VACHERON CONSTANTINI wasn’t really expecting anything very exciting from Vacheron Constantin this year since 2005 will be celebrating their quarter millennium anniversary and that’s when I gathered they would be presenting all the exciting pieces. How wrong was I! Vacheron was presenting a new chronograph to replace the iconic Chronographe Historique. This new chrono in the Malte line was in fact a watch I wanted to hate. How could it replace one the most beautiful chronographs of all time? I had seen press photos and it didn’t look good and I was happy with that!! But things aren’t always as easy as they seem and the new Malte Chronograph is in fact a very beautiful watch. The rose or white gold 41mm case is quite hefty but feels very comfortable on the wrist, the guillochage on the dial is done with a lot of taste, the chronograph pushers are as smooth as butter and the hand wind Lemania based movement is superbly finished. The only issue I have with this watch is the “Chronographe” printed on the dial. Normally the person who buys this watch knows that it is a chronograph!!
Next was one of my favourite watches presented last year; the Demi Plate, but this time in rose gold. A simple elegant and classic timepiece equipped with the VC’s inhouse 1400 cal.
A 1972 cambree for the ladies, which is in fact quite similar to the original watch first introduced in 1972:
The Patrimony Grande Taille: a very nice looking watch, with a thin round case, a beautiful bombé dial with markers for the minutes and slender refined hands but in a 40mm case which in my opinion is 2mm too big. Give me this watch in a 38 mm case and I would be the happiest of men.
The Patrimony Hommage aux Grands Explorateurs, the watch that impressed me the most Basel and SIHH together. Impressed is not the correct word: it took my breath away and grabbed my whole body!! Everything in it is perfect: the case which is a slightly bigger Mercator case but also more curvaceous and sensual. The “wandering hours” time display which necessitated huge modifications in the cal 1126, certain wheels (even though not visible) are actually cut in the shape of a Maltese cross!! And last but not least the enamel cloisonné dial which is a work of art by its self.
This timepiece is what Vacheron Constantin is all about. In a fair where everyone was presenting tourbillons going in all directions and very complicated watches, the Homage to the Great Explorers was what watchmaking should be: not a race but a moment where time should be truly appreciated, finesse and refinement. The Grand Explorers is not simply a watch but an invitation for travels and a piece of mechanical poetry. This masterpiece will be produced with 8 different dials, each representing a different explorer and a maximum of 240 pieces in all. I left the VC booth with starry eyes and headed off to Lange, where we were to end our day, to see the famous Double Split and the other novelties. LANGE & SOHNEUntil now each year Lange only presented a few new pieces. SIHH 2004 saw the manufacture from Glashutte present no fewer than 5 models!! Which in my opinion is a good move and provides a vast choice for someone searching to buy a L&S watch. ?Let’s start with the long awaited Double Split which features a fly back split seconds chronograph combined for the very first time in a wrist watch with a split minutes function. The movement also uses for the first time the inhouse hairspring developed by Lange coupled with the new gyromax type balance developed by Jaeger LeCoultre. I find the watch to be huge with its 16mm thickness and 43mm diameter but then again there was no way the watchmakers at Lange could have miniaturized the movement further. The case size could have been smaller but then the proportions of the watch would have been unbalanced since the thickness would have remained the same. Movement wise the Double Split is a true feat; and I find it unfair that the only talk about this watch was about its size or dial totally forgetting what a totally novel and stunning mechanical masterpiece it is and that most probably no other brand other than Lange could have accomplished it. Regarding the dial, its all a matter of taste, the people at Lange have told me that due to the reactions of the internet crowd, certain aesthetic details will be modified before the watch hits the dealerships (ie: the red on the power reserve indicator will probably disappear and the lug width will expand from 20mm to 22mm).
Remaining in the chronograph section, Lange introduced the 1815 Chronograph which is basically a Datograph movement without the big date. A chronograph which will certainly make Lange fans who did not like the dial of the Datograph rejoice. The dial here exists in black on rose gold and silver on the white gold model with Arabic numerals and a pulsometer scale on the periphery. A very, very elegant chronograph with a stunning movement. My only small criticism would be the subdials which are slightly under the center of the dial. This was understandable for the Datograph as to permit a perfect equilibrium between the big date at 12 and the seconds and minutes counter. But since there is no big date on the 1815 chronograph the dial is slightly off balance, but it’s only a matter of taste. I only wish Lange would produce a rose gold version with the silver dial!!
Next is another of my favorites from Lange: the automatic 1815 with the Sax O Mat movement, a beautiful and refined timepiece particularly attractive in platinum and rose gold with a slightly recessed dial: beautiful and of course no need to present my favorite automatic movement! Unfortunately, being under awe with these watches we didn't remember to take any photos!! Sorry. Lange also introduced a Grande Lange 1 Luminous which is a bit over the top. I really liked this watch when it was introduced last year. I found it to be very sexy, but the big case version is a no-no for me. Last but not least my all time favorite Lange the Cabaret is now available with a moonphase.
Lange ended our second day at the SIHH. We set off right away for a one hour drive to feast on a gourmet dinner at the celebrated Pont de Brent where the duck was sublime, the wines perfect and the service impeccable.
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