BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

The 222 is the genetic forefather to Vacheron

Constantins Overseas Dual Time (below, in rose gold)

A DECADE OF
EVOLUTIONARY BRILLIANCE

THE STORY OF VACHERON

CONSTANTINS OVERSEAS
By Wei Koh

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Photo: Mervin Chua

Photo: Geoff Ang

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No other timepiece has evolved

as gracefully, with as much
intriguing nuance, as Vacheron
Constantins Overseas

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

milieu of the black tie ball or playing in the surf off the white sand
beaches of the Bahamas. With the shifting values of the 1970s, the 222
became one of the primary luxury symbols for youthful empowerment.
The 222 was revolutionary in both form and content. It was crafted
in gold, steel and perhaps most famously in a mixed metal version
that notably fused the worlds of traditional luxury (as expressed by
its gold bezel and bracelet links) and high performance (as embodied
by its steel case and bracelet outer links). The 222 was born through
Vacheron Constantins collaboration with a young design maverick
named Gerald Genta. It was characterized by a distinctive fluted
screw-in bezel, a sophisticated one-piece case construction resulting
in an impressively flat shape for a watch containing a shock resistant
automatic caliber 1121 driven by a solid 22-karat gold oscillating mass.
The 222 also featured a sculptural bracelet and the inclusion of a tiny
Maltese cross stamp at the lower right hand corner of the case.
Water resistant to 120 meters, the 222 was a true high-crafted
luxury timepiece that could be immersed in water and withstand the
rigors of sports. And while Genta also designed several other icons of
this era, no other timepiece has evolved as gracefully,
with as much intriguing nuance as Vacheron
Constantins Overseas.

In 1996, the Phidias was reborn as the Overseas,

a name that evoked the era of romance and
travel that it was created for. The Overseas, a
more muscular, aggressively styled sports watch,
channeled far more of the spirit of the original
222 as well as expressing a deeper genetic
connection to the manufacture
been in our DNA to marry traditional
high watchmaking values such as
impeccable finish with the pulse of the
contemporary world, says Vacheron
Constantin CEO Juan-Carlos Torres.
In 1932, we created our first steel
case sports watch. In the 1940s, we
were the first manufacture to create the
trend for oversized chronographs in
the Spanish market. In the 1970s, we
created the 222, a watch that became a
symbol for the new luxury elite.

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the 222 forerunner

to the OVERSEAS

Indeed the 222, created to celebrate

Vacheron Constantins 222nd
birthday, was one of the key players
in the creation of a new category of
timepieces called the luxury sports
watch. These elegantly designed pieces
were equally adaptable to the heady

The Phidias took the basic

architecture of the 222 and
endowed it with a sleeker,
more streamlined profile
reflecting the prevailing
aesthetic mores of the 90s

THE 222 IS REBORN: THE PHIDIAS

The 222 soon developed a cult following among

luxurys cognoscenti. In the world of sports watches,
the 222 was the epitome of discreet elegance, oozing
the same type of stealth cool as hand-stitched
Anderson and Sheppard Savile Row suits or Aubercy
bespoke shoes. In the early 90s, the 222 was revised
as the Phidias which took the basic architecture
of the 222 and endowed it with a sleeker profile
reflecting the prevailing aesthetic
mores of that decade. The bezel of
the Phidias was fully rounded and
engraved with subtle timing indices.
Its case received smooth integrated
lugs for better ergonomics, while the
complex bracelet evolved into a lean
attenuated form.
In 1996, the Phidias was reborn
as the Overseas, a name that evoked
the era of romance and travel that
it was created for. The Overseas, a
more muscular, aggressively styled
sports watch, channeled far more
of the spirit of the original 222 as
well as expressing a deeper genetic
connection to the manufacture. Its
bezel now fully communicated the
manufactures signature Maltese
cross motif, and its more sculpted,
faceted case and more muscular
bracelet struck an emotional chord
with buyers. Over the years it has
become the sports watch for those
searching for a more discreet

The new Overseas family boasts

watches with fierce, aggressive
geometry and are resplendent with
gorgeous minutiae

