
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Vacheron Constantin 4537 18k Rose Gold Dress Watch ref 4537 Guilloché dial, 1952
- Maker / attribution
- Vacheron Constantin (maker)
- Date
- 1952
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- 18k rose gold
- Dimensions
- Case 38 mm
- Stock no.
- W-3530
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-3530)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Vacheron Constantin 4537 18k Rose Gold Dress Watch ref 4537 Guilloché dial (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-3530), this is a wristwatch by Vacheron Constantin, made in Switzerland, dated 1952. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k rose gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
Founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron in Geneva, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest continuously operating watch manufacturer. Its history is marked by a commitment to innovation, including the creation of the world’s first horological complication in 1770 and the introduction of engine-turned, or guilloché, dials in 1779. At hand, we have a stunning 18k rose gold Vacheron Constantin ref. 4537 oversized dress watch. Produced between 1950 and 1955, its 38mm case was considered remarkably large for the era, when men’s watches typically measured 33–35mm. This spectacular watch, with its sculpted lugs, was produced in only 258 pieces. We adore the warm guilloché dial with vertical striping, applied Arabic numerals, stick markers, a dotted minute track, and the small running seconds at six o’clock. The case is in excellent condition, featuring a snapback caseback, and it is paired with a refined Bulang & Sons leather strap. The hand-wound cal. P453/3B, with its beautiful Côtes de Genève finishing, has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. This watch is truly a connoisseur’s piece — a must-have for any lover of fine horology. Highly recommended ! Specifications: -Vacheron Constantin Reference 4537 oversized Dresswatch 38 mm 18k Rose gold case, Sculpted lugs , snapback Movement no 499xxx / case no 330xxx Dating to 1952 Warm guilloché dial with vertical striping and small second VCP453/3B manual wound Movement Comes on a Bulang and Sons leather strap Fully serviced by our watchmaker
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
Pocket Watches · c. 1896
Vacheron Constantin “grand TIR de L’exposition Nationale, Genève 1896, c. 1896
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1940
Vacheron Constantin pocket watch, ref. 345, c. 1940
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1945
Vacheron Constantin pocket chronometer, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1945
Vacheron Constantin watch, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1945
Wristwatch by Eterna, 1945
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · c. 1945
Breitling Premier, ref. 790, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1945
Universal Genève Uni-Compax, ref. 22492, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1950s
Baume & Mercier wristwatch, c. 1950s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
