I am really close to buying the VC Overseas Auto/Date in stainless steel with the white dial.
I would be buying the watch as a daily wearer to replace my much loved and dependable Omega Speedy. The date on the Overseas would be a great addition and the clarity of the dial/ease with which I can read the minute markers will make the loss of a chrono function easier to live with. But, of course, it is the beauty of the Overseas, the fit, my passion for VC and the legendary craftsmanship of the marque which are really exciting me.
But I do have a question for Overseas owners: do you think the Overseas would be robust enough for everyday use? I do not have a designer lifestyle. While I work in an office environment, the watch also needs to be able to stand up to wider use outside of work. When things go wrong like needing to change a flat tyre in the middle of the night etc, I would also be wearing this watch.
Others have told me that I should stick to Omega or Rolex as a daily wearer since the VC may not be as tough to shocks and vibrations. I therefore looked at alternatives and I do like the Rolex Datejust 2 (to my surprise, having been prejudiced in the past against Rolex because of what I perceive to be their image). Obviously it is a lot cheaper, which is fortunately not my main driver, but would it really be that much tougher than the Overseas? I'd love to hear if Overseas owners have found it fragile. I understand the Overseas uses a modified JLC Master Control calibre which I had heard were very tough.
I am also looking to buy a dress watch in a couple of months to celebrate a forthcoming milestone birthday and am interested in the Glashütte Sixties Panorama Date in gold. A friend, who has much more knowledge than me about watches, has suggested that I should go with the Rolex DJ2 as a daily wearer and the Patrimonie Contemporaine auto/date for the dress watch. Combined price of a VC Overseas/ GO Sixties or Rolex DJ2/ VC Patrimonie are similar so that is not an issue. Do you think I'd be making a mistake with the Overseas/GO combination and regret my decision given what I want both watches for?
Sorry for the long post and thanks for any advice.
The Overseas would be a great companion with how you plan on wearing it. A lot of us have used it as an everyday wearer and found it be to durable and reliable.
Your DJ2/Contemporaine or Overseas/Senator pairing is much harder for me to answer, and I understand that everyone here will answer this in his own way. If it were me, I would choose the DJ2/Patrimony (though I really want to say get both the Overseas AND the 85180!!). For me, Vacheron Constantin's greatness is best highlighted with their dress watches.
I use my Overseas daily and have done for several years. The watch has proved to be very durable, versatile and is a superb daily wearer. I would not hesitate to recommend this piece.
I had a VC Overseas Auto for a few years as a daily wearer -- it was very dependable and I'd highly recommend it. For dress, I now have an 18k Les Historiques Chronograph. You really can't go wrong with either VC (or both)!