WHL[VC Moderator]
4922
A quick look at two Patrimony Contemporaine models
Oct 26, 2010,11:17 AM
Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony Contemporaine was introduced in 2004 and quickly become an iconic design for the brand. With it Vacheron Constantin implicitly acknowledged that the large watch trend was here to stay. The 40 mm diameter made it feel dramatically larger than Vacheron Constantin's previous generation of dress watches, the Malte Grande Classique and the Patrimony Small Seconds, with respective diameters of 36 mm and 35 mm. The slim bezel of the three-part 18K gold case gave plenty of room for a large dial, which effectively gives the watch an even larger appearance.
The designers at VC had the confidence to let the dial have a lot of open space, choosing to keep things simple (no guilloche, no excessive writing, no use of multiple finishes) and elegant, but by no means boring.
This first Patrimony Contemporaine model, reference 81180, which would later be joined by other watches with the same design motifs, is a manual winding watch that indicates only the hours and minutes with baton hands. Inside is Vacheron Constantin's in-house caliber 1400. With the movement having only a 20 mm diameter, the choice of a solid case back was wise, and also allows plenty of space for a custom engraving if desired. It is currently offered in yellow, white, and rose gold, as well as in platinum. Just this year Vacheron Constantin distinguished the platinum cased watches by pairing them with attractive grey dials:
Photo courtesy of Alex Ghotbi
Two versions of the manual winding Patrimony Contemporaine deserve special attention. First is the inaugural Excellence Platine edition, from 2006, which was limited to 150 timepieces and, like all Excellence Platine watches, has a micro-grain finish platinum dial.
The second is the Boutique edition watch in rose gold with black dial, available exclusively at Vacheron Constantin boutiques worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Alex Ghotbi In 2007 Vacheron Constantin added a pair of automatic watches to the Patrimony Contemporaine line, one with guichet date at six, reference 85180, and one without the date, reference 86180, which has been retired this year.
The reference 85180 uses Vacheron Constantin’s in-house automatic caliber 2450, which adds central sweeping seconds to the design. The case is thicker than the manual winding watch, and has a sapphire crystal case back to showcase the fine finishing of the caliber 2450, which has earned the Geneva Hallmark. The date window at 6 o’clock maintains the elegant symmetry of the dial. This watch is offered in yellow, rose, and white gold, and is also available in rose gold with the black dial at Vacheron Constantin boutiques.
Photo courtesy of Alex Ghotbi While Vacheron Constantin won’t release production information, I feel certain that these two Patrimony Contemporaine references are the two best selling models in production. There is nothing distracting or pretentious in these watches; they are everything a beautiful timepiece should be, and nothing more. Their beauty is simple and organic, epitomizing the timeless elegance and impeccable craftsmanship for which Vacheron Constantin is held in such high regard.
Bill