Lost In Tokyo With The Vacheron Constantin Overseas

Lost In Tokyo With The Vacheron Constantin Overseas

The following article has been sponsored by Vacheron Constantin

With a history spanning over 260 years, Vacheron Constantin is a luxury watchmaking house like no other.

The brand possesses a vast archive of horological history from which to draw inspiration from. 1977 was the year the brand released the 222, a watch featuring a stainless steel case and integrated bracelet with a sports oriented expression.

This would form the basis of Vacheron Constantin’s very first sports models, culminating in this year’s release of the Overseas collection. The 2016 Overseas carries over design elements from the original 222 as well as being a modern, elegant, everyday watch.

Detailing The Overseas Collection

Vacheron Constantin Overseas
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph

The new Overseas collection is distinguished by the design of its case and bracelet, with the brand’s Maltese Cross featuring as a design motif on the bracelet and the bezel. The lines of the case taper towards the bracelet and it is amazing to see the amount of finishing that goes into these new cases for the Overseas collection.

A multitude of finishes can be seen including satin finishing and polishing. Furthermore, each link of the bracelet where the Maltese Cross motif is displayed is individually bevelled, showing off the level of hand finishing and the care lavished on the bracelet.

Most distinctive of this new collection is the new strap quick-change system. With the stainless steel models the watch comes with a stainless steel bracelet, a sporty rubber strap, and an elegant alligator leather strap. With the lift of a lever, the straps can be changed with no tools needed. A simple and satisfying click is all it takes for the strap to be fitted and secure.

A Signature Movement

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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Worldtimer

The new models of the Overseas collection includes a basic Automatic model with time and date (Reference 4500V), an innovative World Time model which indicates all 37 different time zones including those that are offset by quarter or half hours (Reference 7700V) and, perhaps the most sporty of all, the Overseas Chronograph (Reference 5500V).

Housing the new Caliber 5200, the movement is a brand new automatic chronograph caliber for the brand that is incredibly refined and also bears the Hallmark of Geneva. The movement’s plates are decorated with Geneva Stripes and bevelled to highlight the shapes of the bridges.

To bring the movement into accordance with the Hallmark of Geneva, even components that are not visible from the caseback are finished excellently. These include straight graining on the flanks or the sides of the component and circular graining on the mainplates and dial-side of the movement.

The movement is finally topped off with an exquisite dial available in silver, brown or blue. The dial finishing is something to behold in itself, combining the best of decoration with wearer legibility. A sunburst finish radiates from the centre of the dial and a velvet-finished flange marks the border of the dial.

When it comes to detail, there’s really nothing the Overseas collection hasn’t compromised on. The chronograph counters are textured with snailing and the markers are applied and crafted out of 18k white gold just like the hands. To top it all off, the dial is finished off with a beautiful coat of lacquer, giving it not only its colour, but also its stunning translucent appearance.

On the wrist, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph makes for a distinguished partner in crime. The overall look of the watch is definitively modern whilst faithfully retaining the design characteristics of the original 222.

It’s this kind of drive towards horological balance that continues to set Vacheron Constantin apart from the crowd.