Tag: Vacheron Constantin

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Vacheron Constantin Replica

HANDS-ON :Replica Vacheron Constantin Malte TourbillonOpenworked

VCMalteOpenworkTourbillonPlat3

Earlier this year we covered the new Métiers d’Art Fabuleux Ornements replica watches from Vacheron Constantin, featuring some of Vacheron’s delicate open-working skills. Aside from these, there was a general theme focusing on new open-work replica watches at SIHH 2014, and one of the skeletonised centrepieces was the Malte Tourbillon Openworked.

This is not the first openworked Malte Tourbillon, but the tonneau-shaped Cal. 2790 SQ (‘SQ’ for ‘squelette’ i.e. skeletonised) is new, with tourbillon, power reserve and date functions. The Cal. 2790 SQ measures 27.37mm x 29.30mm x 6.10mm and is in a Platinum 950 case measuring 38mm x 48.24mm x 12.73mm. It has a 45 hour power reserve.

Not only is the movement skeletonised, but it also features a significant amount of engraving – if you look carefully you will see that there are lots of triangles and rectangles, as well as ‘Vacheron Constantin’, and both a small Vacheron Maltese Cross and the shaping of the tourbillon cage as the same cross. The hand-engraving work for each replica watch takes almost a week to complete.

A rather modern feature of the skeleton Malte Tourbillon is the sapphire dial, onto which the date, power reserve and sub-seconds are printed – the date is at two o’clock and the power reserve display, at ten o’clock. You might not see them all them at first glance, especially the power reserve indicator, but if you look at the dial more closely, or at an agle,  you will be able to see it.

I acknowledge that skeletonised replica watches are not to everyone’s taste, especially for those who want a quickly legible dial on which they can see the time at a glance out of the corner of their eye. For them, and for those who prefer simple clean dials, this, and any other openwork piece, will not be for them. The Malte cases have a strong presence, and so it is with this replica watch.  If you are familiar with the line, then you will already know how it feels on the wrist, but if not, it’s large but sits slim and low.

Regardless of whether skeletonisation is your ‘thing’ or not, there is no denying the immense skill that goes into the beautifully detailed skeletonising of a movement, so even if this is not the luxury replica watch for you, you might find it interesting to read more about how Vacheron approach this art here on their website .

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Swiss Replica

A look at some ‘jump hour’ replica watches

VCJumpHour5

Inspired by conversations online with English replica watch and clock collector AlanL and Sydney enthusiast Danny, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a Jaeger-LeCoultre SIHH 2013 novelties dinner (about which I will cover in a separate post), this post is to share with you some examples, ranging from the cheap and cheerful to the haute horology, of luxury replica watches that use ‘direct read’ and ‘jump hour’ methods of time display.

The term ‘jump hour’ is actually quite specific in definition, referring exactly to that, an hour indicator that jumps from one hour to the next, but popular horological nomenclature seems to also include, as ‘jump hours’, those replica watches where the hour slides (on a rotating disc) rather than jumps, so to be inclusive, I shall include some of these ‘direct’ read’ pieces as well.

I have a particular fondness for this type of time display. This post is not intended to be a representative example of these types of replica watches, nor am I going to go into the technical details about each piece. They are here simply to be shared, enjoyed, and for those of you who haven’t ever considered replica watches with time displayed via anything other than hands, to perhaps provide you with some inspiration for your next purchase.

As I have a particular fondness for these replica watches, some of them are my own. Others belong to friends, and there are a few which I have featured in previous posts.

We start off in the 1970s, a rich period for inexpensive and simply designed direct read replica watches, many of which looked similar to this Lucerne model.

Also from the 1970s, from a brand known more for its ‘Cricket Replica Watch’, is this unusual specimen.

The pair in this next photo are from different periods, and I’ve previously written about them here. They are, from left to right, the MB&F HM5 with its bi-directional jumping hours with inverted indications, and the popular-in-niche-1970s-jump-hour-circles Amida Digitrend that inspired the HM5.

HM5w

The source of many beautiful jump hours during its history, this one is from the maison of Vacheron Constantin and one of my favourite jump hours. It is incredibly elegant and contains the renowned calibre 1120. Although directly inspired by a 1929 pocket replica watch, if you look at examples of Vacheron’s 19th century jump hour pocket replica watches, you can see the lineage of this 1994 replica watch.

