How 3 Highlights from Vacheron Constantin Showcase the Brand’s Aesthetics

Female connoisseurs can look forward to two technical highlights this year. The first is the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin, which offers the quintessential high complication, the perpetual calendar, in an ultra-thin form. At just 36.5mm across and 8.43mm high, the watch’s svelte dimensions make for a perfect fit on ladies’ slimmer wrists. What’s more, it also showcases Vacheron Constantin’s technical expertise in watchmaking; the timepiece’s slimness is achieved using the in-house Calibre 1120 QP, a hand-wound movement measuring just 4.05mm thick.

Vacheron Constantin hasn’t just stopped at a visually harmonious case. The timepiece’s dial is also a sight to behold with its well-proportioned and eminently legible design set against a backdrop of mother of pearl—no mean feat given the perpetual calendar’s number of indicators, and with a moon phase display no less.

This overall sense of balance makes way for various little surprises that pop up upon closer examination. Note, for instance, how the moon phase disc uses an identical shade of mother of pearl, while the stars and moon have been rendered in the same material as the case, just like the rim of the display’s aperture itself. The attention to detail extends everywhere else, from the polished dauphine hands to the carefully finished movement.

Rounding out this feminine timepiece’s design are its diamond-set bezel, lugs, crown and pin buckle, which lend a sparkle that contrasts with the dial’s shimmer. The Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin is offered in either pink gold or white gold, and comes complete with a convenient quick-change strap system. 

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Signature Simplicity

In contrast to the complex high watchmaking embodied by the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin, the new feminine Patrimony Self-winding timepieces are exercises in simplicity.

Beauty is found here in the minutiae that define each watch. For a start, this model sports a subtly redesigned case with tweaks such as a rounded crown that further refine the elegance of the collection. Meanwhile, each quietly elegant dial is graduated to darken progressively towards the edge, rather than sporting a uniform tone. The dial’s treatment is, in turn, complemented by its slightly convex form, with the hands that sweep around it similarly curved to follow its contours. Together, these details all contribute towards creating visual interest in a coherent way.

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The Patrimony’s simple design affords it space for embellishments too, and Vacheron Constantin has opted to set it with diamonds here in two different ways. One variant of the new Patrimony Self-winding sees 72 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the bezel to frame the dial, while another has 48 brilliant-cut diamonds set into the convex dial surface to serve as the minute track instead. Far from just serving as bling, the diamonds’ sparkle here accentuates each dial’s gradient effect to create a delightful contrast between how each surface plays with light.

The new feminine watches don’t just epitomise the theme of “The Anatomy of Beauty”, but also mark a new chapter for the brand as it engages female watch connoisseurs’ shifting preferences. In these timepieces, watchmaking has taken on a purer form to reflect the growing interest in the technical and mechanical aspects of the craft. In a way, they are an extension of Vacheron Constantin’s recent efforts with the women-only Égérie line.

Rarefied Beauty

In addition to the two feminine novelties, Vacheron Constantin has also introduced the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. The timepiece offers a different take on “The Anatomy of Beauty” with a classically inspired aesthetic developed around the platinum case’s cold white exterior and the salmon dial’s inviting warmth. 

The play with contrasts extends to the watch’s complications, where the combination of the perpetual calendar and chronograph demands finesse in dial design to ensure legibility. To demarcate how information is presented, white gold hands and markers are used for displaying the time, while blued steel hands do so for the chronograph and date indications. Meanwhile, the moon phase and the rest of the perpetual calendar’s information are shown via apertures instead, thus keeping the dial pleasingly symmetrical and clutter-free. Legibility is also enhanced in other ways from snailing on the sub-dials to the usage of brushed and polished surfaces on the dauphine hands’ facets.

Like Vacheron Constantin’s renowned Collection Excellence Platine line, which sees select models being reintroduced in platinum in limited numbers, the new Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph will be a highly exclusive release. This timepiece will be produced in limited numbers annually, and only available at the brand’s boutiques.

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