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In Darwins theory of evolution, mankind changed its genetic

traits in each successive generation in reaction to the needs of the
shifting environment. Similarly, luxury is an evolutionary creature
that responds to the needs of the contemporary world. Vacheron
Constantins legendary Overseas sports watches were born into a
world of shifting global dynamics and through its brilliant evolution,
continues to dominate the sports watch market today. While 2006
marks the 10th anniversary of the Overseas, in truth the design
brilliance and revolutionary adaptability of this luxury icon reaches
back to 1977.
In the turbulent decade known as the 70s, the Swiss watch industry
was undergoing tremendous change. On one front, the Quartz Crisis
forced the industry to reinvent itself. Yet on another front, the first
insurgence of modernism, industrial design and of sporting cool made
its entrance into the Swiss watch world. It is fitting that Vacheron
Constantin, the worlds oldest continually operating Swiss watch
company, became a flashpoint for this new era of luxury. It has always

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birth of a legend: the 222

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

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THE ERA OF THE OVERSEAS

In 2004, just a few months before Vacheron Constantin was to

celebrate its 250th anniversary, the Overseas was reborn once again.
This incarnation of the Overseas saw the manufacture recapture the
initial audaciousness which gave rise to the 222. Like the burgundies
from Domaine de la Romane-Conti, the Overseas has matured in a
way that has allowed it to surpass its first flush of youth with a robustly
alluring maturity. It was revised by a group of individuals at Vacheron
Constantin, including designer Vincent Kauffmann. Kauffmanns
brilliant statement of ability evidenced in this timepiece announces
his arrival as a designer of the future; but it is also something of a
Cinderella story. Torres says, Vincent Kauffmann, who designed the
latest Overseas, got his start with us as an administrative assistant. He
was in charge of putting spare parts in the small boxes. One day, we
were in need of a small design and someone told me, Try Mr. Vincent,
he has some skills in drawing. I was confident in his abilities from the
beginning because of how seriously he took this assignment. For me,
it helps that a designer is from within the company because he has an
emotional connection to our identity. It is always my preference to use
someone from within the manufacture because he will have already
understood our identity in a way an outsider would not be able to.
The new Overseas watches are so rich with detail that they almost
overwhelm the senses. They are timepiece whose fierce, aggressive
geometry is resplendent with gorgeous minutiae. There is a hypnotic
charm to the alternating use of brushed and polished surfaces. The
bracelet retains the massiveness of the 222s bracelet while offering
enhanced suppleness for comfort. Luminous indices and hands, as
well as a grande date aperture, offer optimum legibility at 12 oclock.
The revised Overseas also reconnects Vacheron Constantin with
its pioneer status and 160-year history in the field of anti-magnetic
watches. In 1885, the manufacture created a famous anti-magnetic
Vacheron Constantin signed watch with a balance, hairspring and
lever shaft made from palladium, while the lever arms were made in
bronze and the escape wheel made in gold. Throughout the next 100
years, engineers or scientists working in close proximity to magnetic

The yellow gold Overseas

chronograph is the perfect tool
for luxurious self-expression

THE OVERSEAS FOR THE NEW MILLENnIUM:

the yellow gold chronograph

2006 marks the 10th anniversary of the Overseas. However, if

you were to look at the entire history of the Overseas since the 1977
introduction of the 222, this model represents 30 years of sporting
evolution. For 2006, Vacheron Constantin has unveiled its most
exciting versions of the Overseas yet. The first creative salvo fired
by the worlds oldest manufacture is the yellow gold Overseas. This
brushed yellow gold case watch literally revels in incandescent
opulence while still boasting the highly pragmatic anti-magnetic
soft iron inner case. Its sporting character is further defined by the
elapsed time capture ability of its grande date chronograph movement.
The three subdials as well as the grande date aperture are positioned
to create perfect visual harmony on the dial. A chronograph minute
counter occupies the 3 oclock position and is slightly larger than the
12-hour counter located directly opposite it at 9 oclock. At 6 oclock,
youll find the watchs continuous seconds indicator.
As with each member of the modern Overseas family, the yellow gold
chronograph receives individual locking crowns for its chronograph
pushers to ensure that these are not accidentally activated under water
and to provide additional protection against shock. This muscular
timepiece is water resistant to 150 meters and offers a sultry appeal
perfect for throbbing nightspots anywhere from South Beach to
Sardinia. The combination of go-anywhere, do-anything attitude,
with its real world performance (as expressed by its anti-magnetic
case and chronograph function) as well as its sexy predatorial looks
make the yellow gold Overseas the perfect luxury tool for selfexpression for any cooler-than-thou jet setter. Indeed, we would
even go so far as to say that in the high stakes mating game, the gold
Overseas is the ultimate symbol of personal evolution.

