As the oldest, continually operational player within the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Swiss watch brands, it’s unsurprising Vacheron Constantin has garnered a reputation for making some of the industry’s most refined, technical, and of course, eyewateringly expensive timepieces.
Since its foundation in 1755, the Genevan powerhouse has broken dozens of records. It is responsible for pioneering the world’s thinnest mechanical movement (1955); the world’s thinnest minute repeater (1992); and, just 9 years after unveiling the world’s most complicated watch in the ref. 57260, Vacheron Constantin broke its own record with the new Berkley Grand Complication.
Suffice it to say, in this new horological Buyer’s Guide, the Vacheron Constantin watches we’ll be recommending are a touch less technical. But, as you’ll see below, no less effective at conveying the brand’s flair for sophisticated watchmaking with a refined, classical sensibility.
RELATED: Vacheron’s Traditionnelle & Patrimony Collections Are The Pinnacle Of Dress Watches
Jump To:
BH Approved: Our Favourite Vacheron Constantin Right Now
Traditionnelle Manual-Winding
97/100
SCOREPROS
- Wonderfully finished from every angle
- Goldilocks case size at 38mm in diameter and 7.7mm thick
- Solid 65 hours of power reserve via the calibre 4400 AS
CONS
- Design may be too conservative for some tastes
In an ideal world, if you were to open a copy of the Cambridge Thesaurus, a picture of the manually wound Tradittionnelle in rose gold would appear under the section dedicated to “dress watches”.
Offering a vivid illustration of Vacheron’s reputation for understated elegance, the merits of this 5N rose gold model almost have to be appreciated (as cliché watch journos so love to say) “in the metal”.
The 38mm sizing wears with plenty of under-the-cuff charm, and that subtlety is echoed in the many considered details used to decorate the dial: these include a slightly recessed sub-dial for the small seconds, intricately faceted hour indexes, and dauphine hands (which Vacheron watchmakers opt, for maximum effect, to polish on one side).
A versatile unisex design and a classically finished hand-wound movement? What’s not to love?
The Vacheron Constantin Watches Worth Splurging On
Overseas Dual Time
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 41mm
- Case Thickness: 12mm
- Case Material: 18K 5N pink gold
- Bezel Material: 18K 5N pink gold
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Multiple
- Dial Colour: Green
- Water Resistance: 150m
- Movement: Calibre 5110 DT/2
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
Combining form and wearability in one stonkingly luxe package, this green dial version of the Overseas Dual Time is the latest addition to Vacheron Constantin’s family of iconic travel-friendly sports watches.
For self-explanatory reasons, this particular execution was an immediate hit with Australian collectors when it debuted earlier this April. The warmth of the pink gold case and bracelet lends fantastic contrast to the sunburst-green dial — even if the resulting colour combination is less Socceroos, more Succession.
A fourth red-tipped hand and AM/PM indicator, arrayed using Vacheron’s distinctive design language, allow wearers to track the time in a second location. Simply press the pusher (located at 4 o’clock) to advance the secondary hour hand conveniently. Elsewhere, the details are all textbook Vacheron Constantin.
That is to say: beautiful and meticulously finished. The integrated bracelet features links bevelled into the shape of half-Maltese crosses; and, once you turn the watch over, you’ll be treated to the full range of the brand’s Geneva Seal finishing (including a solid gold rotor engraved with the Overseas Collection’s symbolic compass rose).
Historiques American 1921
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 8.06mm
- Case Material: White gold
- Bezel Material: White gold
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Calf leather
- Dial Colour: Silver
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 4400 AS
- Power Reserve: 65 hours
Like all timepieces that make up the Historiques collection, the ‘American 1921’ is a tribute to Vacheron’s elegant and historically rich legacy of watchmaking. The signature of this particular model is its eye-catching cushion case: offered in cool, mirror-polished white gold.
The watch’s gleaming external surfaces are offset by the dial execution here: featuring black Breguet-style numerals, a finely grained finish, subsidiary seconds, and an applied version of the Vacheron Constantin ‘Maltese cross’ logo.
Attentive viewers might also notice all of the dial’s numerals are pitched at a slightly off-kilter angle — complemented by a similarly jaunty crown, positioned at 1 o’clock. This is all sorts of intentional: as the American 1921 is inspired by driver’s watches of the early 20th century.
With hands on the steering wheel, at the classic ’10 and 2′ position, this watch boasts impressive legibility; and there’s arguably no better way to feel the American 1921’s adventurous spirit than with one strapped to your wrist, in the driver’s seat of some fabulous analog shifter.
Historiques Cornes De Vache 1955
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 38.5mm
- Case Thickness: 10.9mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel Material: Stainless steel
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Calf leather
- Dial Colour: Silver
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 1142
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
Yet another Vacheron Constantin watch from the brand’s vintage-inspired Historiques range, the ‘Cornes de Vache’ (“cow horns” in English) is an exemplary reproduction, souped up with modern tech, of the classical gentleman’s chronograph. Burly, footballer-approved sports watch this ain’t.
This model incorporates a flurry of design cues inspired by Vacheron’s historic 6087 reference: including a painted tachymeter scale, blued central chronograph hand, and assertive cow-horn-style lugs from which the watch derives its name.
As handsome as the Cornes de Vache is in profile, it’s arguable that it sports an even better-looking backside. On the flip, wearers will see the calibre 1142: a manually wound chronograph movement that is, as you’d expect, finished to the ornate, industry-leading standards of the Geneva Seal. On closer inspection: we particularly love the care taken in decorating the column wheel (here featuring the shape of the iconic Maltese Cross).
Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 43mm
- Case Thickness: 12.94mm
- Case Material: 950 Platinum
- Bezel Material: 950 Platinum
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Alligator
- Dial Colour: Salmon
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 1142 QP
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
Easily among the three priciest Vacheron Constantin watches to crack our list (and that’s saying something) this Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar offers the single best distillation of everything lofty about the brand — money no object, of course.
The large platinum case and salmon-coloured dial are both chic details: offering a fitting canvas for this model’s perpetual calendar, chronograph, and moonphase displays.
The fusion of so many highly finicky complications is only achievable by a handful of Swiss brands; and here, Vacheron has gone to great lengths to ensure the final package remains user-friendly.
A blue alligator strap rounds out this incredibly classic expression of ultra-high-end watchmaking. Despite the model’s ‘Traditionnelle’ DNA, the relatively simple case shape and absence of excessive ornamentation have futureproofed the watch’s wearability — not to be overlooked when you’re spending six figures.
Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 10.35mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel Material: Stainless steel
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Alligator
- Dial Colour: Cream
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 4400 QC
- Power Reserve: 65 hours
It seems a little absurd to describe a $40,000 wristwatch as a “value for money” product, yet that’s precisely what we’ve got here in the form of the Historiques ‘Triple Calendrier’. Conceived in the style of Vacheron’s Ref. 4240 calendar dress watch, the Triple Calendrier incorporates a trio of displays allowing the wearer to read the date, day, and month.
This functionality aside — and a power reserve that’s just shy of outputting 72 hours — this model has much to recommend it on the aesthetic front.
For instance: the dial is decorated with a creamy, faintly tonal shade of beige; while the numerals evoke Art-Deco typography with their squiggly sans serif stroke. Meanwhile, the case is constructed (in historically accurate style mind you) with “triple gadroons”, giving the watch’s edges a shimmery effect under direct light. Suave stuff indeed.
Historiques 222
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 37mm
- Case Thickness: 7.95mm
- Case Material: 18K yellow gold
- Bezel Material: 18K yellow gold
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Yellow gold
- Dial Colour: Gold
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Movement: Calibre 2455/2
- Power Reserve: 40 hours
We don’t quite know what’s gotten into the Genevan water supply these past three years, but more brands than ever are embracing the gospel of the f**k-off lavish, solid gold sports watch.
In that very specific subcategory, Vacheron’s recent 222 ‘Jumbo’ has tended to dominate the conversation (as well as being one of Boss Hunting’s favourite watches of 2022). A favourite of handsome Hollywood operators, such as Brad Pitt and Michael B. Jordan, this modern re-issue of Vacheron’s ’70s-era icon brings back everything collectors loved about the original.
Beyond the model’s case logo (at 5 o’clock) and signature serrated bezel, fans of Vacheron breathed a sigh of relief at its dimensions. Wearing a very true-to-size 37mm, the 222 excels in every aspect you’d expect of a luxury sports watch.
Make no mistake, though: it may be comfortable, intuitive to use, and complementary to your whole wardrobe, but subtle? Certainly not. And that’s sort of the point.
Fiftysix Self-Winding
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 40mm
- Case Thickness: 9.6mm
- Case Material: 18K 5N pink gold
- Bezel Material: 18K 5N pink gold
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Calf leather
- Dial Colour: Sepia brown
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 1326
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
A worthy successor to the timeless midsize beauty of the Reference 6073, the ‘Fiftysix’ collection (so-called because of the former’s launch in, you guessed it, 1956) embodies the brand’s most accessible offering. Informed by “modern, elegant and relaxed” styling cues, it’s best to think of the overarching Fiftysix look as what Vacheron Constantin’s founders would conceived, had the manufacture been founded today.
Unsurprisingly, the collection offers a dozen models — including a tourbillon — but our pick has to be this chocolatey brown model. The time-and-date execution allows wearers to better appreciate the watch’s vestigial connection to the Ref. 6073: seen in the harmony between round and angular case surfaces, and big emphasis on legibility.
Due to the lug shape, the 40mm sizing will wear a touch large-to-size for some; though we certainly don’t think of that as a negative. Even on the brown calfskin strap, the watch’s overarching look is equal parts smart and sporty: always a good combination in a daily wearer.
Patrimony Moonphase Retrograde Date
SPECIFICATIONS
- Case Diameter: 42.5mm
- Case Thickness: 9.7mm
- Case Material: 18K white gold
- Bezel Material: 18K white gold
- Bracelet/Strap Material: Alligator
- Dial Colour: Old-silver-toned
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Movement: Calibre 2460 R31L/1
- Power Reserve: 40 hours
Another of Vacheron’s new releases unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2024, this retrograde date model is an extension of the current Patrimony line-up — sporting a diameter that’s a hair wider than 42mm, and a sunray-brushed dial in warm tones of “antique silver”.
Beyond the Patrimony’s well-documented reputation as a dress watch; here, the big selling point is the retrograde date display.
Since 2023, this relatively obscure obligation has become a focal point of creativity at Vacheron Constantin: distinguished from more conventional calendar displays by the sweeping motion it makes (in reverse) across the watch’s date track.
RELATED: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Gets A Green & Gold Makeover (And More)
If you’ve enjoyed our shortlist of the best Vacheron Constantin watches, consider a range of our other hand-picked horological buying guides:
