WHL[VC Moderator]
4922
Survey of the Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograding Day and Date
Oct 31, 2010,18:35 PM
In
my continuing tour of Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony Contemporaine
line, I'd like to look at the Retrograding Day and Date, reference
86020. This is the largest of the Contemporaine models, with a diameter
of 42.5 mm, and when it first came out in 2007 I thought it was way too
large for a dress watch! Like many collectors, however, this size is something I have
gotten used to and appreciate and wouldn't want in any other way!
Vacheron
Constantin has employed the retrograding date display in the past. In
The World of Vacheron Constantin we see a photo of a special watch from 1936 which combines the retrograding date with day (as well as with minute repeater).
Photo courtesy of Alex Ghotbi Collectors had to wait until 2000 to
see the retrograding date show up again in a wristwatch, when it
appeared in the reference 47245, the "31-Day Retrograding Calendar Watch. The
case was 37 mm in diameter, and the lugs alluded to a design from the
1950's. It was available in rose or white gold with a silver dial, or in
platinum with a black dial. The base movement was a JLC 889 to which Vacheron Constantin created the calendar complications.
In 2002, for the
247th anniversary of the brand, Vacheron Constantin created a limited
edition watch (247 pieces) in platinum that had an open dial, showcasing
the retrograding mechanism as well as special finishing on the
mainplate.
The first couple of years of catalog production of the Retrograding Day and Date's existence saw this watch offered only in
rose gold and the silver dial. To date there is not a "boutique edition"
in rose gold with the black dial, though there is no doubt in my mind
that it would be both attractive and successful.
There were a couple of limited edition models, however. 35 pieces in platinum with a ruthenium colored face was made
for Singapore retailer Cortina to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
Photo Courtesy of Alex Ghotbi In
2008, Vacheron Constantin released a limited edition of the 86020 as
part of the Excellence Platine collection. This photo does not do
justice to how beautiful this watch is. The blued steel pointer hand are
stunning against the ghostly grey sandblasted finish of the platinum
dial.
Finally, at SIHH 2010, Vacheron Constantin brought out a white gold version with a silver dial to complement the rose gold timepiece:
The
Patrimony Contemporaine Retrograding Day and Date uses Vacheron
Constantin's in-house automatic caliber 2460 R31 R7, which has earned
the Geneva Hallmark. The exquisite finishing seen through the case back:
is matched by the unseen finishing of the retrograding calendar mechanism under the dial:
We can only hope that there will be an open dial limited edition to complement the sought after 47247!
Bill