Endowed with a strong personality, this 100% pure Vacheron Constantin timepiece is the Geneva-based manufacture’s leader in the medium-complication segment. It was presented in 2007 in pink gold and voted “Watch of the Year” the same year.
Having decided to introduce it into the Collection Excellence Platine, Vacheron Constantin has reinforced its unique character, magnified its aesthetic qualities and pushed the “all platinum” concept even further:
– The Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date boasts a generously-sized 42.5 mm platinum case, a sand-blasted platinum dial discreetly bearing the exclusive PT950 hallmark, and a midnight-blue alligator strap hand-stitched with woven platinum and silk thread (exclusive to Vacheron Constantin) with a folding clasp also in platinum, creating an unostentatious but visually spectacular piece.
– Besides the hour and minute display, this deceptively simple watch features two of the most useful complications: day and date. Displayed with finesse and subtlety in the form of two original retrograde indicators on the dial, they highlight the interior complexity of the mechanical movement.
– A convex sapphire crystal back reveals the finishing and decoration of the 2460R31R7 movement, which is stamped with the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. The automatic mechanical movement, designed, developed and made by the Vacheron Constantin manufacture, is distinguished by the meticulous chamfering work of the Côtes de Genève bridges and circular graining of the plate. Its 22K yellow gold guilloché rotor is powered by an innovative system of ceramic ball-bearings.
Designed for collectors who cherish excellence and for lovers of watches that are both contemporary and technical, the Collection Excellence Platine Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date embodies the values common to both platinum and Vacheron Constantin: exclusivity, durability and investment value.
Deceptive simplicity hides mechanical complexity
In the eyes of true watch connoisseurs, the interior complexity of a mechanical movement is even more strongly appreciated when displayed with finesse and subtlety on the dial. The watch Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date from Vacheron Constantin fits this bill perfectly.
Equipped with a double complication displayed by two retrograde indicators, the watch Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograde Day and Date will thrill watch lovers. It is only those familiar with the watch culture who can truly appreciate these original displays, which are so emblematic of Vacheron Constantin and conceal their real complexity to make them more desirable.
Vacheron Constantin’s engineers and designers decided to supplement the hour and minute displays with two of the most useful complications: day and date. These are presented in the form of two retrograde indicators.
A powerful expression of technology put at the service of aesthetics, these retrograde displays, besides their originality, present undeniable mechanical complexity.
The instantaneous return of the hands in less than 1/10th of a second from one end of an arc covering almost 180º to the other demands considerable power for a mechanism of this size. A sudden surge of energy is released to carry out this function in a fraction of a second and with infinite precision. To guarantee this procedure, a special alloy, very resilient and light, had to be used for the two hands.
Power, speed and precision: three key elements brought to perfection by Vacheron Constantin’s master watchmakers so that the complexity of the two retrograde displays appears deceptively simple.
A movement stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva joins the manufacture’s line of new automatic movements
At the heart of this timekeeper, a powerful declaration of purity and simplicity, lies the automatic mechanical 2460R31R7 movement with hour, minute, date and day functions, designed, developed and made by the Vacheron Constantin manufacture.
This double-complication movement belongs to the line of new in-house 11½ lines (25.6 mm) automatic movements which were introduced in 2005 during the manufacture’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The 2460R31R7, the brand’s very latest, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve exceeding 40 hours.
It is distinguished by the meticulous chamfering work of the Côtes de Genève bridges and the circular graining of the plate. Its 22K yellow gold guilloché rotor is powered by an innovative system of ceramic ball-bearings.
Stamped with the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, the 2460R31R7 movement meets the twelve exacting criteria of this symbol of horological perfection.
This highly exclusive label is recognised as a guarantee of superior quality as much as an important indicator of provenance. Above and beyond the technical and aesthetic constraints stipulated by the rules and regulations, it is rooted in a philosophy of horological workmanship that makes no concessions to quality, whether it is the individual components or the movement as a whole. The Hallmark of Geneva is nothing less than a guarantee of greater durability for the movement.
The timeless strength of a design conveying Vacheron Constantin’s pursuit of excellence
Comprising two parts and extended with soldered horns, the 950 platinum case is a generous 42.5 mm in diameter. All elegance and grace, it has a convex sapphire crystal back through which the movement finishing and decoration can be admired. It is water-resistant to a pressure of 3 Bars, the equivalent of approximately 30 metres.
The large opening on its platinum sand-blasted dial makes the functions very easy to read. The dial itself is of a complex construction and curved on the exterior. Conveying the meticulous attention that is brought to every detail to give the watch its overall sense of harmony, it also boasts all the other aesthetic features linked with the Patrimony Contemporaine line: baton hands and four curved triangular hourmarkers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock to marry with the curve of the dial.
