To continue the celebration of its 270th anniversary, the new Overseas Grand Complication Openface introduces the first minute-repeater in Vacheron Constantin's distinguished Overseas line. The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface is a testament to horological innovation, born from an extensive development journey aimed at housing grand complications within an elegant and sporty case architecture. Beyond its tourbillon and perpetual calendar, this exceptional timepiece introduces a minute repeater—an unprecedented feature in the Overseas collection.
Creating a water-resistant enclosure for a minute repeater presented a formidable challenge, as these mechanisms traditionally compromise water integrity due to the case-side sliding activator. The watchmakers faced the dual task of ensuring the Overseas case maintained its water resistance—30 meters for this watch— while adapting its architecture to accommodate the sophisticated Calibre 2755 QP.
This engineering achievement demanded eighteen months of intensive research and development, culminating in a complete reconceptualization of the case back. This redesign created the necessary space for the minute repeater mechanism while preserving the characteristic slender profile of the Overseas line. Its Grade 5 itanium case measures 44.5 mm in diameter and 13.1 mm in height, and this new Overseas case masterfully balances the collection's spirit of adventure with refined elegance.
This innovative timepiece achieves a remarkable horological feat by housing a 7.9 mm-thick movement that integrates a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and power reserve indicator within an elegant sports watch format, an incredible feat of horology.
Calibre 2755 QP is one of Vacheron Constantin's signature manual-wound movements, evolving from innovations developed for their 2005 Tour de l'Île timepiece. This extraordinary caliber unites three major horological complications within its 33.30 mm diameter, comprising 602 meticulously crafted components. At its heart lies a sophisticated perpetual calendar displaying date, day, month, and leap-year cycle—a mechanism requiring no adjustment until 2100, a non-leap secular year. Complementing this is an elegant minute repeater that chimes hours, quarters, and minutes on demand.
To perfect the repeater's musical sequences, Vacheron Constantin's master watchmakers developed a proprietary centripetal regulator that ensures precise timing between hammer strikes. This silent mechanism employs two centrifugal weights that act as a motor brake on the rotation axis, creating seamless energy flow from the repeater spring.
The regulator, visible through the sapphire case back, showcases Vacheron Constantin's commitment to aesthetic excellence. Its arc-shaped gold bar requires a full day of painstaking hand-polishing. Beneath this, the circular-grained inertia weights bear the engraved initials of Jean-Marc Vacheron, who established the maison in 1755.
The tourbillon bridges received equally exacting attention, with rounded, tapered profiles leading to the fixing screws, each hand-polished to brilliant perfection. Their architecture was refined to create a more open, lighter appearance on the reverse side, offering an unobstructed view of the tourbillon's captivating motion, which unfolds at a deliberate 18,000 vph.
Befitting calibre 2755 QP's complexity, the movement features impeccable finishing touches—mirror-polished repeater hammers, bevelled and satin-brushed bridges, circular satin-brushed wheels, and bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève.
The water-resistant Grade 5 Titanium case and integrated bracelet honor the technical and aesthetic codes of the Overseas collection, while the sapphire dial reveals the mesmerizing beauty of the mechanism. Rhodium-plated wheels and NAC treatment enhance its avant-garde spirit, with Vacheron Constantin's renowned attention to detail exemplified through meticulous hand-finishing of every movement component—contemporary aesthetic with the mechanism visible through a complex sapphire crystal dial. The blue metallized circles surrounding the time and calendar displays create a striking contrast against the movement's grey and silver components, enhancing legibility. White engravings on these blue surfaces mark dates, days, months, years, and minutes.
Through the sapphire dial, NAC-treated anthracite grey bridges set against rhodium-plated silver wheels showcase the watch's innovative spirit. The case and bracelet feature multiple finishes—sandblasting, polishing, and satin-brushing on the bezel—creating captivating light play and establishing a new signature for Overseas titanium models. The comfortable titanium bracelet can be easily swapped without tools for the blue alligator or blue rubber straps included.
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