Vacheron Constantin Embraces Gold and High Complications in Three New Overseas Models

Alongside its other notable releases at the recently concluded Watches & Wonders exhibition, Vacheron Constantin added to its popular Overseas sport-luxury range two white-gold perpetual calendars and a rose-gold tourbillon. The updates follow-up 2020’s rose-gold Overseas Self-Winding, and rose-gold perpetual calendars, bringing even more higher-tier complications to the expanding Overseas collection.

Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton

Turning to the most visually complex of the group first, the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton in white gold uses the familiar Overseas case shape, sized moderately in diameter at 41.5 mm and superbly thin for a perpetual calendar at 8.1 mm. Also in keeping with the contemporary Overseas design, it has an integrated bracelet, a hexagonal bezel evoking the Maltese cross (Vacheron’s longtime symbol), and a fluted, signed crown. The case is exquisitely finished, with alternating polished and brushed surfaces throughout, but also quite hardy for its haute horologerie status, featuring a 50-meter water resistance and a soft iron inner casing for anti-magnetism protection.

Under a sapphire crystal is the skeletonized perpetual-calendar dial, its complex mechanisms marked with blue, metal, and gold tones throughout. Along its outer edge a curved minute ring provides the outline for the intricate face, with applied, lume-filled, white-gold hour markers one step closer to the center of the dial and providing symmetry with the four subdials. These comprise displays for an analog date at 3 o’clock; a moon-phase at 6 o’clock; an analog day indicator at 9 o’clock; and an unusual integrated four-year month counter at 12 o’clock that seamlessly accounts for leap years without the additional leap-year indicator seen on most other perpetual calendars.

Vacheron Constantin Caliber 1120 QPSQ/1, which powers the watch, is a skeletonized version of the manufacture’s Caliber 1120 QP/1. The automatic mechanism features a 40-hour power reserve and beats at 19,800 vph. Its 276 hand-finished components include a 22k-gold, skeletonized oscillating weight, containing the brand’s signature Maltese cross and finished with an NAC treatment.

Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

While the skeletonized version of the watch is likely to garner the most attention, the solid-dial version still has plenty to offer. In terms of overall design, the watch is virtually the same as its skeletonized counterpart, sporting the same 41.5-mm case, with options for three integrated bracelets including a solid white gold, a blue alligator strap, and a sporty blue rubber, the former two integrating a case-matching 18k white-gold buckle.

The dial, of course, is where the difference between the models is most apparent. Non-skeletonized, it opts for a solid blue sunburst color produced from blue lacquering. Much of the details here are once again quite similar to the skeleton version, though conspicuously lacking any yellow gold-colored details, instead going for a much more conservative overall look, with two lume-filled sword hands passing over it all.

Inside this version of the perpetual calendar is the aforementioned Caliber 1120 QP/1, sans skeletonization and also featuring a 40-hour power reserve and 19,800-vph frequency. Both iterations of the movement feature the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva, testifying to their haute horologerie finishing and signifying their construction within the Swiss canton of Geneva. The major aesthetic difference is this caliber’s use of a non-skeletonized, 22k yellow-gold rotor without the NAC treatment.

Overseas Tourbillon

The final model introduced in 2021’s Overseas expansion is the Overseas Tourbillon in rose gold, a precious-metal update to the steel variation first unveiled in 2019. The overall look of the watch is similar to the previously covered Perpetual Calendar models, though with slightly larger case dimensions, at 42.5 mm in diameter and 10.39 mm high, and a somewhat bulkier crown on its right side.

The blue sunburst lacquered dial quickly catches the eye, with lume-filled rose-gold hour markers that contrasts the cool dial tones and resonate with the warm hue of the rose-gold case. Most of the dial configuration is relatively simple, with a curved outer minute ring, inner hour markers, and two central sword hands. It’s not until we get to the centerpiece, openworked tourbillon of the watch at 6 o’clock that the watch’s technical mastery is truly showcased; it features a small seconds pointer on its Maltese cross-shaped carriage.

On the opposite side of the Overseas Tourbillon we find its engine, Vacheron’s automatic Caliber 2160, displayed behind a sapphire caseback and showing off its meticulous finishing. Also in plain view are its 22k gold peripheral oscillating weight, and a back view of the watch’s namesake tourbillon. The in-house produced Caliber 2160 carries an 80-hour power reserve, beats at a frequency of 18,000 vph, and is composed of 188 total components.

Price and Availability

All of the new Vacheron Constantin models are available now via the brand’s global network of boutiques. The Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton is marked at $130,000, the non-skeleton version is priced significantly lower at $97,000, and the Overseas Tourbillon retails at 165,000 euros, or just below $200,000.

To learn more, visit Vacheron Constantin, here.