Vacheron Constantin unveils limited editions to celebrate its 270th year
The historic brand pays homage to its roots with watches that blend heritage with a modern twist
TRADITIONNELLE AND PATRIMONY ARE WATCH collections inspired by Vacheron Constantin’s long and rich heritage. And what better way to mark the brand’s 270th birthday than with a gift for its fans: eight new limited editions from these classic lines.
The Traditionnelle pays homage to Geneva’s watchmaking in the 18th century, marrying high technical standards and unique horological aesthetics. Among the key features of a Traditionnelle watch are its stepped lug, fluted case back and thin bezel. The dial has a railway-type minute track, while the hands sport a faceted Dauphin-style. The hour markers are shaped like batons, in applied gold.
The Patrimony’s roots can be traced back to the ultra-thin, round watches which Vacheron Constantin crafted in the 1950s. Appealing to fans of minimalism, the watches have round cases with a slim bezel, and a subtly domed dial. Other features include thin and curvy applied hour markers, cubed baton hands and a pearl-like minute track.
While the Traditionnelle and Patrimony have distinctive traits of their own, the new anniversary timepieces share stylistic details newly minted for the occasion. The dial of the watches boasts a subtle geometric motif inspired by the Maltese Cross, the brand’s emblem. The watches are worn with an alligator leather strap with large square scales, fastened with an 18-karat gold pin buckle in the shape of a half Maltese Cross.
The movement of the watches is stamped with an emblem for the celebration, while its bridge showcases a “cote unique” finish. This technique was first used over a century ago, and revived in 2021. The artisans took more than 500 hours to relearn and perfect the craft.
Traditionnelle Manual-Winding
This time-only watch tells the hours, minutes and seconds (the latter at 6 o’clock), and is housed in either a 950 platinum, or 18-karat 5N pink gold case. Powered by a hand-winding movement with 65 hours’ power reserve, the elegant 38 mm wide case frames a silver-toned dial with 18-karat gold hour markers and 18-karat gold hands. Both the platinum and gold models are limited editions of 370 pieces each, individually numbered.
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Price: S$52,500 (platinum); S$37,600 (pink gold)
Traditionnelle Moon Phase
This 270-piece limited edition, sparkling with 80 round-cut diamonds (1.13 carats) on a 36 mm 18-karat 5N pink gold case, flaunts a high-precision moon phase (also known as the “astronomical moon”) on a mother-of-pearl dial that tracks the exact lunar cycle, with only one day of discrepancy in 122 years. It is complemented by small seconds at 6 o’clock. Beating at the heart of the slim and elegant timepiece (just 2.6 mm thick), matched with a pink alligator strap, is a manual winding movement with 42 hours’ power reserve.
Price: S$69,500
Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date
Collectors love this model – and they can choose between white or pink gold. What they really have their eyes on is the retrograde date indication with central hand feature, a Vacheron Constantin specialty since the 18th century. Located in this timepiece on the upper part of its silver-tone dial, framed in a 42.5 mm case, the retrograde date display is balanced by a moon phase indication at 6 o’clock. The watch is powered by an automatic movement with 40 hours’ power reserve. It is worn with a striking dark green alligator strap. The watch in the two gold colours is limited to 270 pieces each.
Price: S$76,000 (white and pink gold)
Patrimony Self-Winding
This time and date watch is driven by a self-winding movement with a power reserve of 40 hours. The date is displayed in an aperture at 6 o’clock. The 40 mm watch, in pink and white gold, is also fitted with a stop-second system that ensures perfect time-setting for optimum precision. The watch is a limited edition of 370 pieces and comes with a dark green alligator strap.
Price: S$49,900 (white and pink gold)
Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
A tourbillon and perpetual calendar complication squeezed into a slim case just 11.1 mm thick? Yes, thanks to an even slimmer – 6.55 mm – movement. Nestled in a 42 mm 950 platinum case, the new automatic mechanism, which has 72 hours of power reserve, is also equipped with a patented secure drive system that allows perpetual calendar functions to be adjusted both forward and backward without harm to the movement.
Price: On request
Traditionnelle Openface
Open-worked dial and retrograde display, two historical Vacheron Constantin signatures, are revisited within the Traditionnelle collection through three timepieces: an open-face perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display; an open-face tourbillon with a retrograde date display; and an open-face complete calendar.
Available in a limited edition of 370 pieces, each watch flaunts a 41 mm, 950 platinum case with fine hand-guilloche decoration. It is paired with a dark blue alligator strap.
The retrograde date display on the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date Openface is found on the upper part of the dial. The beauty and technical sophistication of its mechanism is revealed in the open-worked dial. The perpetual calendar requires no correction till 2100. The moon phases, displayed in the aperture at 6 o’clock, need only one adjustment every 122 years. The complication is powered by a self-winding movement with a power reserve of 40 hours.
In turn, the retrograde date display on the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface is also located on the dial’s upper part. The tourbillon is positioned at 6 o’clock, but its intricate workings are visible with those of the retrograde date display on the upper part of the open-worked dial. The watch beats to the rhythm of an automatic movement with 72 hours of power reserve.
Finally, apart from its triple calendar indications – day of the week, date and month – the Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface also showcases a precision moon-phase display. The date is clearly found around the periphery of the dial using a blue hand, while the day and month are marked on sapphire discs, in contrast with the blue background of the apertures.
The mechanism of the self-winding movement is partially revealed on the open-worked dial. The movement has a power reserve of 40 hours.
Price: On request
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