Traditionnelle Openface Three Anniversary Limited Editions a Contemporary Tribute to the History of the Maison
- wgclients01
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Since 1755, Vacheron Constantin has been defined by its pursuit of watchmaking excellence. To celebrate its 270 years of uninterrupted creativity, the Maison reveals three Traditionnelle limited editions celebrating two of its historical signatures, openworked dials and retrograde displays, symbolising the Maison’s constant quest for stylistic creativity and technical excellence.
History on the wrist
To mark its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin is reimagining its rich heritage in contemporary style with fresh interpretations of two of the Maison’s signatures, the retrograde display and the openworked dial.
The first Vacheron Constantin watch with a partially openworked dial was created in 1918. It was a pocket watch with an astronomical calendar – a completely innovative design at the time. Reference 47247, launched in 2002 marked the return of this type of dial to the Maison’s collections with a dial revealing the fascinating show performed by a complex retrograde date mechanism. In 2019, the Traditionnelle Twin Beat perpetual calendar expressed the same spirit in a skilful interplay of contemporary style and traditional sophistication, its openworked dial revealing the complex anatomy of the perpetual calendar calibre. The openface approach was reinterpreted two years later with the Traditionnelle Openface Complete Calendar; followed in 2023 by the Traditionnelle Tourbillon.
Vacheron Constantin’s 270th anniversary is also an opportunity to demonstrate another of the Maison’s signatures: the retrograde display. The Maison introduced its first wristwatch to feature a retrograde date in 1940. A technical feat nicknamed ‘Don Pancho’, the Reference 3620 vanished for almost 60 years before reappearing at auction in 2019. This was a significant moment for the Maison, which had reintroduced this type of display in 1994 with the Mercator, a watch featuring a double retrograde display with trailing hours and minutes. To mark its 245th anniversary in the early 2000s, Vacheron Constantin presented Reference 47245, a watch fitted with a retrograde date display that provided exemplary legibility and demonstrated considerable technical prowess.
These 270th anniversary limited editions marry signature complications and sophisticated, contemporary design to the classical stylistic codes of the Traditionelle collection. The cases, sculpted from 950 platinum, feature the Traditionelle signatures: stepped lugs, a fluted caseback and a slender bezel. Reflecting watchmaking tradition, the dial has a railway-type minutes track, faceted Dauphine-style hands and the collection's signature applied gold baton hour-markers.
Mechanical sophistication By openworking the dials of these three new limited editions, Vacheron Constantin reveals the full beauty of the mechanics.
The Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Date Openface model features a new self-winding manufacture movement, Calibre 2460 QPR31/270, equipped with two complications. The first is a perpetual calendar displaying the days, months and leap-year cycle, requiring no correction until 2100. These indications are complemented by the moon phases in an aperture at 6 o'clock, accurately tracking the moon's actual cycle of 29 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes.
This precision moon-phase display with its realistically designed lunar surface will need just one correction every 122 years. The second complication is a retrograde date display in the upper part of the dial. The openworked dial reveals the mechanism’s beauty and technical sophistication. To enhance the airy appearance of the calibre while ensuring the legibility of the time indications, the sapphire discs with the day, month and leap-year markings are set against a deep blue background. This slim new manufacture calibre is just 5.45 mm thick.
The Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface watch is powered by the self-winding Calibre 2162 R31/270, a 242-component manufacture movement with a 72-hour power reserve. Operating at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour and measuring just 6.35 mm thick thanks to its peripheral gold oscillating weight, it combines a tourbillon at 6 o'clock with a retrograde date whose intricate workings can be seen through the upper part of the openworked dial.
To power the Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface model, Vacheron Constantin has opted for the manufacture Calibre 2460 QCL/270: a more modern version of the Calibre 2450, which was the first self-winding iteration of the complete calendar entirely designed and developed in-house. In addition to its triple calendar indications – day of the week, date and month – it has a precision moon-phase display that needs adjustment only once in 122 years. The openworked dial reveals part of the 312-component self-winding mechanism. Pursuing the goal of legibility, the Maison's watchmakers and designers have chosen to display the date around the periphery of the dial using a blued hand, while the day and month are marked on sapphire discs and contrast with the blue background of the apertures.
Excellence lies in the details These limited editions feature openworked dials with a signature pattern inspired by the outline of the Maltese cross, Vacheron Constantin's emblem since 1880. Resulting from lengthy research by the Maison’s specialised artisans, this finely hand-guilloché decoration brings to mind the dial of the Reference 6068, launched in 1955 to mark the bicentenary of the Maison and creates a subtle play of light and shade with every movement of the wearer’s wrist.
The exposed calibres also demonstrate the attention the Maison's watchmakers devote to details. Each component is carefully finished, chamfered, polished or rounded off by hand to enhance the beauty of the calibres’ structure. This stylistic refinement continues with the caseback view, which reveals the ‘côte unique’ finishing on the bridges. This traditional decoration, used by Vacheron Constantin more than a century ago, was rediscovered in 2021 while reproducing the Historiques American 1921 watch.
The apparent simplicity of the finish is deceptive; the technique involves a combination of carefully controlled machining and manual gestures that demand great precision and skill to create a harmonious and continuous line from one bridge to another across the entire movement. More than 500 hours were required to regain mastery of this rare technique, clearly reflecting Vacheron Constantin's commitment to preserving and passing on its savoir-faire through the generations.
In keeping with the aesthetic codes of the Traditionnelle collection, the large square-scaled, hand-sewn alligator leather strap on each watch features tone-on-tone saddle-stitching and seams, and a pin buckle in the form of a half Maltese Cross.
