The ultimate in the measurement of time

Haute Horlogerie has those emblematic models that attract attention from collectors and arouse the curiosity of genuine watch lovers. Only a handful of renowned chronographs, however, from among the most prestigious, belong to this rare and exclusive club. Particularly admired are the architecture of their movements and the simplicity of their dials.

The two new chronographs offered by Vacheron Constantin in its Patrimony Traditionnelle collection belong to this prestigious tradition and will certainly become iconic models of the Geneva Manufacture.

They are to Haute Horlogerie what a sublime wine is to oenology. Rare, exclusive and subtle, perfectly conceived and bewitching, they only deliver their true secrets to passionate connoisseurs. This subtle alchemy reveals the truly exceptional nature of the Patrimony Traditionnelle’s new chronographs and perpetual calendar chronographs.

At the heart of these two horological jewels is the legendary Vacheron Constantin 1141 calibre, a manual-winding mechanical column-wheel chronograph movement. This outstanding movement has been used to power some of the most prestigious chronographs in the history of watchmaking and is considered by many experts to be the most beautifully made chronograph movement of them all.

The Patrimony Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

The exterior of this timepiece is as exceptional as the movement it houses. In keeping with the Patrimony Traditionnelle line, the 18K pink gold case is elegant, simple and classic. The generously-sized 43 mm case guarantees excellent legibility of all the indications on the dial.

As well as snailed counters and a painted black minute-track, the silvered opaline dial presents a multi-toned finish in the spirit of Vacheron Constantin’s historic chronographs. The watch enthusiast will immediately pick out affiliations with the chronographs of the 1940’s.

The mechanical manual-winding 1141 QP movement makes 18,000 vibrations per hour and has a 48-hour power reserve. Besides the hours, minutes and small seconds at 9 o’clock, it features chronograph functions with a centre direct-drive seconds hand and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. The perpetual calendar indicates the days of the week, months and leap years in windows, as well as the astronomical phases of the moon and a date hand at 6 o’clock.

The moon, sometimes happy, sometimes melancholy, is hand-engraved from a gold plate. Like all Vacheron Constantin movements, the 1141 QP calibre is distinguished by the meticulous chamfering work of the Côtes de Genève bridges and the circular-graining of the plate, both done by hand.

Water-resistant to a pressure of 3 Bar, the equivalent of 30 metres, the 18K pink gold case features a sapphire crystal back through which one can admire the remarkable complexity and exceptional architecture of the 1141 QP movement.