BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
2026 might not be an anniversary year for Vacheron Constantin like 2025 was, but it’s clear to see that they’ve still got plenty of energy and inspiration left in the tank. For early 2026, one of their newest novelties is the Overseas Tourbillon, which, for the very first time, combines a titanium case and bracelet with a red dial.
While the Overseas Tourbillon seems like a big watch at 42.50mm in diameter, it’s thin, measuring 10.39mm in thickness. It’s also going to be very lightweight, thanks to the all-titanium case and bracelet. If you want it even lighter, white and deep red rubber straps are available too. These two straps can also be swapped out with ease thanks to a quick-change system. The titanium bracelet also features a comfort adjust system, allowing the wearer to extend the bracelet’s length by up to 4mm.
The dial is a deep red colour, a little unusual in the watchmaking world but one that’s becoming more common, although it still has a way to go to catch up with the popularity of green dials, let alone blue ones. Although Vacheron Constantin makes even more complex versions of the Overseas than this, I like that they still reveal the watch’s complexity by displaying the tourbillon on the dial side. It also features the Maltese Cross logo on the tourbillon cage. Elegant 18k white gold hands are paired with applied 18k white gold markers for a classy and rather restrained dial. The hands and markers also have blue SuperLumiNova for nighttime legibility.
Inside the watch is the calibre 2160, a self-winding movement made in-house by Vacheron Constantin. The movement features beautiful Geneva stripes on the plates, along with fine polishing and chamfering. The Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal) marking means that, among other things, this movement has been decorated to a very high standard all throughout, even the parts you can’t see. A peripheral winding rotor around the movement’s edge keeps the watch’s 80-hour power reserve topped up when wearing, while also contributing to the calibre 2160’s slim height of just 5.65mm. The escapement within the tourbillon beats at 2.5Hz.
I don’t quite believe that red is ready to become the next mainstream colour. Not only are green dials still gaining popularity in the watch world, but the dominance of blue dials hasn’t really left us yet. With that said, it shows the possibility of using the colour red in watches. After all, red has been associated with nobility and royalty for centuries, so there’s no reason for Vacheron Constantin not to use it, given that those classes are definitely just some of their many customers.
The new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon 6000V/210T-H179 is a part of the brand’s permanent collection and is available with a retail price of around €170,000/£139,900.
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