesmerizing), but to remain in your ultra thin selection, I would stay with the time only and not the PC (nice horological option but I don't like the aesthetic of this one too much and imho it doesn't fit with the concept of a sports watch even if it is an elegant VC sports watch). But if we now add the financial consideration, I unfortunately have to decline all as I believe they have lost their sense of reality. I deeply regret it as I

mywrongwrist

Aug 15, 2016

It seems that there a general consensus on the fact that Vacheron raised the bar too much on the price, and not only for these Ultra Thin which remain really enjoyable I will wait if they will decide to step back and offer them also in steel, even if considering that you could buy almost 3 Ceramic Daytona for the price of the Overseas Chrono I honestly do not know how much it will change in terme of price/value Unless they will decide to replicate what they did for the Quai de l\'Ile entrance pi

foversta

Aug 15, 2016

I don't understand Vacheron on this topic. Fx

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