Replica Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

There is complicated watchmaking and complicated watchmaking. The theme is that of a beautiful book of fairy tales, and sometimes some, like the new Replica Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Chronograph Perpetual Calendar, tell of a spell.

Born to express the maximum of complicated watchmaking, although they have always been very high-end pieces, between the end of the 40s and the beginning of the 60s it was not difficult to come across a chronograph with a perpetual calendar complete with phases. lunar. Today, when I see a new one I always get a certain emotion.

The battle between these ultra-complicated chronographs, which sometimes also include the split-seconds variant of the chronograph, has always taken place between the two largest Genevan Maisons: Vacheron and Patek.

New Watches & Wonders 2024, Vacheron Constantin presented a dream model with a platinum case and salmon-colored dial.

Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

Let’s start with aesthetics. That this watch is very traditional is immediately revealed by the name of the collection to which this excellence belongs, and immediately after at first sight the faceted Dauphine hour-minute hands.

The opaline salmon pink dial on which all the applied indications are in white gold form an elegant and easy-to-read combination. Some spheres, the one in the center of the chronograph, the 30-minute counter and the date window are in blued steel. The moon phase disc, engraved with the typical satirical faces of the satellite, is instead in platinum.

Going into more detail, the small seconds and minute counters, in opaline salmon colour, stand out for their satin-finished circular ring with a finely blued centre. The same blued finish is found on the edge that bears the calendar numbers.

Immediately below 12 o’clock we find another gem that underlines the exclusivity of this perpetual calendar chronograph: an embossed and faceted version of the Maltese cross, the emblem of the Maison. Made of rose gold, it features facets on each arm of the cross, sandblasted on one side and polished on the other.

The stepped platinum case measures 43 mm in diameter and 12.94 in height. The transparent case back shows the manufacture caliber.

Movement

When you see the numbering “1100” in a Vacheron movement you can be sure that you are dealing with something very complicated.

The new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is powered by the manually wound caliber 1142 QP. Derived from the movements with the same functions that the Maison built in the 1940s, it includes 324 elements, not many for the level of complications on board, and this is synonymous with a compact construction design and therefore of high mechanical value.

Its 3 Hz frequency (21,600 vibrations/hour) is quite vintage. The 48-hour power reserve isn’t much, but a chronograph combined with a perpetual calendar doesn’t consume much. Naturally, the chronograph functions are distributed by a vertically coupled column wheel.

The finishes are sublime, and God forbid. The perlage on the mainplate, the bridges decorated with Côtes de Genève, the hand-angled components and the étiré sides tell this visually.

Price

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is priced at 121,250 euros excluding taxes. To say it costs little would be outrageous, but for the watch it is and what it will become I expected much more. It is not a limited edition, but even more so, it will be built in very few examples and sold exclusively in the brand’s boutiques.

Opinions

To understand how much a chronograph with a perpetual calendar matters in watchmaking, just go and see how much they are going for at auctions today.

To conclude, the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is certainly a collector’s item; one more reason why it is in platinum and why even at the very top of the range – as we find ourselves now – it is not a timepiece that you see every day.

I have the impression that recently both Patek and Vacheron have started building them again precisely due to the fact that vintage models are highly sought after. Think of it as if they are creating the champions of tomorrow.