Vacheron Constantin

Following up on Bill's entertaining "Pair of pairs" thread the other day, here is a pair that has been on my mind way too much and for way too long. The question is simple: Which one? (The photo on the left is courtesy of our esteemed Moderator, and it is...  

But if I could only pick one it would be the Traditionnelle when it comes to these gray dials (if the choice were between these two references in rose gold and I'm choosing the 81180). I like the two shades of gray on the Traditionnelle, which bring the d... 

Right, Bill? ;-D I asked this question actually not so much to get help with making my personal decision, but just to see what the current opinions are on these two watches. The Patrimony with the slate dial has been out now since 2010 while the gray Trad... 

You can get the gray dial Overseas and rose gold Patrimony for less than the platinum Traditionnelle. :-) You may find yourself, looking at a VC watch You may ask yourself, how did I get here? Letting the days go by, respo will get a VC watch Into the blu... 

Good one, Bill!

Tina Weymouth, the bass player for the band, and I had the same music teacher in Connecticut. Bill

Wow, how to choose?! Patrimony (Contemporaine) just edges it for me. Super clean, super understated; minimalism at its best!

I'll go for the Patrimony. Because it reminds me of the ALS Saxonia Thin, a watch that I also like.

Gets my vote. I like the case design better, and the colors on the dial really work, making it pop, as much as something gray can pop!

will state my view ! :P :P Traditionelle pls. :) Ok on a serious note, the Traditionelle still. The grey dial, two tone effect and a less common look. cheers robin

.... as nobody will fight me for the PATRIMONY!!!!

...but I am sure VC will make enough for both of us! ;-) Best, respo

simply because I like the tones, the recessed seconds dial and that I can tell when it's moving....of course doesn't help that it has been on my list of "to get" for the longest time now Both are beautiful in their own way.

small seconds sub-dial it give life to the watch. Cheers Francois from Down Under

Contemporaine. The reason is you already have the 1921, which has the caliber 4400, and you have the 1955, which has caliber 1003. The Patrimony Contemporaine will complete your troika of three different VC manual movements. I am saying this as an owner o... 

a gorgeous timepiece. I just saw the Platinum slate grey version last week, and I saw two VC honchos (one a pretty woman VC executive) wearing the PG version. The only downside is that there is no sapphire caseback, but think you will have platinum restin... 

...and that has crossed my mind since collecting the movements is as important to me as the watches themselves. Thanks for this observation and recommendation. Best respo

not make sense to own two watches with the same movement. At least that's what I feel, though many would disagree. And the Patrimony Contemporaine is a beautiful timepiece. The 'regular' version in PG and also the boutique edition with Black Dial are both... 

...as the Talking Heads song goes. I see your point, but I also would consider it perfectly sensible to collect every version of the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Chronograph. The movement is so lovely, as is the watch, and I find every metal and dial c... 

Traditionelle in Platinum to go with my PG version. I agree that sometimes it does not have to make sense. VC did make the Contemporaine automatic without date but discontinued it two-three years ago. I think the reason is not enough capacity and they nee... 

I never thought about the short-lived ref. 86180 you mention being discontinued due to capacity reasons, as you say, with VC needing the movements (cal. 2460) for the Metier D Arts and other pieces. I always thought that the model was discontinued due to ... 

reasons. I always felt the version without date looked better than the version with date. Yes, a special order the way you have described would be a splendid timepiece.

I fully recommend this option. Cheers, patrickh

Get both (LOL)! You can't go wrong with either one. Joseph

Choosing between these two watches would be difficult. And depending on one's collection and resources, I could see someone getting both. That won't be me, unfortunately. :-( Tough choices must be made! Best regards, respo

Traditionnelle... Best G