Talk Watches - Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-winding, The Comeback King.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding “Blue Dial”
Fantastic rehaut design that creates a flowing dial that is simple but sophisticated. - The Horologist
The Chit-Chat
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas, missed but not forgotten. Whilst most of us (I’m guilty as well….) are keeping our eyes on the jaw-dropping prices of Royal Oaks and Nautilus in the grey market, we often get too distracted and overlook other masterstrokes like this Vacheron Constantin Overseas self-winding.
Straight off the bat, impeccable quality. Sometimes photos just don’t do things justice, and the watch looked luxury in person and felt robust around my wrist, the watch screamed quality. The 41mm case, which often is the size of luxury steel sports watches, feels extremely snug and comfortable compared to some of its competitor which sometimes can feel a tad big on a regular to small size wrist. I really think Vacheron Constantin did fantastic in resisting the temptation to design according to the likes of the Nautilus and Royal Oak.
There’s a breath of fresh air in the design language and not overcomplicating things with a reliable 60 hour power reserve 5100 movement. The seamless dial design connects the rehaut (with the seconds track) to surface of the dial giving it more depth in the colouration of the dial. Moving onto the case and bracelet design, they have kept is classy as ever, with the design of their “Maltese Cross” in every part of the watch. With the latest model they have cleverly integrated a quick release system that allows you to interchange the bracelet to any in-house leather/rubber strap depending on the occasion or the outfit. In my opinion it’s a small design component that makes a big impact on the desirability of the watch.
Business, sports and soiree. All-in-one steel sports watch, a homerun for a modern daily watch.
The Story:
You can never go wrong with a blue dial steel sports watch. - The Horologist
The origin of the Overseas model goes all the way back to the Swiss-watch crisis in the 1970s. Being the oldest and one of the most significant swiss watch brand in history, Vacheron Constantin like all other Swiss watch manufacturers were struggling with the then revolutionary quartz domination post-war. Gerald Genta then introduced several disruptive designs of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus and IWC Ingenieur and they slowly pulled the momentum back from the battery driven quartz market. Then Vacheron Constantin presented the brand new 222 celebrating the company’s 222 year anniversary.
As a historically proven watchmaker, this was by no means an easy decision, turns out to be the right one as the market shifted towards sportier watches with more practicality. By taking a lot of inspirations from Gerald Genta’s design language (don’t blame them for doing so) the 222 went through several iterations and was succeeded by the Overseas in 1996. The new Overseas was designed to be the mark of a new era after the brand was acquired by the Vendôme Group (Now Richemont). By that time the likes of Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet were already running away with market and Vacheron Constantin were losing some of its momentum with a lost in identiy into the 2000s.
“In a nutshell, exploring our legacy, extracting stories, nurturing our designers’ inspirations, and last but not least communicating about the incredibly rich heritage of the maison.” - Vacheron Constantin's Director of Style and Heritage Christian Selmoni
With the latest Overseas updated in the 2016, Vacheron Constantin launched a whole range of Overseas Models ranging from a smaller 37mm to the Overseas Ultra-thin Perpetual Calendar, showcasing their desire to remain at the top of the world of watchmaking.
The Nitty Gritty:
+ Impeccable build quality.
+ Fantastic versatility with quick release bracelet and strap system.
+ One of the more accessible watches at its calibre (Compared to Royal Oak and Nautilus).
- Design is a bit too suppressed for a watch considered
alongside other high end brands.
- Unique Quick-release means you can only use VC-specific straps and bands.
- Doesn’t have instantaneous date change (For a watch of this calibre).
