anon438
429
The New Horizon
Apr 01, 2019,12:52 PM
I've seen several questions about the dial, and it's a quite good question, what would be an appropriate thought. But I will come back later on this topic again.
First of all I would think this question arises from a very first impression. My first impression was, those watch was used. Not just little used and of course not only seven years as suggested. If you look at that dial I would suggest, it was handled by unqualified hands and it's quite a luck that there wouldn't be a bigger damage.
But this very first impression would bring us quite far away from an objective view, isn't it?
I would rather think we should firstly discuss, what kind of bird is this watch.
It's a Grand Complication wrist watch, what basically mean, it's a wrist watch with a combination of several complications in it. A minute repeater, a calendar and a retrograde date display.
Of course there are endless discussions which complication to prefer or rate higher, but there is no question that the minute repeater is a higher grade complication. And a higher grade complication in combination with further complications like a day date calendar and retrograde day indication would end up to be a Grand Complication.
And it is not only the very first wrist watch with this Grand Complication design form Vacheron & Constantin, it's also one of the very first compared to others at all. A piece unique build in commission. Not as some try to suggest one of three, since the others samples display other complications.
The Grand Complication was not invented at this time, it was the further miniaturization development, to put such a Grand Complication in a size of a wrist watch, what end up to be the big innovation.
If you look closer at the movement you can clearly spot the highly refined design and finish which obviously indicate a Haute Horology product, easily on par with others alike.
This very first Haute Horology Grand Complications in wrist watch size pushed the trend to miniaturization, which started with the very first wrist watches commonly believed developed for Santos Dumont, pushed the technical possibilities even further to a completely new horizon.
This is the historical significance of that watch not only for the history of Vacheron & Constantin but also for the modern human civilization in total.
And all the other criteria like provenance, physical shape or appearance, even consistence or case material are in my opinion quite far minor factors for valuation. This watch is simply an one-of in the end.