Vacheron Constantin

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas and even the Tourbillon is a popular watch on our forum.  Many of our members have the Overseas model and some even have the Tourbillon model.  

Vacheron Constantin now endows the Overseas Tourbillon model with a diamond bezel.  Sixty diamonds go into this bezel!  

You'll notice that the diamonds are set without any visible prongs.  That's because this is an invisible setting.  How does an invisible setting work?  Take a look at the diagram below...  

There is a metal "rail" which the diamond slides into - a groove is cut into the diamond as well to secure it to the rail.  From the top, it looks like there is no setting whatsoever.  But now you know how it works, underneath there is a system of tunnels with rails and grooved diamonds sliding on the rails.  Now that you know the secrets to the invisible setting, you realize it's an easy concept.  But in reality, it's very difficult to execute.  Especially when you factor in curvature into the setting and different sized stones, and stones not of square or rectangular shape (many of the stones in this watch are trapezoidal).  

Photo Credit: Robert Graveley at Ganoksin Jewelers Education Website 

So, this is where most WatchProSite readers care about - the engine room!  

This is one of my favorite Vacheron Constantin calibers and one of my favorite Tourbillon calibers.  Why?  1, it's got a large balance wheel diameter.  This is a large Tourbillon - a larger diameter Tourbillon has more mass and therefore greater stability.  2, it's got a wonderfully traditional and slow beat of 18,000 vph.  This slow beat is very pleasing to look at - some other tourbillons on the market oscillate at a faster beat, a faster beat requires a smaller wheel diameter, and the combination of smaller balance wheel diameter and faster oscillation speed can look almost violent.  3, the engineering and dimensions, the movement is thin.  4, there's 80 hours of power reserve!  And 5, it's a wonderful automatic winding system with a peripheral rotor that doesn't block the transparency of the Tourbillon.  What a great job Vacheron Constantin did with this movement!  I would say it's one of the best Tourbillon movements on the market!  The movement finishing is also wonderful.  That Tourbillon cage in the Maltese cross - Vacheron Constantin's logo is done beautifully.  And the Tourbillon's bridge is black polished. 

Here is my first review of this movement in the Traditionelle case  www.watchprosite.com

Christian Selmoni, Director of Style and Heritage at Vacheron Constantin has this to say about the movement: 

Calibre 2160, one of the thinnest tourbillon movements on the market at just 5.65 mm, is a genuine technical feat. For the Maison's watchmakers who developed this calibre presented in 2018, the challenge was to integrate a tourbillon regulator into an ultra-thin self-winding movement. This type of construction entails twin difficulties. The presence of an oscillating weight and the integration of a tourbillon cage generally imply additional movement thickness. It was therefore necessary to work first on the architecture of the tourbillon itself and then to design a high-efficiency peripheral rotor winding system to achieve an 80-hour power reserve. The watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin were able to respond perfectly to these constraints with ultra-thin Calibre 2160, which is also aesthetically pleasing thanks to the meticulous attention lavished on the decoration.  


16 diamonds are set on the clasp.  In total, 3.6 carats of diamonds are set throughout the watch!  60 diamonds on the bezel and 9 diamonds on the dial means there are 85 diamonds in total!  

Reference                               
6007V/210G-B955

Calibre                                    
2160
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, self-winding, peripheral rotor
31 mm (13½’’’) diameter, 5.65 mm thick
Approximately 80 hours of power reserve
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
188 components
30 jewels                   
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepieces                                                                                                                     

Indications                            
Hours, minutes, small seconds on tourbillon carriage (color screw) Tourbillon

Case                                       
18K white gold 
42.5 mm diameter, 10.39  thick
Bezel set with 60 baguette-cut diamonds, invisible setting
Soft iron casing ring ensuring anti-magnetic protection
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistant tested at a pressure of 5 bar (approx. 50 meters)             

Dial                                         
Translucent blue-lacquered, sunburst satin-finished base with velvet-finished flange
18K white gold hour-markers set with 9 baguette-cut diamonds, closed setting
18K white gold hours & minutes hands highlighted with blue LumiNova®

Bracelet                                           
18K white gold, half Maltese cross-shaped polished and satin-brushed links. secured by a 18K white gold triple-blade folding clasp with push-pieces and comfort-adjustment system.

Additional straps/clasp        
Blue calfskin leather strap with grey stiches
Blue rubber
Interchangeable 18K white gold pin buckle set with 16 baguette-cut diamonds, invisible setting

Total diamond-setting       
85 baguette-cut diamonds, for a total weight of approx. 3.61 carats (guaranteed minimum carats)

Watch brands are heading more towards jeweled watches.  Many brands are expanding their in-house jewelry departments and some brands are buying external jewelry companies whom used to supply the watch industry with jeweled components.  What are your thoughts on this trend?  And what are your thoughts on this specific Vacheron Constantin Overseas with the Diamond Bezel watch?  

As for the Carrousel, it seems to be a different complication than the Flying Tourbillon: Blancpain has a model which has both of these complications and they have a page where they explain the difference between them, one having been invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and the other by Danish watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen: https://www.blancpain.com/en/where-blancpains-tourbillon-carrousels-come-life

Anyway, I'm very happy that you seem to like this watch as much as I do!

I tend to place gem-set watches in two categories:

1.  The gem-setting is an upgrade of a very similar non-gem-set model.  I would categorize diamond-bezeled Datejusts and Day-Dates as well as this new Vacheron into this category.  I have personally bought a watch like this before, a diamond-bezel Day-Date, and my logic behind the purchase was that I had already decided to buy the standard model but thought it might be fun to try on the gem-set version before completing the purchase.  Once trying it on I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, and decided to go with the "upgraded" model in the end.  I imagine this is the process many customers of these watches go through before purchasing.

2.  The gem-setting is transformational and the finished product is more than the sum of its parts and not readily comparable to a base model (if a base model even existed in the first place).  I personally think the Rainbow Daytona falls in this category, but it might be more obvious to include the high jewelry watches from Van Cleef & Arpels.  These watches are much more interesting to me, however I believe I am very unlikely to ever buy one.  To do so you need to find a piece that brings together both artistry (via gem-setting) and watchmaking that you personally are drawn towards.  Given the prices involved it is difficult to find something that meets a single one of these criteria, much less both of them.  That said, I do enjoy seeing these creations whenever given the chance and would love to see the recently shown Vacheron Les Cabinotiers Grisaille Dragon in-person.

For this watch in particular it is interesting to see Vacheron using an invisible setting technique and I am sure the photos do not capture how amazing it surely looks in the metal.  My favorite part is the clasp where it looks like the diamonds are all cut into custom shapes and then use an invisible setting.  If they make a full gem-set bracelet version of the Overseas using this clasp as the template - I think it has potential to be the best in that category.

Photo from MB&F.