Overseas chronograph: sporty-chic in two-tone mode

Source:  Images and content by Vacheron Constantin

• Sporty personality and versatile refinement: the Overseas chronograph reveals its new face.
• In-house Calibre 5200, a self-winding column-wheel chronograph movement featuring a 22K gold oscillating weight adorned with a compass rose.
• Three tool-free interchangeable bracelet/straps delivered with the watch: steel, calf leather, rubber.

“For the Manufacture, Overseas chronographs have always marked a desire for controlled yet subtly disruptive breakthroughs, a desire to explore other watchmaking territories and to experiment with new creative fields.”

The chronograph in the Overseas collection

In 1999, with the launch of the very first chronographs in the collection, Vacheron Constantin made Overseas watches the symbol of horological pleasure geared towards travel and escapism. In 2004, the design of these chronographs evolved to become part of an enduring exploratory momentum. Finally, in 2016, the Manufacture opened up new horizons for these emblematic watches with a collection featuring a revisited look yet perpetuating its initial extremely sporty-chic spirit. Deftly mingling character and elegance, the Overseas chronograph has thus left an indelible imprint on the history of the Maison with its characteristic six-sided bezel, its self-winding in-house movement and its unmistakable visual signature.

New model

In keeping with this tradition, the collection now includes a chronograph in a new steel “panda” version: silver-toned, sunburst satin-finished dial, snailed black counters, black velvet-finished flange, 18K white gold hour-markers and hours, minutes, seconds and counters hands, highlighted with Super-LumiNova®.

The ‘panda’ aesthetic principle dates back to the motorsports-dedicated timepieces of the 1960s. In addition to its graphic dynamics, the light-dark contrast ensures enhanced visibility and highlights the indications provided by the chronograph function. This two-tone outline conveys a distinctive style and a powerful personality, reinforced by its three interchangeable bracelet/straps enabling the wearer to change style in a few seconds without any need for tools.

“Since their creation more than 20 years ago, Overseas chronographs have always been synonymous with exploration for the Manufacture,” explains Style & Heritage Director Christian Selmoni. “These versatile timepieces combine the spirit of Haute Horlogerie characterising Vacheron Constantin with the refined sporting elegance suggested by the chronograph function. In a way, the Overseas chronographs have always marked, for the Manufacture, a desire for controlled yet subtly disruptive breakthroughs, a desire to explore other watchmaking territories and to experiment with new creative fields.”

The mechanical heart of the watch, in-house self-winding Calibre 5200, features a 22K gold oscillating weight adorned with a wind rose, a symbol of travel and exploration, visible through a sapphire caseback. The movement also has a twin barrel fitted with a column wheel complete with a Maltese cross-shaped screw and used to control the start-stop-reset chronograph function. In addition, this reliable and accurate mechanism is endowed with a vertical clutch to prevent any possible jerking of the hands when starting the chronograph.

This new timepiece reflects the collection’s versatile elegance thanks to the interchangeable wristband system enabling the wearer to switch tool-free from a steel bracelet with half-Maltese cross links to a calfskin or black rubber strap.

Christian Selmoni interview

What spirit does the new Overseas “panda” chronograph convey?

It is synonymous with exploration by combining Vacheron Constantin’s innate spirit of Haute Horlogerie with the refined sporting elegance suggested by its short-time measurement function. It signals the legitimacy of the sporty elegance concept in Haute Horlogerie.

What are the roots of this new Overseas chronograph?

The Overseas collection was born in 1996 with self-winding models that some regard as heirs to the famous 222 model launched in 1977. Recognisable by its notched six-sided Maltese Cross-shaped bezel and its integrated bracelet with geometrically shaped links, the Overseas has been the quintessential elegant sports watch by Vacheron Constantin since its birth. This new chronograph is its worthy descendant.

The Overseas “panda” chronograph opts for modularity; is this driven by desire to be in tune with the times?

For Vacheron Constantin, Overseas watches express a desire for exploration across all territories: they are elegant, endowed with a strong personality and adaptable to every situation via the interchangeability system. This new model can thus be fitted with a steel bracelet for a casual look, a leather strap for a dressier style, or a black rubber version for sportier wear.

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Sum-up

The Overseas collection welcomes a new chronograph in a contrasting “panda” version. This new aesthetic unites the sporty character of the collection with its versatile temperament thanks to an interchangeable system for the three bracelet/straps supplied with the watch. In addition to the highly distinctive aesthetic, the technical performance of in-house Calibre 5200, equipped with a twin barrel, is enhanced by a column wheel serving to start, stop and reset the chronograph function.

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TECHNICAL DATA

Reference                                                
5500V/110A-B686

Calibre                                                      
5200
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, self-winding
 22K gold Overseas oscillating weight
30.6 mm (13¼’’’) diameter, 6.6 mm thick
Approximately 52 hours of power reserve
4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
263 components
54 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Indications                                              
Hours and minutes
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Date
Column-wheel chronograph (30-minute and 12-hour counters)

Case                                                          
Stainless steel
42.5 mm diameter, 13.7 mm thick
Soft iron casing ring ensuring anti-magnetic protection
Screwed-down crown and quarter-turn screw-lock push-pieces
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistant tested at a pressure of 15 bar (approx. 150 metres)

Dial                                                            
Silver-toned, sunburst satin-finished base, translucent varnish
Black velvet-finished flange and snailed counters
18K white gold hour-markers and hours, minutes, seconds and counters hands, highlighted with Super-LumiNova®

Bracelet                                                    
Steel bracelet, half Maltese cross-shaped polished and satin-brushed links

Additional straps                                  
Black calfskin leather with grey stitching
Black rubber

Clasps                                                       
Stainless steel bracelet secured by a stainless steel triple-blade folding clasp with push-pieces and comfort-adjustment system
Delivered with a stainless steel triple-blade folding clasp with push-pieces and patented interchangeable system compatible with both additional straps