This next replica watch is another one of my favourite jump hour replica watches (one of my favourite replica watches in general), and one that I can’t get enough of. I am fortunate to know someone with one, and it is every bit as drop dead gorgeous ‘in the metal’ as it is in photos.

Goldpfeil, which some of you, like myself, may know more as a leather goods brand, had a very interesting collaboration with independent replica watchmakers called the ‘Seven Masters’ collection, of which this was a part. This Vianney Halter jump hour moon phase is one of the two Goldpfeils on my ‘dream list’. The hour is indicated by the large number, the minutes and seconds on the large dial, and the moonphase indicator in the circle. Winding the crown forwards advances the time; winding it backwards adjusts the moon phase hand. The case is polished, satin brushed, matte and the small hammered marks which, it is rumoured, were all hand-hammered by Vianney Halter himself.

Gerald Genta has been a brand that has enjoyed using jump hour displays in a playful way, such as in this trio of examples.

One of the famous Genta Mickey Mouse models.

The next direct read is Montblanc’s Nicholas Rieussec Rising Hours, a SIHH 2013 launch about which I have previously written here.

NicolasRieussec5

To end with is something modern, cheap, and cheerful. This direct read originally came on a white rubber strap, but I think the orange FOSSIL NATO is a more interesting combination.

If you ever find yourself in Geneva and visiting the Patek Philippe Museum, look out for the collection of old Vacheron Constantin jump pocket replica watches there. They really are a joy to behold.

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Vacheron Constantin Replica

Retrograde Dreams For An Elegant And Very Wearable Timepiece

Recently, I blogged about a replica watch that didn’t quite match expectations in the translation from photo to the physical replica watch. As a counterpoint, I thought that I’d blog about a replica watch that I fell in love with in photos, and which has happily shown itself to be every bit as desirable and beautiful in the metal – Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Contemporaine Bi-retrograde (Reference: 86020/000R-9239).

Yes I know that it’s not a new replica watch, but it’s still in production, and it’s on my ‘dream list’.

The Contemporaine line probably lends itself to appealing more to conservative or traditional tastes, generally speaking, so in a way a retrograde design is almost borderline adventurous. The Bi-retrograde model comes in rose gold and platinum versions. As someone who prefers white metals, the latter would probably be my first choice, but this RG one is still quite stunning, and I’d wear it in a heartbeat. It has a simple, slender round case, gold triangular hour markers, gold dots to mark minutes; and a dial that is slightly curved. The retrograde date display is in the top half of the dial, the day of the week display in the bottom half, both tracing an arc of nearly 180 degrees.

If you turn it over, there’s a sapphire open caseback which reveals Vacheron’s Ref.2460 movement, which they regards as a descendant of their well-known and well regarded automatic Cal.1120 that they introduced in the 1960s. Calibre 1120 itself is a version of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 920. The movement is 5.40mm thick with 283 parts, 27 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 VPH and an approximately 40 hour power reserve.

The functions are few – hours, minutes, retrograde calendar, day of the week. The retrograde hands, with white triangular tips, flick back to their starting positions in less than 1/10 of a second.

With a case size of 42.5mm and a thickness of 10.10mm, it’s an elegant and very wearable replica timepiece that looks large but sits very comfortably, and smaller than you’d think. I love retrogrades, and particularly like the symmetry and balance of the Patrimony’s dial. The silvered opaline finish gives the dial an additional bit of tonal softness. I know that it’s still relatively early days yet, but I’ll hazard a guess that this becomes a long term classic for Vacheron.

There’s a special buzz when you try on a replica watch that you fell in love with in a photo and realise that yes, it really is that nice. Now, just let me get back to my horological ‘dream list’ …

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Vacheron Constantin Replica

Replica Vacheron Constantin RoyalChronometer

HISTORY

The term ‘chronometer’ was coined by English replica watchmaker and writer Jeremy Thacker in 1714 in his pamphlet ‘The Longitudes Examin’d’ for clocks used to calculate longitude on marine voyages.  He invented a marine chronometer, a clock encased within a vacuum chamber that protected the movement from the inevitable effects of humidity and atmospheric pressure.


