Vacheron Constantin presents a new Traditionnelle watch model with an open-worked dial featuring Tourbillon and Retrograde Date display.
Heir to the iconic references like 47245 (Patrimony 31 Day Retrograde) and 47247*, the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle tourbillon date retrograde openface combines its retrograde display with a partially open-worked dial, another signature of the Maison since the early 20th century.
Housed in an 18K pink gold case measuring 41 mm in diameter and only 11.07 mm thick, this new timepiece comes with a grey alligator strap secured by a pink gold folding clasp.
It boasts the Traditionnelle collection’s characteristic attributes like the stepped round case and lugs, a fluted caseback, a slim bezel, a railway minute track, bi-facetted Dauphine hands and gold baton-type hour-markers. Resulting from three years of work and dialogue between artisans and master-watchmakers, this timepiece features alternating hand-finishes that endow it with remarkable depth.
The open-worked sapphire dial, which also has a guilloché segment, reveals in-house Calibre 2162 R31, whose retrograde mechanism plate is highlighted by a slate grey surface treatment, achieved by a succession of thin galvanic layers.
It is further enhanced by vertical hand-brushing on the upper part, its surface having been smoothed with a dedicated abrasive serving to create subtle light effects, as well as a hand-guilloché lower part. The retrograde date display, complemented by a tourbillon, thus gains added depth in an ultra-contemporary yet very watchmaking style.
Stylised in the shape of a hollowed-out Maltese Cross, the tourbillon features a set of refined and complex finishes: the inside of its carriage is hand-bevelled, its cone-shaped transversal bar is hand-polished to give it a mirror-like gleam close to perfection.
Proudly bearing the Hallmark of Geneva, the Traditionnelle tourbillon retrograde date openface watch houses a 242-component in-house movement. Calibre 2162 R31 revisits the concept of High Watchmaking by adapting it to modern times with its NAC slate grey finish, 72-hour power reserve and decorated gold peripheral weight.
Beating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour and measuring just 6.25 mm thick, Calibre 2162 R31 combines a retrograde date with a tourbillon. The retrograde mechanism is visible to the naked eye through the open-worked dial. The majestic tourbillon is set in a contemporary mainplate with a very high-quality watchmaking finish reflecting the grand Geneva tradition.
Technical details
Model: Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface
Reference 6010T/000R-B638
Movement
Calibre 2162 R31
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, self-winding
31 mm (13½”’) diameter, 6.25 mm thick
Approximately 72 hours of power reserve
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
242 components
30 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes, small seconds on tourbillon carriage
Tourbillon
Retrograde date
Case
18K 5N pink gold
41 mm diameter, 11.07 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 metres)
Dial
Openface, assembled in four parts:
– 18K gold slate grey openface plate with a hand-guilloché upper-part, surrounded by an opaline flange with railway minute-track
– 18K gold applied hour-markers
– Sapphire glass
– 18K gold tourbillon second’s ring
18K 5N pink gold hour & minutes hands
18K gold blackened date hand with white crescent
Strap
Grey Mississippiensis alligator leather strap with alligator leather inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle finish, large square scales
Buckle
18K 5N pink gold folding clasp
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
* Reference 47247 was unveiled in 2002 on the eve of the millennium, for the 247th anniversary of the Maison. This 247-piece limited-edition watch made in a 37 mm platinum case features a retrograde date, a trailing days subdial at 6 o’clock, and an open-worked dial enabling the retrograde date mechanism to be admired.
