Breathing new life into old classics
Vacheron Constantin may be the oldest luxury watch brand, but as these new models show, the brand’s innovative spirit is very much alive
Fiftysix Self-winding
AS ITS name suggests, the roots of Vacheron Constantin’s Fiftysix collection are from the golden age of round elegant timepieces in the 1950s. Specifically, Reference 6073 rolled out in 1956. This was among the brand’s first models to feature a self-winding movement; most watches then were powered by hand-wound mechanisms.
The Fiftysix Self-winding runs on the Calibre 1326 automatic movement, with 48 hours’ power reserve. The finely finished mechanism, visible through the sapphire crystal caseback, flaunts an open-worked pink gold oscillating weight adorned with a Maltese cross, the symbol of Vacheron Constantin’s watchmaking excellence for nearly 270 years.
The Maltese cross also inspired the lugs. The 18K 5N pink gold case frames a sector-type dial typical of watches in the 1950s. The black-toned dial is the first in the Fiftysix collection in this colour, while the box-type sapphire crystal dial cover is in the style of post-war timepieces.
Yet the Fiftysix Self-winding remains a contemporary interpretation and not a pure reproduction of the timepieces of the 1950s. For instance, while Reference 6073 is 35 mm in diameter, the Fiftysix Self-winding is 40 mm.
Metiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Snake
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A tribute to Chinese culture, this pair of 25-piece limited edition timepieces, in pink gold and platinum, is released ahead of the Year of the Snake. It is a work of engraving and miniature enamelling, skilfully blended to produce on the dial a cobra perched on a rock.
It takes three days to sculpt the reptile and rock – and their texture and relief are enhanced by the application of miniature paint and patina. On the pink gold watch the snake and rock are ochre-coloured, while they are anthracite grey in the platinum model. The cobra and rock are set against a light blue enamelled background decorated with foliage in ochre tones on the pink gold timepiece, and green on the platinum watch.
Along with jumping indications for the day and date, the hour and minutes on the two hands-free models are displayed by four discs that are visible through apertures around the dial periphery. This is all made possible by an in-house movement, Calibre 2460 G4.
The watches are presented in an elegant 40 mm case paired with an alligator strap, brown on the pink watch and blue on the platinum.
Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date
How do you develop a watch like this one – simple, elegant, minimalist and timeless in design? By giving it a new dial colour and new strap colour, according to Christian Selmoni, the brand’s style and heritage director.
This latest version of the complication, showcasing a moon-phase indication and a retrograde date display, is the third in the Patrimony’s 20-year history and comes in a 42.5 mm 18K white gold case, old-silver-toned dial and olive-green alligator strap.
The Moon Phase Retrograde Date is driven by an in-house self-winding Calibre 2460 R31L movement with 40 hours’ power reserve.
Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph Collection Excellence Platine
First unveiled in 2020, this 50-piece limited edition tourbillon and chronograph watch has gone platinum in Vacheron Constantin’s emblematic line, the Collection Excellence Platine. Except for the movement and strap, its case, crown, dial and clasp are in 950 platinum (95 per cent pure platinum and 5 per cent alloy). Even the stitching on the dark blue alligator strap is crafted from braided silk platinum thread.
The tourbillon with its Maltese cross-shaped carriage is positioned at 12 o’clock, instead of the standard 6 o’clock. Another original feature is the 45-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock. The 65-hour power-reserve indication is found at 6 o’clock.
Nestled in the 42.5 mm case is Calibre 3200, the hand-winding movement developed to mark the brand’s 260th anniversary in 2015. This meticulously finished mechanism can be admired through the sapphire caseback, including its column-wheel decorated with a Maltese cross and peripheral tourbillon drive.
Overseas Dual Time
Green has joined white, black and blue as a popular colour for watch dials. And when you have a sporty-chic collection like the Overseas, which lends itself to new colour experiments, it is all the more logical to also embrace the colour.
“This was obvious when the brand introduced a pinkish-beige hue on certain ladies’ models, and more recently with a gold-toned dial,” says Vacheron Constantin’s style & heritage director Christian Selmoni. “From there, it made sense to ask whether the men’s timepieces could also adopt colours other than white, black and the emblematic Overseas blue.”
Selmoni says the deep green was picked because it exudes hints of plants and forests. “A sort of call to nature that makes a perfect fit with the Overseas spirit of travel and exploration.”
The colour is bestowed on the dial of four new pink gold models – a 42.5 mm chronograph, 41 mm dual time, 41 mm date, and 35 mm date decked with diamonds. The watches are anti-magnetic, water-resistant up to 150 m and powered by self-winding movements.
Selmoni explains that instead of steel timepieces, pink gold was opted to go with the green dial because the colour goes better with gold. “The intense green colour acts as a revealer, enhancing the brilliance of the gold while ensuring exceptional legibility of the watch’s functions,” he says.
Overseas Tourbillon
This first appeared in 2022 in a skeleton version, in all-titanium – from case to bracelet and crown to bezel. Now it is covered up in the Overseas line’s emblematic blue dial, still in all-titanium. Which is understandable because titanium – one-third stronger than steel, though only half as heavy – is perfectly suited to Vacheron Constantin’s sports watch collection.
The tourbillon remains visible at six o’clock through a dial opening. Ticking at the heart of the complication is the same ultra-thin (5.65 mm thick) self-winding movement, Calibre 2160, that powers the skeleton model.
As with the 42.5 mm case, the movement flaunts a meticulous finishing. It is also affixed with a 22K gold peripheral oscillating weight that winds the movement and ensures a comfortable three-day power reserve.
Besides the integrated titanium bracelet, the new Overseas Tourbillon may also be worn with a blue calfskin or rubber strap.
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