The new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar ultra-thin watch displays its technical nature in an eminently feminine manner. This is the brand’s response to women wanting more complicated timepieces besides those that only tell time. The new Traditionnelle perpetual calendar ultra-thin watch, equipped with in-house Calibre 1120 QP, is offered in two gemset 36.5 mm versions in white gold and pink gold respectively.
Vacheron Constantin's archives make it possible to trace the origins of ladies' watches commissioned very early in the history of the Manufacture, including a sculpted yellow gold watch with quarter repeater and off-centered small seconds dating from 1838. The ensuring decades witnessed a succession of creations – sometimes housing horological complications and often precious with their hunter-type cases —leading up the appearance of the first wristwatches, a feminine accessory of which the first example in the Vacheron Constantin collection dates from 1889.
The Vacheron Constantin Ladies Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is available in 18K white gold and 18K 5N pink gold versions, it is inspired by Vacheron Constantin models from the first half of the last century. It features the strong sense of understatement characterizing the collection, embellished with a few special features such as the stepped lugs and case, fluted case back, as well as Dauphine- type hands flying over a railway minutes track punctuated by baton-type hour-markers. In keeping with the methodical spirit of the time, which held that function should dictate form, this perpetual calendar has been specially designed to make it easy to read the calendar indications thanks to a slimmed-down bezel offering a larger dial opening.
The brand is unveiling a new feminine timepiece in its Traditionnelle collection, a line imbued with the grand Geneva watchmaking heritage and whose design was intended to adapt to all types of watches, whether simple or equipped with sophisticated complications. The Traditionnelle perpetual calendar ultra-thin watch corresponds to women’s desire for mechanical complication timepieces.
This timepiece equipped with in-house Calibre 1120 QP elegantly plays on the distinctive aspects of the Gregorian calendar. It displays the days, dates, months and years on a four-year cycle, including a leap-year indication, without any need for correction before 2100. This calendar display is complemented by a moon-phase indication at 6 o'clock. Another distinctive feature of this movement is its thinness: measuring only 4.05 mm thick, it is housed in a 8.43 mm-thick case with a 36.5 mm diameter, ensuring perfect visual harmony.
The dial is adorned with blue-grey tinted mother-of-pearl for the white gold model and white mother-of-pearl for the pink gold model. The moon-phase disc bears the same colors as the dial, while the depiction of the moon and the stars adopts the same shade of gold as the case, complete with an opaline finish. In a final touch of elegance, the bezel and top of the lugs are delicately set with 76 round-cut diamonds, while the crown is adorned with a round-cut diamond.
For the first time in the collection, this Traditionnelle perpetual calendar ultra-thin watch is equipped with an interchangeable strap that can be fitted at the touch of a push-button and without any need for tools. Each model comes with an alligator leather strap —grey blue or rosy beige— secured by a white or pink gold pin buckle set with 17 round-cut diamonds.
Calibre 1120 QP reflects the Maison’s expertise in ultra-thin movements that has enabled it to set several records in terms of slimness since the 1950s. With its 276 components perfectly visible through the sapphire case back, it also reflects noble watchmaking traditions through its extremely meticulous finishing: a circular-grained plate on the dial side, mainplate and bridges adorned with a Côtes de Genève motif on the back, hand-bevelling, circular satin-finished holes and a going train with polished teeth. The oscillating weight featuring a 22K gold segment is also adorned with a Côtes de Genève motif and openworked in the shape of the Maison’s Maltese cross emblem.
Sticker Price $87,500 USD. For more info on Vacheron Constantin click here.
