The 127-piece limited edition Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar celebrates 270 years of watchmaking creativity by combining the complexity of a new calibre with the refined elegance of a signature hand-guilloché dial.
A connoisseurs’ watch
With a classic allure, a fluted and stepped case, dauphine hands, and a chemin de fer minutes track, Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle collection embodies the heritage of 18th-century Genevan Haute Horlogerie. It is particularly appreciated by connoisseurs of classical Haute Horlogerie for both its aesthetic codes and its technical prowess.
On its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin pays tribute to fine craftsmanship and the transmission of savoir-faire with the new Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, a limited edition of 127 pieces. With its timeless proportions and crisp profile, the 42mm case is sculpted from 950 platinum. This noble metal, renowned for its enduring brilliance, is also used for the folding buckle.
In 2005, the Maison’s 250th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin launched the Saint-Gervais reference: driven by a manual manufacture calibre with tourbillon regulator and perpetual calendar coupled with four barrels, the watch featured a remarkable 250-hour power reserve. The Maison has now reunited these two Haute Horlogerie complications in a brand-new self-winding calibre.
A new manufacture calibre
The timeless elegance of the new Traditionelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar is largely due to its slim case, made possible by manufacture Calibre 2162 QP/270, which is just 6.55 mm thick. To combine these two complications in a self-winding mechanism while minimising thickness, the Maison’s watchmakers turned to the 2018 Traditionelle self-winding tourbillon Calibre 2160. Steadfastly committed to optimising the Maison’s complicated calibres, Vacheron Constantin’s R&D teams have continually redesigned this movement to accommodate additional complications without compromising the Maison’s requirement for thinness.
The new manufacture Calibre 2162 QP/270 honours this dedication to elegance by integrating, within a very slim profile, two Haute Horlogerie complications that are challenging in both design and execution: the tourbillon regulator, which compensates for gravity’s effects on the balance-spring’s isochronism, and the perpetual calendar displaying the day, date, month and year, taking account of leap years and requiring no manual adjustment before the year 2100.
Calibre 2162 QP beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz), a relatively slow tempo generally found in historic pocket watches. The advantage of this frequency is that it provides ample opportunity to enjoy the tourbillon’s mechanical choreography, surrounded by the traditional architecture of the perpetual calendar. This new mechanism features a patented secure drive system for the perpetual calendar functions. Thanks to a flexible driving finger-piece on the wheel, this enables perpetual calendar functions to be adjusted both clockwise and counterclockwise without any risk of damaging the movement.
Visible through the caseback is a peripheral oscillating weight. A technical choice that serves to maintain the slimness of the calibre, it ensures a 72-hour power reserve. The peripheral rotor also allows a clear view of the calibre, which features a discreet 270th anniversary engraving and a special ‘côte unique’ finish on the bridges. This subtle finish is an eloquent expression of Vacheron Constantin’s signature understatement. While it looks deceptively simple, its execution – in a combination of carefully controlled machining technique and manual gestures – demands great precision and skill. The result is the kind of refinement that takes a second and third look to appreciate and will be most evident to the connoisseur and initiated collector.
Used by Vacheron Constantin more than a century ago, the ‘côte unique’ technique was rediscovered only in 2021 while reproducing the Historiques American 1921 watch. The process took more than 500 hours to perfect, requiring precise adjustment for each of the 270th anniversary calibres in order to achieve the perfectly aligned visual effect. This unfailing precision in the revival of an historic technique reflects the Maison’s dedication to maintaining and sharing its artisans’ savoir-faire with future generations.
A 270th anniversary signature timepiece
The Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar reflects the stylistic codes that have shaped the Traditionnelle collection. The classic aesthetic is enriched by the sophisticated, hand-guilloché decoration on the gold dial – a signature motif that distinguishes the limited editions presented to celebrate Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary. It was imagined by Vacheron Constantin’s guillocheur who devoted many hours to the creative process, drawing on the Maison’s rich heritage, including the distinctive design that graces the dial of the Reference 6068, launched in 1955 for the Maison’s bicentenary. Inspired by the Maltese cross, Vacheron Constantin’s emblem since 1880, this finely hand-guilloché motif symbolises the constant quest for precision and excellence. While enhancing the watches with a contemporary refinement, it creates eye-catching light effects with every movement of the wearer’s wrist.