Cover Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface
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These new Vacheron Constantin timepieces make a convincing case for the maison’s mastery of elegant design and the retrograde complication
The retrograde complication is one of mechanical watchmaking’s most mesmerising innovations. While the conventional wristwatch was designed to be round, mimicking the sundial and the concentric with the circular movement of central hands, the retrograde function shuns the 360‐degree revolution in favour of a sweeping motion across an arc that is less than 360 degrees, followed by a “jump” back to the starting position after the hand completes the sweep of the arc.
Typically, retrograde displays work according to cyclical time indications such as hours, minutes, seconds, days or dates. It is a mechanism that requires utmost care and precision, especially when it comes to ensuring shock‐ and wear‐resistance.
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Over the centuries, the retrograde function has been a canvas that encourages creative ways of reinventing the retrograde mechanism. For example, some watchmakers create the retrograde effect using sliding arms, while others use segmented gears. All of these use a non‐uniform motion to build up potential energy that facilitates the jump back to square one.
A horological maison that has been creating sophisticated timepieces in uninterrupted production since 1755, Vacheron Constantin is responsible for some of traditional watchmaking’s most complicated timepieces. Its special retrograde displays first became popular in the 1920s, during which the maison distinguished itself with a style inspired by the aesthetic principles of Art Deco. The retrograde mechanisms of Vacheron Constantin’s vaunted retrograde watches are operated via complex systems of cams, pawls, rakes and springs. Retrograde icons of the manufacture include the Saltarello of 1997 and 2015’s Reference 57260, which incorporates 57 complications. This year, the maison introduces three new additions to its legacy of graceful retrograde timepieces.
Above Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface
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Work of Art
Vacheron Constantin dedicates its new Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface to the classic References 47247 and 47245 of the 2000s. The unique segmentation of its partially openworked dial is truly captivating—the upper half that displays the retrograde date is hand‐brushed, and the lower half is hand‐guillochéd. The maison’s classic tourbillon showcased in this lower half has a trademark Maltese cross tourbillon carriage that doubles as a small seconds indicator. This slate grey dial comprises several thin galvanic layers and hosts signature features of the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle series, such as a railway minute track, bi‐faceted dauphine hands and gold baton‐type hour markers. Its stepped 41 mm case in 5N pink gold, slim bezel and fluted caseback are definitive traits of the Traditionnelle collection as well. This absorbing complication is driven by the calibre 2162 R31, which has a 72‐hour power reserve.
“The company has a long history of this type of display, known as ‘openface’,” explains Christian Selmoni, director of style and heritage at Vacheron Constantin. “The very first Vacheron Constantin timepiece with a partially openworked dial dates from 1918. It was a pocket watch with an astronomical calendar, which was totally innovative at the time in terms of design. It was not until almost a century later that the manufacture once again turned its attention to this dial concept with Reference 47247, unveiled in 2002 for the 247th anniversary of the maison.”
Object of Desire
Besides the Traditionnelle range, Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony collection is highly sought‐after and an important pillar of the manufacture. The latest addition to the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony series is the Patrimony Retrograde Day‐Date, which features an irresistible salmon‐coloured sunburst dial paired with a 42.5 mm platinum case. This palette was inspired by retrograde watches of the early 20th century, and was a popular colour combination in 1990s watches such as the References 49005 and 47101.
Above The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date (pictured left) and the Patrimony Retrograde Day‐Date
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date (pictured left) and the Patrimony Retrograde Day‐Date
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The retrograde date is displayed in the upper half of this ravishing dial, which also bears the Maltese cross emblem, while the retrograde day is indicated in the lower half, both using blued steel hands. The centrally located white gold hour and minute hands are made slightly convex to match the silhouette of the domed dial inspired by dial designs of the 1950s.
“The first [Vacheron Constantin] wristwatch to feature a retrograde date was the Don Pancho (Reference 3620), nicknamed by collectors after the person for whom it was commissioned. In 1935, the maison received an order for a wristwatch with functions that were previously reserved for pocket watches. It took until 1940 to meet this order and deliver Reference 3620,” remarks Selmoni, who enjoys sharing about Vacheron Constantin’s close association with retrograde watches. “Another remarkable model that highlights the craze for unusual dials is the Mercator, unveiled in 1994. A tribute to the 16th‐century geographer Gerardus Mercator, this creation features a double retrograde display of trailing hours and minutes on an enamelled or engraved dial.”
Poetry of Time
Distinguished by a six‐sided bezel, the Overseas collection made its debut in 1996 and was inspired by the vaunted Vacheron Constantin 222 launched in 1977. Today, both the Overseas and the 222 are among the most highly desired dress watches in the market.
The new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date has a 41 mm steel case framing a translucent blue lacquered dial with a sunburst satin‐brushed base, a velvet‐finished flange and applied white gold hour markers coated with Super‐LumiNova. Underneath this regal dial is Calibre 2460 R31L/2,
which includes a moon phase and a 22K gold rotor with a hand‐finished compass rose.
Most importantly, this novelty marks the first time a retrograde function has been incorporated into the Overseas sports watch collection. “It took three years of research and development to integrate the traditional functions and complications of the retrograde date and the precision moon‐phase display into the Overseas collection,” Selmoni shares. “Today, the timepieces in the Overseas collection channel the attributes of the ‘tool watches’ of the 1950s in terms of their shapes and technical features. They’re robust, elegant, functional and versatile. In a sense, their evolution symbolises the changes in societal behaviour, horologically rewriting the new codes of modern and contemporary life. The new Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date marks an important milestone because it combines its technical qualities with those of the era and of style.”
Credits
Photography: Ching
Art Direction: Jeremy Ang
