Vacheron Constantin has been showing most of its creativity in the Overseas collection lately, and not only have we seen improvements to the overall Overseas design, but also the introduction of customer-friendly elements such as the quick-change bracelet/strap system introduced at SIHH 2016, as well as the introduction of a new range of movements (the 5xxx series). The Overseas Chronograph has been available in a few solid color versions (white, blue, and brown), and there’s also a rather attractive stainless steel model with a rose gold bezel that has a very pleasant 222 retro vibe, if you’re into that sort of thing. However, the monotone dial treatment does make the Overseas Chronograph fall slightly on the classy side of the sporty-elegant dividing line, and this new version is decidedly more racier.
The Overseas Chronograph stands out from the rest of the collection due to its size. It’s a large watch, measuring 42.5mm x 13.7mm, with screw-down chronograph pushers. This reverse panda version also stands out from other Overseas watches, but it also stands out from other Overseas chronographs – with this dial treatment, it becomes a watch that is more different than you’d expect from a relatively straightforward change in appearance, and seems very confident in its identity as both a complex design object, and a piece of modern technical watchmaking.
As with almost everything we get from Vacheron, the execution is impeccable. There’s a special quality to Vacheron watches, or, I should say, more accurately, the quality they have says a lot about the company. With companies that make high-end watches, once you get past the “wow, that’s nice” stage, you start to notice how the quality of the watches speaks to a company philosophy; with a Lange, for example, you get a sense of absolute correctness of form and a huge, pervasive dignity; with a Rolex, you get a fanatical, ubiquitous sense of precision that seems almost intimidating.
Vacheron’s trading stock in terms of quality is a less obvious approach. At its best, the company seems to be striving for a certain understatement, rather than knocking your socks off immediately. Of course, the level of attention to detail that characterizes haute horlogerie is there (and in spades), but it’s very Geneva – a sincere expression of craftsmanship rather than a desire to attract attention for its own sake.
Currently, the Overseas collection is built around three movements. These are the ultra-thin calibre 1120 (used in the ultra-thin perpetual movement, as well as the Overseas ultra-thin movement), the self-winding calibre 2460 (based on the 2007 calibre 2450, which, when launched in 2007, was Vacheron’s second in-house automatic movement after the 2457), and finally the 5000 series of movements, which were introduced in 2016 with the new Overseas collection. The 5000 calibre family includes a timepiece variant, a dual-time model, and of course the self-winding chronograph calibre 5200, introduced in 2016, as well as the rest of the revamped Overseas watches.
Generally speaking, modern automatic chronograph movements don’t impress with their refinement, which isn’t surprising when you consider that they are, by and large, built for durability and reliability first and foremost, since they’re going into watches that are expected to spend a bit of rough and tumble wrist time. In fact, automatic chronographs are also difficult to streamline. They’re typically built on three levels: there’s the mainplate, which carries the basic chronograph train; above that, there’s the chronograph work; and above that, there’s the automatic winding system. This is probably the main reason why the arms race in ultra-flat watchmaking is going on, but ultra-flat chronograph design has been essentially static for many years. F. Piguet (now Blancpain Manufacture) introduced the calibre 1185 in 1987, and its automatic version, the 1186, which measured 25.6mm x 5.5mm, and the 1186 has been the thinnest full-flat chronograph movement ever since. (Vacheron used their version of the 1186 in their overseas collections for a time, as the Vacheron calibre 1137, but that has been discontinued).
Vacheron’s calibre 5200 is a column-wheel, vertical-clutch design that measures 30.60mm x 6.60mm (by comparison, the battle-tested, scarred-but-unbroken stalwart Valjoux/ETA 7750 is 30mm x 7.9mm). As with automatic movements in general, and automatic chronographs in particular, there is a little less scope for expression in the movement finisher’s art than with a manual-winding movement, but nonetheless there are many delightful details in the calibre 5200.
One of these, of course, is the presence of the famous Poinçon de Geneva, or Geneva Hallmark, which has been an important quality criterion for watches made in the city and canton of Geneva since the first enabling statute authorising inspections of compliance by the Geneva School of Watchmaking in 1886. The regulations for the hallmark have gone through many changes over the years (for a start, the inspections are now authorized by another entity, called Timelab), but due to its longevity it still carries a lot of emotional weight and historical resonance, and it’s nice to see some very traditional features of Geneva watchmaking in this movement, like the beautifully shaped and finished balance spring stud carriage.
One of the most fascinating details is the column wheel, which has a Maltese cross in the middle within the column. Looking closely, you can see that all the edges of the top of the column, as well as the edges of the Maltese cross, are beveled and polished; this is completely unnecessary from a functional point of view and, therefore, all the more pleasant to see.
One of the features of the Overseas Chronograph is that, as with some other Overseas models, there is a degree of anti-magnetic shielding in the form of a soft iron ring; the anti-magnetic rating is a very respectable 25,000 A/m (amperes per meter). While the level of protection isn’t what you’d get with a soft iron dial and full caseback, the latter isn’t necessary to achieve a lower level of still-useful shielding – soft iron (also known as mu metal) is a nickel-iron alloy that works by providing a preferred path for magnetic field lines, so the movement ring will tend to direct the field away from susceptible moving parts. (ISO 764, the international standard for anti-magnetic watches, specifies a minimum of 4,800 A/m).
I think your response to the Overseas will largely depend on how comfortable you are with the use of the Maltese cross as a design motif. You can see it reflected on the bezel and movement, and of course on the bracelet. I’ve always found that to be acceptable. I think it works quite well on the bracelet as an abstract design element, and I don’t think it reads particularly like a Maltese cross anyway. The Overseas Chronograph features the same quick-change strap/bracelet system we’ve seen on the rest of the updated 2016 range.
The bracelet is well made, but it’s nice to have the option to easily switch it out for a very comfortable rubber strap, which you can do in seconds without any special tools. The only downside to the system is that you are pretty much limited to OEM straps, and bracelets – however, given that this is a watch where the aesthetic continuity between the watch itself and the bracelet or strap is part of the design, I don’t think that’s a big hindrance.
The lustre on the hands and dials of Vacheron Constantin watches is a little unusual – you’ll only find it on the Quai de L’Ile, Fifty Six and Overseas collections – but of course, it’s perfectly logical in a sports chronograph, and, with the Overseas Chronograph, you get the rare experience of a Vacheron Constantin watch with glow-in-the-dark indices and hands.
Automatic chronographs are plentiful (thank you, Valjoux 7750), but there aren’t many automatic chronographs from the world of haute horlogerie. At Patek Philippe, we have the reference 5968A Aquanaut Chronograph, priced at $43,770; Audemars Piguet has the $24,300 Royal Oak Chronograph, powered by the AP Caliber 2385 (F. Piguet 1185 base), while A. Lange & Söhne has maintained an Augustan apathy towards the entire automatic chronograph genre. There are a few automatic chronographs from other high-end companies, including Breguet, Blancpain, and Jaeger-LeCoultre, but it’s not a crowded field as far as in-house self-winding chronographs go.
The Overseas Chronograph is a fine-looking watch, and on the wrist it has real visual impact. The only potential downside is the size – but I should say that it gives the impression of being larger than it should be, not in an absolute sense, but in the context of Vacheron. At 42.5mm x 13.70mm, it’s not at all overly large compared to most self-winding sports chronographs. I just have a feeling with Vacheron that overall (except for the high complications, except for the grand compound functions) their watches look more like Vacheron when they are thinner. However, once you wear an Overseas Chronograph for a while, you forget about that and just enjoy the watch for what it is – a very refined, yet still visually dynamic, example of the art of the automatic chronograph.
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