Vacheron Constantin

VC accessories!

 

When the passion for Vacheron Constantin’s watches gets ahead of the ability to buy them, there are more affordable ways to sate the desire for things VC. Accesories!

In addition to all the watches I have collected over the years, I have added a shelf full or books and a drawer full of goodies, all related to Vacheron Constantin.

I think there are four essential books for the VC collector. Two are dedicated Vacheron Constantin auction catalogs from Antiquorum, the first being a hardbound catalog from a 1994 special sale of VC watches:

This catalog contains a great amount of information in addition to the 286 lots for sale. There is a page of hallmarks for the brand, as it changed names many times over the years.There are excepts of many letters from numberous Vacheron family members as well as from the Constantin's illuminating the history of the brand.

Every now and then this catalog will show up at a certain online auction house. I have seen it at a number of used watch dealers, where one can peruse it.

The second catalog dates from 2004, when Antiquorum celebrated VC's 250th anniversary with a dedicated auction.This catalog is beautifully produced and much easier to find than the 1994 catalog, but no less valuable to the collector.

Then there are a couple of books that Vacheron Constantin has published. One is “The World of Vacheron Constantin," which is more a history book about the times when VC existed rather than a history of VC.



Beyond these book are product catalogs. The generic catalogs are fun to leaf through, and they do show that the brand turns over its product dramatically in ten year’s time. There are also more elaborate catalogs dedicated to specific products such as the Quai de l’Ile (available from authorized dealers right now), the 250th anniversary pieces, and Les Masques.

One treasure in my collection is a photocopy of a catalog that dates from around 1952. I saw it at an online auction and I recognized the name of the one and only bidder. I wrote to him privately and asked that in order for us not to bid against one another, that he photocopy the catalog for me while he kept the orignial. He did one step better and  sent the origianl to me to copy. It included a letter which blew me away:



VC would only make 24 examples of any particular iteration of a watch before making a change (most likely to the dial). I do not know when this policy started, or when it ended, but it does indicate the rarity of any particular example of a vintage VC watch. Keep an eye out for such catalogs. They make for nice reading and are a nice collector’s item in themselves.




I also have a drawer full of Vacheron Constantin goodies, accumulated at watch events, picked up at retailers, won as prizes online, and just sent to me for the asking or from friends who know I’m a nut for the brand. Most usefull is an leather wallet that came with a number of the watches over the past decade. When I origianlly purchased the watches I was disapointed that I didn’t get a fancy box. But let’s face it, most of us hide the box away in the attic or basement, never to bring it out again unless we sell a watch. This pounch has room for 4 watches and folds nicely for travel.



I received this cap last year and enjoy wearing it!



In addition to the cap, I wear this VC Overseas jacket, model by yours truly:



where the sleeze is embroidered with the overseas logo:




I have wallets of varying sizes. The first is small, useful, say, for holding a driver’s license and a credit card, which one will need to buy a Vacheron Constantin Overseas at a local AD:



Then a mid-sized wallet to hold the driver’s license, cash, and a couple of credit cards to fund a trip to NY to buy a high-end VC:




And finally, this huge wallet, useful for holding the passport, large array of credit cards, and cash one needs to viist the boutique in Geneva and buy a skeletonized platinum minute repeater:



Objects that I desire but do not possess is a Vacheron Constantin-signed wachmaker’s Swiss Army Knife, and a poster of the Chronometer Royal 1908, which was in limited distribution earlier this year. As with the watches, the hunt is just as much fun as the ownership experience!

Bill