BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
This year, lots of brands have been doing exciting and crazy things with their watches. We’ve seen lots of complications from Watches & Wonders Geneva. Admittedly, most of those complications came from one watch: Vacheron Constantin’s beastly Les Cabinotiers ‘Berkley Grand Complication’, a pocket watch with 63 individual complications. With so much time being spent on that, you wouldn’t think they’d have the time to develop anything else, and yet here we have their new Traditionelle Tourbillon Chronograph.
Officially, this excellent piece is called the Traditionelle Tourbillon Chronograph Collection Excellence Platine ref. 5100T/000P-H041 (there is an 18k pink gold model too, but we didn’t see that one), we’ll just call it the Traditionelle Tourbillon Chronograph from now on. Despite the images its name might conjure, the Traditionelle line of watches is meant to be modern and sophisticated while harkening back to some of Vacheron Constantin’s roots. I would say that this is traditional watchmaking meets contemporary styling, the watch has a clean look to it despite the functions it displays.
A tachymeter scale wraps around the dial with a long blue seconds hand pointing to it. At 3 O’clock is a 45-minute subdial for the chronograph too. At 6 O’clock is a power reserve indicator with the markings only saying 0, 1/2 and 1, kind of like the dashboard of a European car. At 12 O’clock is the tourbillon displayed proudly with the Maltese Cross being formed by the tourbillon’s cage.
In true Traditionelle style, complexity is added in a way that remains simple to the viewer. For example, the chronograph is cleanly displayed and operated via a monopusher placed within the crown, this is a technically complex way of doing a chronograph which we don’t see much from watchmakers. I also like that the tourbillon cage is also the seconds hand, with one blued screw and a small arrow pointing to the seconds track. All of this is fairly readable, too, as the platinum case measures 42.5mm x 11.7mm.
Of course, around the back is where the magic happens and where watch lovers really get excited. The manually wound calibre 3200 looks excellent thanks to Geneva Seal-level finishing, a hallmark of the brand. This movement has a power reserve of 65 hours and comprises 292 parts; the beat rate is 3Hz.
This watch is presented on a dark blue alligator leather strap with a solid platinum buckle (the alligator strap is dark brown on the pink gold model). This watch is limited to just 50 examples and is available exclusively through Vacheron Constantin’s boutiques. As expected for a piece like this, the price is given upon request.
