Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding
A decidedly unromantic name hides two decidedly romantic new automatic variations of Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony. They are inspired by Vacheron Constantin watches from 1957 as Christian Selmoni, the brand’s heritage and creative director, told us. “We completely rethought our ‘feminine offer’,” he explained, “creating a 36mm watch with redesigned curves, longer lugs, a more rounded crown, and subtle details that still retain the purity and timelessness of this collection.” He then added, “Clearly, this hyper-elegant design was inspired by Vacheron Constantin timepieces from the 1950s, which were classic and contemporary at the same time.”
The first variation offers an exquisite blush-coloured dial with a powdery composition that features a contemporary gradient effect crafted using two layers of varnish. It is subtle and feminine, accentuated by a beautiful tone-in-tone date wheel – the date generally being a sore spot among watch enthusiasts. This one is absolutely perfect, though, the epitome of what a date should look like.
Housed in 36.5mm rose gold (blush dial) and white gold (blue dial) cases, each variation comes with or without 72 diamonds (0.74 ct) set into the bezel. The variations without diamonds feature a dazzling minute track encircling the dial with 48 diamonds, a complex operation performed on an underlying domed surface, though that part is not visible in the end. The variations with diamonds on the bezels have elegant minute tracks comprising gold dots.
In a watch where every detail is just perfect – including an interchangeable strap system – so is the automatic movement powering it: Caliber 2450 Q6/3, only 3.6mm high, and qualifying for the Seal of Geneva. These watches are available as of September 2022. Elizabeth Doerr is the Editor in Chief of QuillAndPad.com, a digital publication that keeps a watch on time.