Words: Russell
In association with:
Perfection is a hard concept to grasp and, in the world of watchmaking, even harder to attain. But if you’ve been doing something for 263 years, perfection is the yardstick by which you’re obliged to measure yourself.
The Complete Calendar looking glorious on a keyboard
And that’s precisely what the world’s oldest surviving watch manufacturer, Vacheron Constantin, has reached for with the new Fiftysix collection. Inspired by an iconic timepiece from 1956, it harks back to a period regarded as the “golden age” of watchmaking.
This awe-inspiring new collection comprises of a simple time and date, a handsome day-date and the stunning complete calendar that comes with a moon phase indication.
The power reserve highlighted perfectly on the Day-Date model
This moon phase function on the complete calendar is so accurate it only needs to be calibrated once every 122 years. (So be sure to remind your great-great-(great?)-grandson to adjust his Fiftysix in 2140.) And, thanks to its timeless stainless steel styling and sapphire-crystal caseback, the future heirloom is guaranteed to look as good a century hence as it does right now.
The pink gold shining just as bright as the lume
The day-date model has been designed in an unusual manner – instead of having windows for the day and the date, they are shown through subdials that help balance the watch face perfectly. It even comes with a power reserve indicator as well to make sure your watch never stops ticking.
A great shot of the movement of the Day-Date through the sapphire case back
While the Maison’s experts have paid particular attention to the workings of this watch and its 22-carat open-worked rotor, they certainly haven’t neglected the face. The striking sector-type dial sees the light dance beautifully off the two subtle tones, while the stylized numbers recall the elegance of its mid-century forbear.
All three models come in stainless steel and 18K pink gold depending on how colourful you want to go.
Now check out the last watch we had on our wrist, Bell & Ross Racing Bird…
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