Vacheron Constantin

robbo400
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Patrimony automatics

I found myself in Geneva recently and visited the VC boutique (currently at a temporary location as I believe the VC building on the "island" is being refurbished) to compare the automatic versions of the Patrimony Contemporaine and Traditionnelle.

I had seen them both on the internet and in the VC catalogue and my preference at this stage was for the Traditionelle self-winding. I had also seen on the website that a yellow gold version is now being produced and I was really interested to see it.

They didn't have the yellow gold versions in stock but brought out RG versions of both (87172/000R-9302 and 85150/000R-9248). I tried on the Contemporaine and I just can't express in words the beauty of it, not just in appearance but also in terms of comfort and overall presence. The traditional buckle clasp was very comfortable. I just don't think this model could be improved in terms of comfort, balance and appearance. One thing I found very different from press photos was that the dial seemed almost beige in colour rather than white as it appears in pictures.

I then tried on the Traditionnelle. At 38mm, I was expecting it to be more comfortable as this is the size I generally prefer. But while the Contemporaine felt light and almost merged into the form of my wrist, the Traditionnelle felt heavier (even though off the wrist they felt the same weight) and it was definitely thicker so I actually prefered the size of the Contemporaine which surprised me. Also, seeing the Traditionnelle in the flesh, I felt the dial layout was not balanced (obviously just my personal view- don't get me wrong it is an absolutely stunning watch) and the bottom half seemed very empty compared to the top half.

Comparing them both, as you can tell, my preference was for the Contemporaine and I am now hoping to try a yellow gold Contemporaine and if the dial on that model (85180/000J-9231) appears more white as in the photos, I think my decision will be made. But I have to say that some may find the classic appearance of the Contemporaine less inspiring than the Traditionnelle. For example, the detail of the hands on the Traditionnelle is wonderful while the Contemporaine has "just" plain hands.

You guys all have such tremendous collections but to a novice like myself, hoping to graduate to high end in the near future from the ranks of Oris, Longines and Omega, I have never experienced such quality even taking account of a wonderful JLC Master Calendar which I tried on last year. I definitely feel that when I buy "the" dress watch for those special occasions in life it will come from those wonderful people who have learned a thing or two about watchmaking since 1755! I am hooked...

I hope my post hasn't sent you all to sleep and apologise if my comments are below the calibre of those more expert than me in the world of VC.