Vacheron Constantin 'Fancy' Lug Dress Watch, Rose Gold with Silver 'Tapestry' Dial

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

Vacheron Constantin can trace its roots back to 1755 and along with only a handful of other brands, is credited as one of the oldest manufacturers of mechanical clocks, pocket-watches, and of course, watches. In fact, Vacheron enjoys the prestige as the oldest continually operating manufacturer that still operates today. Vacheron is also a member of what has become known as The Holy Trinity , along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. All three of these manufactures have very different identities and focus areas within the industry, with VC generally regarded as the technical innovator. And despite a bevy of both technical and mechanical firsts, including the most complicated watch ever at the time of writing this, VC remains the lesser known name of the three in the broader watch community and certainly least understood. The piece that we have here dates to circa the mid 1950s and is quintessentially Vacheron. The case is crafted out of solid rose gold and possesses beautiful sculpted 'fancy' lugs, a rose gold crown, and a snap-back caseback. It has been lightly previously polished and shows normal wear otherwise, retaining defined finishing throughout with correct factory proportions. Inside, it's Vacheron-ness continues, with an incredibly dynamic dial. Silver in color, it features beautiful 'tapestry' textured dial with a 'guilloché' outer minute track, applied indices with quadrant 'Arabic' indices, and a matching 'pencil' handset. It is powered by Vacheron's manual-winding Cal. P454/5B movement. This piece is simultaneously elevated and restrained. The small details on the dial and intricacies of the case require a closer look to really be appreciated, and lets be honest, that is exactly what Swiss watchmaking is all about.