There is something strange in Paris which is very typical of the French behaviour: 90% of the watches events are organized on Tuesday or Thursday. Why? Because on Monday, it is the day after the week-end so brands think that people are busy, Wednesday is kids' day and Friday we leave Paris to spend the week-end somewhere else. And the sad side of the story is that with only two days available, we can have several cocktail parties the same day.

But at Vacheron, they try to do things differently and the latest party took place on Wednesday! So thanks to the Vacheron France team for this wise decision. Sadly, a French football team, Marseille, was playing its European Cup final during the same evening but for me it was not a problem: I don't care about this team. And to be honest: I was much more interested in discovering the new versions of the Overseas that watching a football game. After all, the World Cup is around the corner!

I don't know how to understand and interpret the release now, at this moment of these Overseas featuring black dials.

Actually, maybe the collection was missing them, maybe there was an increasing demand.

And to be honest, maybe clients are a bit exhausted by the huge quantity of blue dials on the market.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I do love these new versions. To be more precise: the black chronograph is for me the best Overseas chronograph. I'm not sure about the similar feeling with the 3-hand version (even if it is nice). And why does this black dial work pretty well  with the chronograph? For one specific reason: the contrast between the subdials and the main dial. This contrast brings character, energy. It reinforces the casual side of the watch and at the same time... makes it very refined and elegant. To be frank, I have a soft spot for reverse panda dials (much less for Panda ones). The reverse panda style works perfectly here and matches very well the usual bezel shape of the new Overseas collection introduced in 2016.

The black color has a well known virtue: it contributes to reduce the feeling of size. It does have the same impact with the Overseas Chronograph but its diameter (42,5mm) and its rather reasonable dial opening due to the thick bezel made it already very balanced. This point explains why I felt the elegant side of the watch. From reasonable, the watch gives the feeling, thanks to its black dial, to reach a perfect balance.

Of course, there is no impact on the perceived thickness (the actual case height is 13,7mm).

The Overseas Chronograph is obviosuly powered by the caliber 5200 which features a 52 hour power reserve for a 4hz frequency.

I like the contemporary style of this movement and even if it has "a too industrial rendering" to my taste, Vacheron Constantin worked with care on it. The winding mass is also nicely designed and consistent with the spirit of the Overseas collection.

As you can see it with this wristshot, the watch offers a nice balance in terms of size and style.

Two familiar faces did a speech to present the context of the event and the reason why the venue was the "Les maisons du voyage", a high-end travel agency which creates bespoke journeys in the world. On the left, Jean-Yves Di Martino, head of Vacheron France. On the right, Christian Selmoni, style and heritage director. Christian Selmoni explained the roots of the Overseas collection which was launched 20 years ago. And it bears it on its name: Overseas makes us think about the remote countries, the long travels...

Another good surprise was the presence of Jérôme, the Vacheron France watchmaker. Thanks to its workbench, he could explain the main features of the in-house movements which power the Overseas collection. All of them respecting the Geneva Seal criteria.

I remind you that the 2016 Overseas collection gave the opportunity to discover the movements 5100 and 5200. The latter replaced the usual Frederic Piguet chronograph movement 1185 which was used in the previous Overseas chronographs.

The best moment of the party! I was wearing on the picture the Overseas Dual Time.. in very good company with Julie, from the Vacheron France Team.

And here comes the wristshot of the Overseas Dual Time. It is my fav model of the collection. I like its dial lay-out which brings a touch of originality. The additional complication is practical. The am/pm display and the second timezone hand make the data very legible. And again... Overseas makes us think about the travels. The complication is so consistent!

It is the same story with the WT version. I respect a lot the Vacheron's decision to make this complication available in a SS case. Well done.

I'm not a fan of this Patrimony. The 42mm diameter is too large. Too large because the bezel is thin and because the caliber 4400 is too small for this case size.

The atmosphere of the event:

Here comes the second black Overseas, the 3-hand version:

The black dial works also well in this context even if the watch offers less subtle details than the chronograph. But it is very well made.

The case diameter is 41mm for a thickness of 11mm.

The power reserve of the movement is larger than the chronograph one since it reaches 60 hours.

Obviously, like any watch of the Overseas collection, the piece features the fast and easy strap/bracelet change system.

A view on the caliber 5100 which is decorated and finished with the same level of quality than the 5200. You can see the Geneva Seal on the right bridge.

These two Overseas watches with black dial are very valuable additions to the collection. They are in a way, the basic watches and it is a bit surprising to not have seen them from the very beginning, in 2016. But blue was so trendy! Anyway, black does a nice comeback with these watches and I'm sure that these pieces will support the commercial success of the collection with efficiency. The 3-hand and especially the chronograph offer several seducing details enhanced by the very practical side of the strap change system. They are all-around watches, nice with a suit or in a more casual context. So I can say it now: black is the new black... at least for the Overseas collection!

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