Vacheron Constantin

I had the pleasure to see most of the novelties released by Vacheron Constantin at SIHH this past January when I was in Geneva recently. Below are photos of what I saw along with my impressions of the watches.

One of the main themes this year from the brand was the extension of the Patrimony line with new metals and dials. Previously one could have (and still can have) a Patrimony Contemporaine (Ref 81180) in platinum with an opaline silver dial. My complaint about this is that it looks identical to the white gold model, and so does not justify the premium one must pay for platinum. Now Vacheron Constantin offers a beautiful slate grey dial which will be exclusive to the platinum watches in the Patrimony line.

In addition to the grey dials, Vacheron Constantin extended the Patrimony Traditionnelle line by adding white gold and platinum cased variations to the existing references. A highlight is the stunning Caliber 2755 tourbillon, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, now in platinum, here pictured with the grey dial, but also offered with the silver dial:

The movement is stunning:

The sound of the repeater in the platinum case is just as strong as in the rose gold model, which is a surprise when considering the extra density of platinum. (On a side note, I was given a demonstration of the movement of the repeater by the master watchmaker who assembles and adjusts them, and the sound had yet to be fine tuned. While still loud and resonant, the sound was a little harsh when compared with what I heard from the cased watch pictured above. I have no doubt that the sound of the movement will be improved to the point where it can’t get any better. And if it doesn’t get better, the watchmaker will start the tuning anew with a fresh set of gongs. The watchmaker was just as passionate about making a great watch as we are about owning one.)

The Patrimony Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is now available in platinum with both the silver and grey dials:

The Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph in white gold (released in rose last year) is stunning:

Also, the Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograding Day and Date watch is now offered in white gold

The newest watch in the Excellence Platine collection, the Patrimony Traditionnelle Caliber 2253, with Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, Equation of Time, and Sunrise and Sunset indications, along with a 14 day power reserve, was not on display. There will only be 10 in this limited edition. Here is a photo from SJX:

Another theme is the expansion of the Historiques line to include two ultrathin watches based on models from the historic catalog. Only the movements were on hand, and to me they are what is best about these watches. Vacheron Constantin has brought the production of the classic caliber 1003 in-house (they had come from JLC before). The bridges are now made of gold. The watch cases this movement, the Historiques 1955, features a case first introduced for Vacheron Consatntin’s 200^th anniversary, with lugs that echo the Maltese Cross that is the emblem of the brand:

 Photo by SJX

The movement is stunning in gold:

In the Historiques 1968, Vacheron Consatantin brings the classic caliber 1120 back to its full glory with the free-sprung Gyromax balance. The rotor is partly skeletonized, and given a beautiful grain finish:

And the unassuming form case does not hint at the glorious movement ticking away inside:

Photo by SJX

The final set of watches that I saw was is the newest edition to the Metiers d’Art line, which features beautiful craftsmanship in both the watch and dial making. The front and back dials for this successor to Les Masques, called La Symbolique des Laques, are made by the maki-e process of applying a mix of layers of lacquer and gold powder to form a textured representation. The theme of the art is birds, harking back to the great enamel Audubon watches that Vacheron Constantin made in the 1990’s.

The movements are a skeletonized version of the ultrathin caliber 1003, but in this case the bridges are not hand-engraved. They are finished with ruthenium rather than rhodium, giving the plates and bridges a dark hue that I find very attractive.

They are sold in a set of three. The first is the crane:

The second is the nightengale:

The final is the sparrow:

Vacheron Constantin has extended the Stainless Steel and Titanium combination to the Overseas Dual Time. Another winning design:

Bill