Thacker’s Chronometer

Unfortunately, it was a failure as a chronometer.

Accurate to six seconds a day, it fell somewhat short of the three seconds a day required to win the £20,000 first offered by the English Board of Longitude in the same year (1714) to anyone who could solve the problem of establishing the longitude of a ship at sea.

Thacker was thus condemned to the historical shadows of John Harrison, who also managed to score a ranking of 39 in the BBC’s 2002 poll of ‘100 Greatest Britons’ for his achievements, something which I am sure, had he been able to discover this from an alternate universe in which he was still alive in 2002, would have mollified him somewhat for his lifetime’s worth of horological trials.

Clockmaker John Harrison (24 March 1693 – 24 March 1776) presented his first attempt at a marine chronometer in 1730. It was his H5 ‘pocket’ chronometer, produced in 1772, and accurate to one-third of a second per day, which solved the problem of establishing the longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel, and earning him the title of ‘The Father of Longitude’.By the time of the H5’s public unveiling, he had been working on the chronometer problem since 1730.

Harrison’s Chronometer H5

(Collection of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers)

In 1773, Harrison received £8,750 from Parliament for his achievements, after the direct intervention of George III.  He appealed directly to the King, and in 1772 Harrison’s son William was summoned to an audience with the King. George III is reported to have said: “By God, Harrison, I will see you righted!”.

Until the advent and implementation of global satellite navigation, an accurate chronometer was essential for marine and air navigation.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN ROYAL CHRONOMETER

Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) defines a chronometer as “a high-precision replica watch capable of displaying the seconds and housing a movement that has been tested over several days, in different positions and at different temperatures, by an official neutral body (COSC).”

Since 1973 the term ‘chronometer’ has designated a replica watch having successfully passed the COSC trials.

Launched in 1907, Vacheron Constantin’s Chronomètre Royal has most notably been recognised in recent years through VC’s celebration, in 2007, of its centenary with the Chronomètre Royal 1907.

For a comprehensive history of Vacheron’s Chronomètres, see Alex Ghotbi’s brilliant post at The Hour Lounge.

The example below dates from the 1960s.  In 1962 VC’s manual calibres 1007 and 1008 were replaced by calibre 1072, making it Vacheron Constantin’s first automatic calibre with COSC certification.

Cal 1070: automatic with small seconds, no date
Cal 1071: automatic with central seconds
Cal 1072: as cal 1071 but with date
Cal 1072/1: as 1072 but with Gyromax.

 Vacheron Constantin “Royal Chronometer”
SPECIFICATIONS :

Caliber : 1702
Jewels : 29
Metal : 0.750 18ct WG
Case :  Two-body, solid, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back, horn lugs, caseback engraved with the Maltese cross and “Chronomètre Royal”.
Dial : Original silver dial with diamond set in Maltese Cross
Diameter : 35mm
Thickness : 12mm

Although 35mm is small by today’s standards, where a minimum of 40mm seems  almost de rigueur, the Ref. 6694 does not seem particularly small when worn.

The idea behind the Chronomètre was that of a legible precision instrument robust enough for everyday use. With its distinctive case design clearly indicating its 1960s origins, this uncommon replica watch is a deceptively elegant functional piece, with a wink to frivolity courtesy of the discreet diamond in the Maltese Cross.

When I first saw this replica watch (which has some signs of age discolourisation on the dial) I admit that it didn’t grab my attention in quite the way that it grabbed its owner’s, but as I spent some more time looking at it, in reading about the history, and in looking back at the photos, I was struck foremost by how much I missed in terms of appreciating the design of the case and secondly, of its historical interest as a timepiece. I suspect I’d like it a bit more if it didn’t have the diamond, which I find a bit incongruous.

Like it though I may, if presented with the choice of two chronometers, this Ref. 6694 and a Chronomètre Royal 1907, I have to confess that I’d chose the latter in a heartbeat, I can’t resist a beautiful ‘red 12’!

A final thought – over a million official chronometer certificates are delivered each year, representing only 3% of the Swiss replica watch production.