There are brands that craft watches inspired by timepieces from the Art-Decò period, the 50s, the 60s and the 70s and then there are other brands with such a longstanding tradition behind them that their timepieces were actually the trend setters in those years. Vacheron Constantin definitely belongs to the latter category of manufacturers.
Ahead of the upcoming celebration of its 260th anniversary which will be held on 17th September 2015 (when the maison is due to release a super complicated watch and, most likely, a direct answer to its main competitor Patek Philippe in the quest for the leadership of traditional high-end watchmaking), Vacheron Constantin launched a faithful re-edition of a timepiece that marked the trend in chronograph making during the 50s.
The Vacheron Constantin Historique Cornes de Vache 1955 is the maison's way to celebrate an iconic model and highly sought-after timepiece with a rich past. Cornes de Vache is the French terminology for "cow horns" lugs, a style that was quite popular in the 50s. This watch draws inspiration from the 1954 two registers chrono known as “reference 6087”, an 18K yellow gold watch with applied Roman numerals and the manual wind 942 caliber.
The 2015 Vacheron Constantin Historique Cornes de Vache 1955 will be launched during the upcoming Watches & Wonders exhibition in Hong Kong. The watch shares the very same style with its original counterpart and features the running seconds counter at 9 o' clock and the 30 minute register at 3 o' clock, the case measures 38,5mm (that is to say 3,5mm more than the original timepiece), is crafted in 950 platinum and has exactly the same layout as the original one, including the inner tachometer scale.
The "942 caliber" and the newer "1142 caliber" share the same base architecture, but the latter runs at 3Hz, ensuring 48 hours of power reserve and some nice details, such as the column wheel mechanism adorned with the Maltese Cross (the brand's logo.)
As you can see in these pictures, the watch is sealed with the Hallmark of Geneva, the highest certification available today in high-end watchmaking. Two additional characteristics I would like to turn you attention to are the opaline dial with applied white gold Roman numerals and the vaguely inspired "Super Compressor" like case-back which ensure that this watch is water proof like the original model.
For further information please visit Vacheron Constantin.
(Photo credit: Craftermag.com; courtesy of Vacheron Constantin)
Gaetano C. @Horbiter
