Vacheron Constantin

I've had my eye on this piece for a while through various Internet sightings, but had never seen it in the metal until yesterday at my favorite NorCal/Central Coast AD.

And, given my gratitude to VC for the recent festivities in Geneva, I thought it appropriate that I take the leap and acquire this lovely watch:

Things I like about it:

1. The Overseas is "my" high-end sportwatch -- having considered the RO, various GOs, the BP Fifty Fathoms on the X-71 bracelet, even Omega and Rolex, and dismissed the PP offerings, for me this generation Overseas design is the right combination of design cues for my eye and wrist.
2. The Ti details are great -- especially like the crown guards
3. The grey leather strap -- this surprised me, as in photos it tends to look washed out.  I had expected to ask the AD to put on the rubber strap right away, but think I'll be sticking with the leather.  Since I love the Overseas Maltese Cross bracelet so much, I'm also a bit surprised at how good this one looks on the strap -- may get a bracelet at some point, but for now this looks great
4. The grey dial -- very tasty.  
5. The packaging -- including the VC "passport," the Flash drive with all of the product photos and owners' manual, and the "stacked" presentation box holding all of the items in a cool form factor.
6. The Half-Cross deployant clasp -- very solid, and the half-cross is a classic look
7. The semi-instantaneous jumpinig minutes on the chrono -- more to my taste than the continuous minutes used on many chronos
8. The Cal. 1137 movement -- with VC's treatment of the classic Piguet base. Pusher feel is a lot nicer than on the varous valjoux-based chronos I've been fighting over the years. The flash drive synopsis says that this is a COSC movement, although I didn't see any paperwork on the timing test in my materials and the VC website seems silent on this topic -- can anyone enlighten me?
9. The big date -- at my age, getting to be a requirement
10.  The highly visible hour/minute hands and markers -- with fantastic lume
11. The antimagnetic cage -- probably doesn't come into play too much in real life, but fun to have
12. The size -- a large watch, but the size and color of the dial make it look smaller and it's thin enough to sit very comfortably on the wrist

The only thing that I understand but don't love is the blacked-out chrono hands -- nice for stealth, a little less so for legibility.  OK, one more: I already know that it's automatic and antimagnetic -- no need to print it on the dial.  All in all, a big list of positives and a very short list of reservations!

This is a piece that for me will work great for both office and weekend wear -- and my wife likes it better than my YG bracelet Overseas Dual Time, which she thinks is too flashy (but I love...).

That's it!  Really looking forward to owning this one.

Best,

Gary G

Definately my favourite overseas chrono i have seen so far!

regards

Marwan

There's something about the grey dial and Ti highlights that really makes this version work for me as well.

Best,

Gary G

I got the RG Chrono which I think is very beautiful,  I do not think it is flashy!  I agree with you that the dual time in YG is very beautiful.

Best regards,
Baxter

...is a very classy piece!  For me the fact that the bracelet is mostly brushed (rather than polished) makes a big difference in keeping the gold bracelet watch something very beautiful.

Best,

Gary

I don't disagree with any of your points in favor of the SS/Ti Overseas Chronograph. This is precisely the model I would get were I back in the market for an Overseas.

The movement has not earned the COSC certificate, so there must be a clerical error in what they put on the USB drive.

I also like the watch best on the grey croc strap, but I know people who feel that the rubber is the most comfortable fit. You are not alone in thinking about putting a bracelet on the watch. That too is a great look.

Wear it in the best of health!

Bill

Thanks for the kind wishes!  Very helpful info on the (non-)Chronometer status of this movement -- I couldn't find any reference to it elsewhere, but you are authoritative on these matters so it helps a lot.

There appear to be some other errors on the flash drive as well (e.g., it lists "WG Arabic applieds" on the dial) -- probably worth a review by folks at VC to make sure that in copying/pasting profiles they haven't gone wrong.

I do love the bracelet, so may go there sometime -- in the meantime, I'm enjoying it just as it is!

Best,

Gary G

I love the gray dial on this piece.  The Overseas makes for a fantastic everyday watch IMO.

Cheers,
Daos

I'll probably be wearing it in May...

Best,

Gary

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nt

Good choice, I really like the grey dial. All the reasons you have given to buy the watch are good reasons.

Wear in good health.

Regards,

George

Looking foward to getting a lot of wear from this one...

 Best,

Gary G

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nt

such a great looking chronograph !

Perfect look with the grey dial.

Congrats

Drew

The WG details (markers and surrounds for the subdials) catch the light in interesting ways and make the dial a lot more lively than a pure stealth version.  And even though the stealth chrono hands aren't ideal for stopwatch duty, they actually make the dial a bit less busy and therefore more attractive to me.

VC put a lot of thought into this one, for sure.

Best,

Gary G

I checked out this exact model a month ago while on vacation, and it's a very tempting choice! Congrats on your acquisition!

Jason

If so, it was probably the very same watch  -- thanks for leaving it for me!

Best,

Gary

I played with one in the Tourneau in Honolulu. It was the first time I handled an Overseas, and I had an AP Royal Oak next to it for comparison. I'm definitely in love with the Overseas, and probably will get one later this year. Definitely a chrono, but still undecided about the dial/case. I think I want it on a VC bracelet (so that its character better complements that of my other VC, a Patrimony), so that may force me away from the titanium-bezeled model.

Jason

...for separate purchase.  Obviously drives up the overall price of the package a bit, but you then have the flexibility to wear the watch on leather, rubber, or steel.  I do love that bracelet (I have it on my OS Dual Time) -- comfortable, substantial, and very pretty.

Best,

Gary G

Do they offer a matching titanium bracelet, or just the stainless steel one? I was in Honolulu on vacation, so I didn't spend too much time finding out details when playing with the watch. If a matching bracelet is available, then that makes this exact model MUCH more tempting to me.

Jason

No Ti bracelet that I know of (wouldn't that be cool!) but  the steel bracelet of course matches the body of the case.  I'd like to see a photo of the combo before paying out for the bracelet, but it's nice to have the option.

Best,

Gary

Reposted here:

Perhaps he can post some more photos for you (and all of us). I am a big fan of the bracelet on the SS/Ti watch (as well as the straps on the all SS watches. It's great that Overseas owners have all sorts of options now.

Bill

Would love to see some more photos of these.  That DT on the strap looks particularly nice to me -- and I'm sure that the SS/Ti on bracelet would look great in person as well.

Thanks again,

Gary

Thanks Bill! I had missed that one. I guess if I decide that the SS/Ti model is the one that I really want, I'll have to check it out next to a bracelet to see how it looks in person!

Jason

I do agree with you that it is a most handsome VC. Seems like they got it right this time. I, like you, love the "greyness" of the watch. I have for many years reference all other greys in the market to Patek slate grey, till this arrive. I have the non chrono version, but sadly, it hasn't seen much, if any, wrist time. I am still more a APRO guy.

Best,

Horo

Completely OK to be an RO guy -- you have lots of distinguished company!  In the same way, for whatever reason the OS catches my eye (and fits my wrist) in ways that the RO doesn't.  Horses for courses...

Best,

Gary G

The Ti version is my fav by far, love it.

 

Enjoy it!

 

 

Vte

I wasn't sure until I saw it in the metal, but now the Ti/SS is my favorite as well.

Best,

Gary G