Vacheron Constantin

Musings on the Vacheron Constantin Malte Moon Phase and Power Reserve

 

Is it possible to be fascinated by a watch, to be drawn in by its charms, even seduced by it, despite it having a quality that you dislike? I think it must be true, judging by how I feel about the Malte Moon Phase and Power Reserve (Ref 83080).

This watch was shown at SIHH in January 2009 and formally introduced in July of that year. It expanded the reformed Malte line of oversized tonneau-cased watches, joining the Tourbillon Regulator (2007) and the Chronograph (2008) in the collection. I wrote an in-depth review of the Chronograph ( click here ) and I still am impressed by that watch, the first tonneau watch that actually worked for me, due to the round track of the hour and minute markers.

Much of what I said about the case of the Malte Chronograph applies to the Moon Phase and Power Reserve. The case is 39 mm x 49 mm, just one mm smaller in each dimension compared with the Chronograph. It is one of those elements of the watch with which I have no problems.



The movement is Vacheron Constantin's in-house caliber 1410, based on the 1400, which adds the moon phase and power reserve complications, and has been used in other models to good effect:



When I had the pleasure of meeting Philippe Dufour in 2005 he spoke highly of the caliber 1400, which he had seen in the Malte Grande Classique, noting its beautiful design and finishing. He also had a critical word, as it is a 20 mm caliber and was being used in a 36 mm case. While the Malte Grande Classique is one of my favorite Vacheron Constantin models from the recent past, his criticism struck a chord with me and I find myself resistant to designs where the movement is much smaller than the case (often putting the sub seconds uncomfortably close to the center of the dial, such as in the Patak Phlippe Calatrava ref 5196). Vacheron Constantin's development of the caliber 4400 would seem to be an answer to this criticism.



In the Malte Moon Phase and Power Reserve, the sub seconds are indeed very close to the center of the dial. There is also the bunching of information provided by the subseconds, moon phase, and power reserve on the left side of the watch. The designers balanced these factors by placing the signature and applied Maltese Cross at the three o'clock position as well as using myriad finishes on the dial (hand guilloche, "snailing" for the sub seconds, straight line satin finish, transferred for the power reserve and signature, and screen-printing for the minute track. The moon disk has a galvanized base and the moon itself is 18K gold. The hour markers are all applied 18K gold). All of these details and finishes, which give the dial texture and depth, bring balance to the dial by elegantly framing the informative areas of the dial as well as by making the white space on the right side of the dial interesting in its own right.

 
I'd dare say that with all the circles and arcs on the dial, there is a voluptuousness present which is very gratifying to the eye and quite unlike anything I've ever seen before in a watch. The sensory satisfaction that this watch provides me more than offsets my quibbles about the placement of the seconds subdial.

Bill



This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-09-15 21:12:34