Vacheron Constantin is marking 270 years of uninterrupted watchmaking at Watches and Wonders with a trio of limited edition Traditionnelle watches featuring two of its historic signatures: openworked dials, which were first used for complex pocket watches in 1918, and retrograde displays, whose history can be traced back to the ‘Don Pancho’ reference 3620 watch of 1940.
All three of the new watches are 370-piece limited editions that are elevated with the use of 950 platinum cases.
Vacheron Constantin has created a new movement for the Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date Openface.
The Calibre 2460 QPR31/270 has been engineered so that it does not need its calendar functions — displaying days, months, retrograde date and leap-year cycle — corrected until 2100.
Its moon phase will need adjusting every 122 years, the brand admits.
The Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface uses Vacheron’s existing automatic Calibre 2162 R31/270, which has a 72-hour power reserve.
The movement has a peripheral oscillating weight in 18ct gold, which made it possible to keep it down to a mere 6.35mm thick and trimming the platinum case down to 41mm x 11mm.
Completing the trio is the Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface, which uses an updated version of Vacheron Constantin’s very first in house automatic calendar movement, the Calibre 2450.
The new 2460 QCL/270 automatic movement has a new moon phase complication which, as with the Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date, only needs correcting every 122 years.
All three watches have hand-guilloché white gold openworked dials featuring a 270th anniversary motif built around Vacheron Constantin’s signature Maltese cross.
Day and date wheels in the two calendar watches are made from sapphire crystal in order to expose more of the watches’ mechanics.
They are all presented on dark blue alligator leather straps.
Pricing information has been requested.