Today we have the pleasure of presenting to your attention a representative of the so-called “Holy Trinity” in the art of watchmaking. And while Patek Philippe has the honour of being the prerogative of the wealthiest and most settled admirers of this art, and Audemars Piguet has the role of satisfying the searches and desires of the more sporty and casual ladies and gentlemen, Vacheron Constantin is undoubtedly given the honour of satisfying the wishes of those watch lovers who seek the different, the beautiful and the perfect in everything they own. And so, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention:
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time 47450/B01A-9226
We will not hide that for us this brand is one of the most beloved, and we always approach every offer that reaches us with excitement and hidden emotion. It is no coincidence that we can count on the fingers of one hand the times when we have had the pleasure of writing about one of its representatives – simply because until now, all the watches that reached us changed ownership very quickly and we did not manage to give them the attention they deserved. Audemars Piguet has its Royal Oak, Patek Philippe has its Nautilus, and at Vacheron Constantin the honour of playing the role of the “sporty player” in the collection falls precisely to the Overseas. And while a great deal has been written about the first two, and all kinds of known and unknown experts, enthusiasts and simple “journalists” have practised describing the histories of the models and their virtues, much less has been written about this “saint”, and in this way it remains slightly overshadowed. Unlike the Royal Oak and Nautilus, Gérald Genta did not have a hand in creating its spiritual predecessor, the 222. What a surprise? The name of its creator, however, is no less well known – Jörg Hysek, who created quite a few remarkable models from the end of the 20th century. Let us take a closer look at this luxurious “overseas foreigner” and “see what it is all about”.
All models in the Overseas line have a fresh, textured dial with distinct rhombus-shaped forms on it. Also, around the edge of the crystal there is a bezel with a characteristic shape inspired by the Maltese cross from the brand’s logo. All of this is inspired by the remarkable ancestor of all Overseas models – the 222. The model presented today is part of the second generation of the Overseas – which began its life in 2004 and continued until 2016. The present version has a beautiful snow-white dial with the famous rhombus-pattern guilloché.
In 2016, Vacheron Constantin launched a new, more modern Overseas series, and this immediately provoked numerous debates and discussions, but one thing is beyond doubt – the model presented today will never again be produced in this form, and this makes it even more attractive.
At the heart of the watch beats the automatic Vacheron Constantin Calibre 1222 SC – a dual-time version based on one of the most interesting automatic architectures used by Vacheron Constantin. The movement offers dual time, date, day/night indicator and power reserve indicator, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has approximately 40 hours of power reserve. The rotor is crowned with a segment of 21-carat gold – but do not think that its purpose is merely artistic. No, the manufacturer pursued purely technical goals, and gold was used because of its relative weight; precisely for this reason it appears in the comparatively uncommon 21-carat purity.
The movement is a nice little workhorse, offering dual time, date, day/night indicator and power reserve indicator, and the fact that it has a reputation as one of the reliable and trouble-free movements in this series explains why the brand used it so successfully in this generation of the Overseas.
