amanico
[JLC Moderator]
341097
Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques American 1921 Platinum or Chronometre Royal platinum?
If I think about modern Vacheron Constantin watches, there are a few which come to my mind, such as the Malte Chronograph Perpetual from the Excellence Series, the Malte Chronograph, too, the Mercator Enamel Champlevé, and... The Les Historiques American or the Chronometre Royal, both in platinum.
I know, some will tell me why choosing between these two last Vacheron... They are so different in their style and movements, one being round, the other cushion shaped, one having a manual winding movement while the other houses an automatic and chronometer movement, and so on... And they will be absolutely right!
But, as someone said, " choosing is renouncing " and we cannot always have everything we want. So, if there was only one to get between these 2, which one would it be?
The American 1921 Platinum?
Here a better view of the movement, from the rose gold version:
Or the Chronometre Royal Platinum? ( The first picture has to be credited to Shopify, the two others to Hodinkee.
I will add a picture of the movement side from the rose gold version I took some years ago:
Personally, each time I hear or read Chronomètre, my heart beats faster. And I would have preferred it with a manual winding movement and a red 12. Even if the automatic movement is far from being unpleasant to see!
But, still, it is a Chronometre, and I am deeply in love with its cold appeal.
The American 1921 Platinum has the advantage ( for me ) of a manual winding movement which I find a bit small for this case, but eye catching, and a superb grained dial. The blue indices give some life to the watch, and an indisputable cool factor.
With its tonneau shaped case and its crown at the top right, it is not a common watch. While the Chronomètre Royal is more conventional, for sure.
The size doesn't make a big difference, as, if my memory serves me well, they are about the same, but in the metal, the American 1921 wears bigger, and seems to be thicker, too.
I think I advocated for the " both " solution, but it wouldn't be fun... Let's stick on my first proposal: Which one among these 2?
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,
Best,
Nicolas
Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques American 1921 Platinum or Chronometre Royal platinum?
If I think about modern Vacheron Constantin watches, there are a few which come to my mind, such as the Malte Chronograph Perpetual from the Excellence Series, the Malte Chronograph, too, the Mercator Enamel Champlevé, and... The Les Historiques American ...
1921...
I love cushion case, manually wound & a quirky design but elegant ! LH version was possible but got to sell 2 kidneys, 1 heart & sell neighbors’ house - so wasn’t convinced 😜😜 Best, mahesh.,
1921
This thread is one I simply must respond to as it cannot be a coincidence that you’ve asked this question less then few weeks back when I pulled the trigger on the same dilemma I choose the Americain in platinum and although the chronometre is an incredib...
Chronometre Royale
I prefer the new edition in Rose Gold without the red 12. Its white enamel face is stunning, and the view of the movement is equally stunning and unimpaired by the winder rotor.
American 1921 my friend
It is a Vacheron ikon. The Chrononetre is really nice, but to my eyes at least, is always going to be competing with the Patek Calatrava and I lean more toward the Patek. Un abrazo! René
1921 for me. It’s been on my mind a lot recently.
And I think it will end up on my wrist eventually! 😉
I know you said no to both...
I know you said no to both, and to stick to these two... But I must propose the lovely Traditionelle Tourbillon, which is expensive, but a good value for a beautiful large tourbillon with a slow beat! It's also practically sized as it's big enough to exhi...
1921 all day , love the unusual dail and case shape
Such a elegant and yet cool watch imo
1921 by a small margin for me, as it's more unique to the brand.
Two very strong candidates, and pieces I wish the great house of VC will focus on making. Ken
Tough choice
1921 is more uniquely attractive in so many ways but Chrono Royal is very gorgeous clean. Hmmmm
I can't stay out of this one. LOL
Both of these are very, very special watches. The 1921 is iconic for Vacheron Constantin, but then so is a Chronometre Royal (almost any CR, in my opinion), which line has a long and distinguished history for the brand. This was my first VC: It had to be ...
12-4 for the 1921. Respo, what a great feedback you offered to us! At a certain moment, I thought you had both.
Yes, you said it eloquently, the CR has something very special. Charm? Soul? Something you have to spend time to fully discover what it is. The magic of the platinum case / enamel dial is another strong asset. Yes, I think you are right about the prod num...
LOL...I only wish
I had the opportunity to try on the platinum CR and took some photos with which to torture myself. Now the blue dial CR, that is the rarest of birds. I hope you don't have your heart set on that one. ;-) All the best, respo
The crown on the American won't survive a month and the Royal is a super-classic. And do you really want to wear a watch ...
on the inside of your wrist, anyway?
Respo said pretty much everything...
For me though, I would choose the 1921. I believe you and Joe refer to it as the “it factor,” and for me this is where I place the 1921. It just screams VC to me! In my opinion, VC represents classical design with a touch of quirky persona. When VC gets i...
Dear friends, please let me remind you that the 1921 was designed to be worn on the INSIDE of the LEFT wrist!
Its design goes back to the days when watch manufacturers were trying to sell to the then new & booming market of affluent motorcar-owners. The concept was that the watch could be read without taking the left hand off the steering wheel. Yes, it can w...
Good question but in the end I tend to prefer the American 1921.
The shape, the movement... and the fact that the CR is totally overpriced IMHO. Thanks! Fx
The 1921 for me, too...
Probably my second favourite modern VC, after the even more off-beat 1972
