How was Overseas born?
The first example of the collection with watch replicas uk the manufacturer marked its debut in the world of sports watchmaking dates back to 1996, but the origins of the Vacheron Overseas take us even further back, to 1977, when for its 222nd anniversary the Maison presented the “222” an automatic timepiece with an unusual monobloc steel case connected to a bracelet of the same material.
It is easy to see in that rare model from thirty years ago the lookalike of an IWC Ingegneur, even better the stroke of the pen of Gerald Genta who designed it and who, also thanks to icons such as the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, was the mind who had the brilliant idea of dressing Haute Horlogerie in more informal clothes.
At the time of 222, watchmaking was experiencing the full quartz crisis; the birth in those years of the new sports luxury segment, which is all the rage today, certainly gave a hand to the historic Made in Swiss manufacturers.
3 Oveseas Photographed Live by Pisa Orologeria
I’m starting with an Overseas chronograph with a gold case and silver dial, the first shot of which appears at the beginning of the article. Its classic look has been combined with a very appropriate and comfortable brown rubber strap which attenuates the austere but pleasant glow of the pink hue of the precious metal. Thanks to a quick release system for which a patent has been filed, it is interchangeable with two others supplied in complete autonomy.
On my normal sized wrist with the 42.5 mm diameter case there is nothing left over but, thanks to the downward tapered attachment of the rubber strap, this chrono suits me well even in length.
The silver dial is very fascinating, which I prefer for this version with a gold case compared to the chocolat brown one of the latest Overseas. The details are impeccable as you would expect from the Vacheron Constantin brand.
It is worth dwelling on the new Manufacture Caliber 5200 for a moment. There is a column wheel with vertical coupling, the best solution for having a precise sorting of the chronograph functions but at the same time sweet and beautiful pressure of the buttons. The finishes are also of the highest level; you get lost observing the details of the 22k gold oscillating weight.
The second Overseas seen by Pisa Orologeria is the most complicated of the collection with the world hours. The steel case is 43.5 mm in diameter and that extra unit, at least on my wrist, is starting to be noticeable.
Complicated, in the sense of sophisticated, also in the representation on the dial of the 37 time zones (even fractions of hours) provided by the automatic mechanical Caliber 2460 WT. Depending on the reflection of the light, the central background of the map of the Northern Hemisphere appears more prominent with lands and oceans created by a play of brown and black shades, or the sapphire disc engraved with the name of the combined cities. The Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time Caliber 2460WT certainly does not go unnoticed on the wrist.
A mechanical advantage of this Overseas is that to make all the adjustments not only do you not have to use correctors, but not even a second crown; everything is set and operated by the single traditional winding crown.
Price: 40,500 Euros
The last one, the Overseas Caliber 5100 model is the one I would buy. Not so much for its price which, as you will read at the bottom, is significantly the most approachable of the three. I would do it for two reasons: one because I always really like how the Quai de L’Ile Maison interprets time-only watches, and especially the ultra-flat Patrimony models with just two hands which, to be honest, have little to do with this; secondly because the Overseas base is the reference that directly compares with the aforementioned Royal Oak and Nautilus.
Maybe, but a beautiful all-steel watch from which details stand out that for their care are worth even more than a complication is difficult to beat for me. Always for me the 41 mm house is perfect.
This is what I think when I look at a brown lacquered dial with different levels of finish: translucent at the base, velvety finish on the flange. The faceted white gold hour markers are covered in the center – like the hour and minute spheres – with luminescent substance but you hardly notice it. I am usually critical of the presence of date stamps: if it were up to me, as long as they are not Gran Data I would abolish them. Here, even though I personally practically never watch it, if it weren’t there I would feel the aesthetic lack of it.
It features the Caliber 5100 – finished with the same care as the other Overseas in this post – automatic with two barrels on board, not so much to have an extra power reserve, which is 60 hours, but to always have a lot of power behind it, which translates into constant delivery and therefore smooth running. The large displacement automotive concept
Like all new Overseas watches, it is waterproof to 150 meters and is internally equipped with a soft iron case, the traditional system for attenuating the negative influences of magnetic fields on the isochronous oscillations of the balance wheel instead of using silicon.