Swiss luxury watch brand Vacheron Constantin is releasing two new Historiques watches, inspired by the 1940’s. Both are triple calendar watches boasting new mechanical movements, but there are actually a number of differences between them aside from the addition of a moonphase complication in the case of the limited edition Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendrier 1948. For the Historiques collection that tends to include a lot of precious metal cases, it is also notable that the non-limited edition Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942 watches are in steel.
The Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942 watch is inspired by the legendary reference 4240 that was made in 1942 in yellow and pink gold, as well as in steel. For this watch, the hours, minutes and seconds are indicated via blued steel hands (with the seconds read off of a subsidiary dial at 6:00). Additionally, the date is read via a red-arrow hand on the outer edge of the dial. Positioned at 12:00 beneath the logo, two windows display the day of the week and the month of the year. On this version the hours are indicated using Arabic numerals. The calendar indications (day, date, month) are offered in either rich burgundy or dark blue – a strikingly elegant look against the silvered dial. The blue version is fitted with a blue Mississippienis alligator strap, while the burgundy version has a dark brown strap – both with large scales. This watch retails for $19,500.
The Historiques Triple Calendrier 1948 watch offers the day and month indication via apertures beneath the logo at 12:00, and has hour, minute, and calendar hands. However on this version, the subsidiary seconds dial at 6:00 also boasts an astronomical moonphase indication. This watch is created in 18-karat 4N pink gold and has Roman numerals and triangular markers on the silvered dial instead of Arabic numerals for the hours. Also offered with burgundy calendar functions or with blue calendar functions, this watch is created in a limited edition of just 200 pieces in each of the two colors. The Historiques Triple Calendrier 1948 retails for $35,000.
The watches are each fitted with new manual Caliber 4400 movements made in-house by Vacheron Constantin.