OVERSEAS DUAL TIME

One reality modern man faces is the constant need for travel. The
problem is that time is different in every 15 degrees of longitude
around the globe. Beginning with your location, destinations to the
east of you are experiencing time one hour earlier for every 15 degrees
of longitude they are from you. Conversely, locations to the west of
you experience time one hour later for every 15 degrees of longitude
they are from you. In all, the earth possesses 24 time zones, meaning
people are awake and business never stops at any time. Be it the
endless vision quest for all tomorrows parties, or the by-product
of transglobal corporate dominance, the ability to tell time in multiple
zones is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Stepping into this world is
the latest Overseas Dual Time, a watch that can keep you on time and
on track when you are literally overseas.
Offered in three metals (in stainless steel with either a silver or

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alternative to flashier, overbuilt contemporary sports watches.

Vacheron Constantins US president Julien Tornare says, It was
never Vacheron Constantins intention to dominate the sports watch
market because our production is simply too low for us to do so.
Instead, Vacheron Constantin wanted to offer buyers a sports watch
option that communicated the elegance and timelessness of the
manufacture.

fields used these types of watches. Similarly, the redesigned Overseas

uses a soft iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic
fields. This pragmatic feature is a winning example of Torres ability
to tap into the manufactures rich history. The much-enlarged 42mm
case (in comparison to the 37mm case of its predecessor) of the
Overseas chronograph is the perfect home for this feature rooted in
the manufactures past.

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That the latest Overseas models have

turned out so winningly comes as
no surprise when you consider that
these watches hold a particularly
special place in the heart of Vacheron
Constantin CEO Juan-Carlos Torres

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

BROUGHT TO YOU BY vacheron constantin

black dial, in yellow gold with a silver dial, and in a special 250-piece
rose gold limited edition case with an achingly gorgeous chocolate
dial), the Overseas Dual Time is a brilliant merger of the iconic
Overseas form with real world practicality. On the dial is every piece
of information needed by the modern corporate samurai. Local time is
told from the watchs centrally mounted hands; home time is read from
a subdial at 6 oclock. This indicator uses only an hour hand (because
minutes remain the same in all major 24 time zones) and is rendered in
a 12-hour format for better clarity.
So how do you tell the difference between day and night hours? Take
a look at the small integrated day and night indicator that is located just
to the left of the home time subdial. Setting your watch to an alternate
time zone is as easy as depressing the pusher located at 2 oclock on
the watch case. As with the chronograph pusher on the chronograph
version, this pusher features a locking crown that enhances water
resistance and has the added benefit of preventing the time from being
accidentally changed. At 9 oclock on the main dial is the watchs power
reserve indicator, letting you know how much of the automatic caliber
1222s 40-hour reserve remains. At 3 oclock on the main dial is the
indication for date.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual

Time in stainless steel

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Photo: Geoff Ang

girl
with
rose
gold

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On the dial is every piece of information needed

by the modern corporate samurai. Local time is
told from the watchs centrally mounted hands;
home time is read from a subdial at 6 oclock

Creating luxury symbols up to the task of real sporting life is a

concern for Vacheron Constantin. The case backs of all Overseas
watches are screwed tightly into the one-piece case, compressing
numerous water resistant gaskets and ensuring the watchs 150-meter
water resistance. As with all modern Overseas watches, the Dual Time
also features a soft iron anti-magnetic shield. Finally, even the bracelet
of the Overseas has been optimized to offer comfort and security
while remaining visually stunning with its rhythm of brushed and
polished textures.
That the latest Overseas models have turned out so winningly comes
as no surprise when you consider that these watches hold a particularly
special place in the heart of CEO Juan-Carlos Torres. Torres first
project upon joining Vacheron Constantin was the 222, the steel and
gold sports watch designed by Gerald Genta and that in truth still
provides the genetic tissue of the modern Overseas. Torres says,
When I entered Vacheron Constantin, this was the first watch project
I worked on. I saw the 222 and I immediately said this watch is strong.
So in the future, I might take the design cues of the 222 as the platform
on which to evolve the next generation of the Overseas. It could be the
perfect balance between power and elegance. H