17.05.2023
Those who are consistently on a look-out for a good investment often have a handful of legacy labels on their radar. More often than not, Vacheron Constantin is one those names on the list, a watch manufacturer known for being one of the oldest with an uninterrupted history. This longevity counts for something because as far we're concerned, the finesse shown by the watchmaker over the course of a couple of centuries has been consistent which is what every collector hopes to see – a persistence that makes the brand the Meryl Streep of watchmaking when prize-giving season gets underway. Rather than sit idle and knock out the same-old same-old, Vacheron Constantin is constantly upgrading its wares without abandoning its dress watch ideals. Think of it like an app update except it is also re-coding the app each time. With the new Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface, it is taking into account what everyone adores about the award-winning Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar and the Traditionnelle Openface Complete Calendar launched in recent years. The choice of repeating an openface dial is a popular one with its part-peep show and part-deconstruction lesson that peels back the curtains to its inner workings and meticulous finishing. Framed by a 41mm pink gold case, the multi-layered real estate is also a love letter to the hand-performed guilloché decorative work richly expressed on the dial. It is matched by the peek of a hand-brushed movement plate in slate grey, a hue that the watchmaker achieved through multiple galvanic layers. Everything else you see here is a hallmark of the Traditionnelle line: a fluted case back, slim bezel, railway minute track, bi-faceted Dauphine hands, and baton-type hour markers. Now, on the business end of things, the retrograde date display with a blackened gold hand captivates at the upper portion of the dial while the tourbillon with a hollowed-out Maltese Cross and cone-shaped transversal bar takes pride of place at the 6 o'clock position. Pictures don't do justice to the three-dimensional qualities of this dial layout. In addition, the self-winding movement (Calibre 2162 R31) looks just as good from the back as it does in the front with a slate grey metal and decorated gold peripheral weight anchoring the visuals on the case back. And like all things Vacheron Constantin has done in the last couple of centuries, it has shown once again that there are levels to its game.
