Vacheron Constantin

As we close out the 2011 calendar year and start looking forward to the novelties that will be presented in Geneva in just a few week’s time, let’s look back at all the new watches that Vacheron Constantin brought out this past year.

 

The 2011 watch year got off to a great start in late 2010 when Vacheron Constantin introduced the Quai de l’Ile Annual Calendar:

 

 

This is the first time that Vacheron Constantin has attempted this particular complication, and they brought to it the added novelty of a retrograding date display. It also introduced solid dials to the Quai de l’Ile collection, and we now have such options for the previously developed Date and Day-Date-Power Reserve models:

 

 

At SIHH, Vacheron Constantin put together a set of watches that beautifully extended their core lines. The highlight of the show was the Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time watch, bringing a beautiful and technically interesting twist to the classic world time watch. This watch can account for the time zones that are offset either 15 or 30 minutes away from the GMT standard, and all setting is handled through the crown.

 

 

The Patrimony Contemporaine line how has a perpetual calendar, with a classical four subdial layout:

 

 

Finally, the Historiques collection was augmented with the stunning Aronde 1954:

 

 

Throughout the course of the year, Vacheron Constantin will bring out interesting watches that are not featured at SIHH. With the opening of their New York Boutique this year, Vacheron Constantin came up with two interesting variants on watches from its collection. One was the Historiques American 1921, with a dial inspired by that of one of the vintage originals:

 

  

And the other was the Patrimony Traditionnelle Calibre 2755, with Tourbillon, Minute repeater, and Perpetual calendar, with a specially engraved case that echoes the design of the building at 64^th and Madison, where the boutique is located:

 

 

There is also a new boutique exclusive Overseas with Chronograph and Perpetual Calendar. For all the VC boutiques in the world, there is a grey dial version with titanium bezel,

 

 

And the NY boutique gets a special design featuring the red, white, and blue of the American flag;

 

 

Other variations of the Overseas this year were the new rose gold automatic model:

 

 

And one for ladies, coming in at 35 mm:

 

 

And speaking of ladies watches, there were two new dress watches, the Patrimony Contemporaine Small model, with diamonds set around the side of the case:

 

 

And the Malte Small Model, with diamond set bezel and a guilloche dial that recalls the Maltese Cross:

 

 

Both of these watches use the in-house manual winding caliber 1400.

 

The entry in Excellence Platine collection was the Patrimony Contemporaine Self Winding, the fourth EP watch since 2006 to be based on the Contemporaine design after the original Patrimony Contemporaine (40 mm), the Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograding Day and Date (42.5 mm), and the Patrimony Contemporaine Pocket Watch (43 mm). This watch features a 42mm case and the self winding Calibre 1120, now employing the Gyromax balance:

 

 

It is limited to 150 pieces.

 

And like with the announcement of the Quai de l’Ile Annual Calendar last year, Vacheron Constantin gave us a preview of a watch that will be shown at SIHH in January 2012, the Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon Calibre 2260.

 

2011 was a great year for Vacheron Constantin. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2012!

 

Happy New Year!

 

Bill Lind

VC Forum Moderator

you have shown pictures and described every timepiece launched by VC last year (2011).

I absolutely love the World Time and the Patrimony Contemporaine Perpetual Calendar.

Wonder what is in store during 2012 !

As a collector I like having so many nice watches to choose from.

Bill

On all the watches released this year, I still have to see the WG Aronde in the flesh, and I didn't like the World Time.

Moreover, I don't get how a dressy, elegant watch can get a 40 mm +++ case.

I'm deeply in love with Vacheron, which I consider as one of the finest, most elegant watchmaker.

Maybe I am expecting too much, after all.

But each year, the VC booth is one of the first I am visiting, with curiosity and affection.

May 2012 be a great year for VC!

Best,

Nicolas.

 

This message has been edited by amanico on 2011-12-31 23:36:43

...about time that a watchmaker released a WT which covered those countries that fall in quarter / half time zones? PP's WT maybe more 'poetic' and Lange's WT i dont understand at all.  I think the world we live in today is different; it is one of globalisation and politics, and VC's WT in a very 'artistic' way - (with the blue and red colours) represents this very 'chaos' which is our global world today. To some extent it looks like a measuring instrument, but to my eyes that is ok.  I am from a country which falls in a half time zone, so I guess I am biased. I always wondered why other WT watches did not have my country on it.

 

 

A great watch, in my opinion, is a nice case ( which is not the case on the VC... Have a look at the profile, it is thick and graceless, once again, in my opinion ) a nice dial ( which may be the best part of this watch, but how busy! ) and a fine movement ( just tell me how you can find this movement nice... ).

If you read my former comments when this watch was released, I was more than super excited when I heard that VC was on to release a WT, as I am totally mad about world time watches, and I wanted to give a sister to my Patek.

When I saw it, I was totally deceived...

You may find my words excessive, and certainly they are, but I am a big Vacheron Constantin lover, and as a VC Extremist, there are things I don't like, I deeply don't like and I say it.

That is all and only my taste and opinion, which is the summum of subjectivity.

Best,

Nicolas. This message has been edited by amanico on 2012-01-01 03:49:29

I have to see it once more to actually make up my mind.

Among the current VC's being manufactured, which is your favourite?

 

With the Patrimony Perpetual Calendar skeleton, and the RM Skeleton.

I also loved and still lovce a lot the Mercator, and the Les Historiques Chrono.

You see, I am an old school guy...

