How was Overseas born?
The first example of the collection with which the manufacture marked its debut in the world of sports watches dates back to 1996, but the origins of the Vacheron Overseas take us even further back, to 1977, when for its 222nd anniversary the Maison presented the “222” an automatic timepiece with an unusual one-piece steel case connected to a bracelet of the same material.
It is easy to see in that rare model of thirty years ago the double of an IWC Ingegneur, even better the stroke of the pen of Gerald Genta who drew it and who, also thanks to icons such as the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, was the mind who had the brilliant idea of dressing Haute Horlogerie with more informal clothes.
At the time of 222, watchmaking was experiencing the full quartz crisis; the birth in those years of the new sports luxury segment, which today is the most popular, certainly gave a hand to the historic Made in Swiss manufactures.
3 Oveseas Photographed Live by Pisa Orologeria
I start with an Overseas chronograph with a gold case and silver dial whose first shot appears at the beginning of the article. Its classic look has been combined with a very fitting and comfortable brown rubber strap that softens the austere but pleasant glow of the pink hue of the precious metal. Thanks to a quick release system for which a patent application has been filed, it is interchangeable with two others supplied in complete autonomy replica watches.
Nothing advances on my normal-sized wrist with a 42.5 mm diameter case but, thanks to the tapered downward attachment of the rubber strap, this chronograph also fits well in length for me.
The silver dial is very fascinating, which I prefer for this version with a gold case compared to the chocolat brown one of the latest Overseas. Impeccable details as expected from the brand.
The new in-house Caliber 5200 is worth pausing for a moment. There is a column wheel with vertical engagement, the best solution to have a precise sorting of the chronograph functions but at the same time sweet and nice pressure of the buttons. The finishes are also of the highest level; you get lost in observing the details of the 22k gold oscillating weight.
He doesn’t even joke about its price. It costs 53,600 Euros.
The second Overseas seen by Pisa Orologeria is with the hours of the world the most complicated of the collection. The steel case is 43.5 mm in diameter and that extra unit, at least on my wrist, is beginning to be noticed.
Complicated, in the sense of sophisticated, also in the representation on the dial of the 37 time zones (even fractions of hours) provided by the automatic mechanical Caliber 2460 WT. Depending on the reflection of the light, the central background of the map of the northern hemisphere appears more prominent with lands and oceans made from a play of brown and black hues, or the sapphire disc engraved with the name of the combined cities. The replica Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Hours Caliber 2460WT certainly does not go unnoticed on the wrist.
A mechanical advantage of this Overseas is that to make all the adjustments not only do you not have to resort to correctors, but not even a second crown; everything is set and operated by the single traditional winding crown.
Price: 40.500 Euros