By: WHL
[VC Moderator]

By: WHL
[VC Moderator]

By: tony p
tony p

By: Z3
[PuristSPro Moderator]

By: foversta
[PuristSPro Moderator]

By: tick-talk

We’ve all probably seen the press releases about the novelties from Vacheron Constantin by now. The focus has been on the update to the Malte collection, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the tonneau form in Vacheron Constantin’s history, with the introduction of four new models in the third generation of the Malte design since 2000. That year, Vacheron Constantin introduced its first in-house movement with the caliber 1790. This movement featured a tourbillon as well as pointer dat... more

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 ... more

  My last post was about the additions and deletions from my Vacheron Constantin collection of watches. Today I am going to share the additions I have made to my collection of Vacheron Constantin accessories. I have written about such paraphernalia in the past: vacheron.watchprosite.com= and that link links back to other posts about VC goodies. J 2011 has seen some cool additions to my collection. At the end of last winter a fellow collector sent me a beautiful wool scarf that is embroidered w... more

2011 was an exciting year for me on the watch front. After straying from VC with an independently made watch in 2010, I got back into the fold with a pair of watches in 2011. But before I get to the new, I will reveal that out went the old.....the really old. After mulling my collection over for a while I decided that I only wanted watches that I would wear, and though I had owned many wonderful vintage Vacheron Constantin watches, I found myself never wearing them. I liked having them, but I never c... more

It has now been three years since the Quai de l’Ile was launched in the North American market. The line was debuted at SIHH 2008 and was ready for limited distribution that autumn. I wrote a detailed review of the titanium Quai de l’Ile Day-Date-Power Reserve in the summer of 2009: vacheron.watchprosite.com I still stand by my conclusions from that review, principally that I find people have a love-hate relationship with the design.Since that review, Vacheron Constantin has continued to sho... more

I was pleased to see the first of the Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time models arrive in the North American market last week. Introduced with top billing in a strong year for novelties from Vacheron Constantin (which also included the Patrimony Contemporaine Perpetual Calendar, Historiques Aronde 1954, and Quai de l’ Ile Annual Calendar), the World Time watch breaks new ground for Vacheron Constantin, which had not had a proper world time complication in its catalog for decades. Alex Gho... more

Vacheron Constantin makes great watches, but its success has been based almost entirely on creating watches for men. With the exception of the asymmetrical 1972 there is no iconic ladies design that collectors would identify as coming from Vacheron Constantin. (And the 1972 was originally conceived for men!)Whereas Cartier has the Tank Francaise and the Ballon Bleu, Patek Philippe has the Twenty-Four, and Breguet has the Reine de Naples, all distinct designs that are quite successful in the marke... more

I had the great pleasure of visiting Vacheron Constantin’s New York boutique for the first time last week. While the principal reason I was down in New York was to attend a celebratory dinner for the boutique’s grand opening prepared by legendary chef Thomas Keller (more on this in a future post), I also wanted to enjoy the boutique shopping experience and see the special watches on exhibit as part of the American Heritage of Vacheron Constantin. The Shopping ExperienceAs one would expect... more

In writing about the Historiques Ultra-fine 1968 and in thinking about the idea of an ultra thin movement being its own complication, I concluded that there is an inherent desirability to the caliber 1120 and thus the watches in which Vacheron Constantin historically and currently employs it. As a collector of Vacheron Constantin watches I have paid just as much attention to the movements inside the watches I pursue as I do to the cases, dials, and their respective conditions, and some of my favorite... more

For the Historiques collection Vacheron Constantin delves into its heritage for inspiration in creating watches for today. For some of the watches in the Historiques collection, the influence comes from design (American 1921, Toledo 1952, and Aronde 1954), and at other times, from technical excellence (Chronometer 1907, Ultra-fine 1955, and Ultra-fine 1968.). The 1955 and 1968 were introduced at SIHH in January, 2010 and have been slowly trickling out of Vacheron Constantin’s workshops since l... more

  Vacheron Constantin originally developed the Historiques collection in the early 1990’s during the mechanical watch renaissance. These watches drew on Vacheron Constantin’s rich heritage of design, bringing classic designs such as the 4072, 4178, and Cioccolatone to a new generation of watch collectors. The collection faded from the catalog as the brand developed a better defined product lines (eg Malte, Overseas, Patrimony Contemporaine), but was resurrected as its own collection ... more

  Vacheron Constantin officially launched its American Heritage of Vacheron Constantin initiative today, and in conjunction with the opening of the Vacheron Constantin Boutique in New York that has attracted much of our attention on this and other forums of late. While the opening of the New York boutique is a major step forward for Vacheron Constantin (and don’t be surprised if other strategic US locations are slated for boutiques as well), the American Heritage Project offers a look b... more

Until recently I have been an admirer of the Patrimony Contemporaine from afar. It exhibits all the characteristics that I find appealing in a Vacheron Constantin watch. It is elegant and beautiful and the attention to detail in the construction of the case, dial, and movement all showcase what makes a Vacheron Constantin watch so specialEvery version of the hand wound Patrimony Contemporaine, reference 81180, is appealing. It is available in yellow, rose, and white gold as well is an platinum. For e... more

This model embodies an exceptional association of the famous Métiers d'Art cultivated within the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin: engraver, enameller, gemsetter and guillocher are working together to create this unique magnificent watch, especially developed for Only Watch. Inspired by the technique of repetitive tiling designs known as tessellation, this "Métiers d'Art – Perspectives d'Art" watch invites observers to explore a reality that plays with human perception.   ... more

The Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph Well, it has been about a year since this beauty arrived, just in time for my eldest son’s wedding. V&C did a great job getting the watch to my AD in Carmel with all the goodies on board. The box is still a marvel too, perfect sleeping quarters for the watch, not touching anything and lots of room for the memory stick, passport, cloths and maybe a couple of extra straps. Still a joy to behold when you open the inner box. I am not going to go into great ... more

The Quai de l’Ile is one of the most intriguing watches that Vacheron Constantin produces today. Collectors seem either to love it or to hate it. Count me in with the former!There were originally two models in the family, one featuring a basic automatic movement with date, reference 86050: And another with day, date, and power reserve, reference 85050:   I wrote an in-depth review of this later watch in titanium, focusing on the origins of the design of the watch and the variety of ... more