Vacheron Constantin: Understated Luxury

Meet the Overseas tourbillon high jewellery – the exquisite luxury sports watch that will take you from day to night, and everything in between.

Correspondingly, the signature blue dial is set against the luminous gleam of the white gold bezel and bracelet. This is the first time the model is attired in white gold, bringing out its sophisticated air. The colour contrast between the white gold and blue dial is enhanced by the setting of 60 baguette-cut diamonds on the six-sided bezel. The choice of the baguette-cut is a first for the Overseas collection, and it is a deliberate one: The right angles, flat surface and sharp edges of the baguette reinforces the watch’s architectural design and slim profile. Compared with the 58-facet brilliant cut most widely used in the jewellery world, the baguette cut with its 25 facets gives the watch an edgier, more graphic look that emphasises the diamond’s purity rather than its brilliance, adding to its understated elegance.

The slenderness of the Overseas tourbillon watch’s curvature is made possible by its ultra-thin movement – the Calibre 2160 – measuring a mere 5.65 mm in thickness. This makes for an excellent display of Vacheron Constantin’s technical mastery. Such proportions – just over 10 mm thick for the cased-up watch – are achieved by means of the 22K gold peripheral rotor ensuring an 80-hour power reserve. By doing so, the timepiece can not only achieve thinness by eliminating the central axis of rotation of the oscillating weight, but also gives a clearer view of the entire movement from the back.

The ballet performed by the regulator is exceptionally impressive due to its slender architecture, a veritable technical feat accentuated by the care devoted to the movement finishes. With its circular-grained mainplate; bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève and hand-bevelled, like the tourbillon bar; its frosted wheels as well as its chamfered and polished screws, Calibre 2160 and its 188 components offer a concrete embodiment of technical and precious High Watchmaking. Beating at a frequency at 2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour), it displays the hours and minutes, as well as the small seconds on the tourbillon carriage.

Water-resistant to 50 metres with a screw-down crown, this 42.5 mm-diameter sporty-chic watch has three “faces”, by which we mean 3 different looks achieved by an interchangeable bracelet/strap system that is entirely tool-free. Switch with ease among the integrated white gold bracelet fitted with a folding clasp, a sportier blue rubber strap, or a classic calfskin leather strap in the same shade of blue. The latter two blue straps are fitted with a white gold pin buckle, and set with 16 baguette-cut diamonds to match the watch’s design.