Best,

Nicolas.

...Minute Repeater? If this is the one you are referring to, then I absolutely love it. Infact it is my laptop's desktop wallpaper, in PG. 

Do you like the Patrimony Traditionelle Manual (38mm with Caliber 4400)?

As for the Traditionelle Manual 38 mm, yes, this is another nice one.

But I would go for the JLC MUT, for much less than the VC Patrimony Cal 4400.

Best,

Nicolas.

as I am baffled by it. Is it the shape of the bridges? The finishing? The technology?

Bill

I wanted to wait to be in Geneva to be able to take some pictures of the WT, to show you what I don't like with the autimatic calibre of the Wordl Time.

But I found pictures, and especially, this one, taken by Fx, which illustrates my thoughts:



Here, we are speaking about a Vacheron watch, and not a very affordable one.

I would have liked to see a more nicely decorated rotor, I zm not impressed by the shape of the bridges, I don't even see an anglage on them, by the way, the finishing is way below what I am expecting from a Vacheron watch, it feels industrial, when I am looking for some delicate, sensual, interesting, at least, efforts on the decoration and on the finishings.

I don't like the Mercator movement, but it looks better finished, at least.

Here it is:



You see? The finish and the decoration are more sensual, here.

Technically speaking, I have nothing to say against this WT Calibre, but once again, this is not the idea I have of a Vacheron Watch...

To me, Vacheron is synonym of " Exquisite ", refined, well, to not say, superiorly finished and decorated... The big difference between a Vacheron and another watch from another brand.

Best,

Nicolas. This message has been edited by amanico on 2012-01-05 11:43:35

Anglage are there.
Not enough or not big enough? maybe.

But I get the industrial feeling you can have but I really like the finish of this automatic caliber. It is still far from a JLC

Cheers

Francois ( who can not resist to play even if he shouldn't ^^ )

VC Automatic movement, I am expecting more.

To take another difference, it is not much better finished than a Cal 849 from JLC, and I find this last one more interesting, even if it is difficult to compare an automatic movement with a manual wind one.

And it doesn't correspond to the idea I have of a Vacheron watch,  by the way...

Best, my " young " friend.

Nicolas.

Same thing, a nice automatic caliber with a complex module, and this is no more 30k...

A scandal or a marvel? A marvellous scandal maybe ?
Though it is the 240 with a complex module, it is one in the top of the dreamlist.

cheers

Francois (going back to my Gameboy)

I love the dial, the concept of the watch, but certainly not to see a modular Cal 240 on such a watch.

To me it is a no go, and I changed my mind on tis watch because of that.

Best, Gameboy Cisco.

Nicolas

Hope you don't mind my intrusion into the conversation, but I have the same issue with the newly re-issued caliber 1120 and it's rather chunky rotor design.  Sure it's pierced with the Maltese Cross motif, but rather clumsy in comparison to previous VC 1120/1121 models when the display-back was used.

I don't like this " industrial " feeling. Not on a VC.

Best,

Nicolas.

of the two versions of the rotor you are speaking of, please?  I'd love to see exactly what you mean.

The engraved rotor is very nice, and typical from some earlier productions (remind me some Breguet "a long time ago"...), The new is not bad and quite coherent with the caliber.

Except the rotor I don't see on the photo many differences of finishing, a nice sunburst effect on some wheels on the new one, a new regulation system but nothing shocking. For "new" calibers, I love the gold 1003 used on the 1955 (a pure marvel of simplicity imho).

On this example I don't see the point. I love the massive rotor of the normal automatic caliber 2450.

That said I get what Amanico indicates by "a more industrial feeling". But I can't explain it because for me the finish is first class. Too much straight lines in the cut of the bridges maybe? the surface feeling of the "cote de Genève"? But even with that I still find the finish minimum as good or superior to other automatic calibers on other comparable brand (PP315 , AP3120)

a photo of AlexG

cheers

Francois

My personal favorites are the Aronde, of course, and the OS Perpetual Calendar.  I love the concept of the World Time and look forward to future variations, especially in white gold.  And while having the caliber 1120 resurrected is also wonderful, I'm just a bit disappointed that the rotor wasn't treated with a bit more decorative embellishment as used to be the practice when it was used with display-backs.  While I'm picking nits...perhaps the PT950 on the dial of the Patrimony Contemporaine Self Winding could be exchanged with the traditional identifier "AUTOMATIC".

Hey, in a few weeks we will see what is new for 2012!!

Self Winding would distinguish it from the EP 81180, but then it loses some of the cleanness that is the hallmark of the Contemporaine deisgn. I don't mind the PT950 on the dial of my watch.

Bill

..."I don't mind the PT950 on the dial of my watch."  It must be nice to write that. 

Best,

respo

to have the opportunity to write that!! I hope you'll get the chance!

Bill

The Aronde is so sexy.

I can't see how VC will top 2011 with their 2012 novelties, but I'm sure they have a handful of great new watches to show us in a couple of weeks.

I agree with you about the caliber 1400 being one of the prettiest movements out there. The winding feel is also the finest I have felt, with a nice audible click. I am not aware of any systemic troubles with the movement, and my personal experience with it has been nothing but good. When I owned the Malte Grande Classique and the Lange 1815 at the same time, the VC proved to be the better timekeeper. My Patrimony Contemporaine was originally purchased in 2007, and I just tested it on the machine. It is accurate to between +2 and +7 seconds per day, depending on position.

Bill