INTRODUCING: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 in steel
Over the years I’ve seen a lot of new chronographs. Some are impressive, and many are ordinary. But few are as hands-down gorgeous as the Vacheron Constantin Cornes de Vache that I first saw at Watches and Wonders in 2015. With its classical proportions and comely, cow-horn-shaped lugs it was a love-at-first sight affair. However, the platinum case construction and associated six-figure sticker price put it out of the realm of mere mortals. There was a brief glimmer of hope in 2017, when Hodinkee dropped one of their (IMO) hottest limited editions — a steel Cornes de Vache with a slate grey dial. That hope lasted all of five minutes, which is the approximate time it took for all 36 watches to sell. All that has now changed, with Vacheron Constantin announcing a regular production steel model to the line-up — the 38.5mm case is the same, as is the Calibre 1142 movement. This movement, as you’d expect from the brand, looks outstanding, and carries the Geneva Seal. Dial-side, the watch is no slouch either, with a complex construction, a pleasingly retro blend of applied markers, printed scales and sunken bi-compax registers. Add to the mix the beautiful, patina-d calfskin strap…
The post INTRODUCING: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 in steel appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
The other day, Phillips announced Phillips PERPETUAL, an always-on showroom of curated horological goodness. Because while blockbuster sales of celebrity pieces have a place, the opportunity for mass volume sales and Phillips, along with the other major auction players is jumping at it. For an in-depth look at the ever-changing business of selling very fine secondary market watches, this piece over at Le Monde Edmond is well worth a read. Twenty years ago, no one was able to buy or sell a fine collector’s watch if it was not via a public platform such as a tradeshow, a dealer or most importantly via an international auction house. The same applied to scholarship: It was only accessible on a personal, one-to-one basis, meaning, the person sharing it with you had to be in front of you. Today with Instagram and other social media, things are radically different. On the whole – all players have benefited – including auction houses. Bacs describes it as a wonderful new democratic platform that has been ‘an amazing trampoline for collectors, dealers and auction houses’. Read the full article here.
In the field of watch design there’s a lot to be said for restraint. Not every dial needs to be flashy, nor every case overwrought. Sometimes, all you need — all you want even — is a watch that looks good (no matter what), and can do anything, or at least anything most normal people would need their watch to do. The Tissot Gentleman is such a watch. The sober, classically designed case that measures 40mm across, and is neither too dressy nor too casual, sets the tone. That tone is amplified by the lovely dial options — here we’re looking at silver and rich brown, with neat sector-style printing, and applied gold tone indices in a slightly tapered shape, which adds a touch of dynamism that is paired with dauphine-style hands. This dial is framed by the gold bezel which — and this is well worth noting — is solid, not gold plate or cap. The final piece of the puzzle is provided by the movement, visible through the caseback. Tissot’s Powermatic 80 offers (as you’d guess) 80 hours of power reserve, which is very healthy, especially at this price point. On top of that, there’s silicium in the mix as…
Over the last few years the Laureato line has emerged as Girard-Perregaux’s valiant hero — a sporty steel warrior well equipped to win wrists across the world. Earlier this year, at SIHH in Geneva, Girard-Perregaux unleashed their latest expression of the Laureato – the evolved Laureato Absolute. This darkly clad watch was offered in a trio: time-only, world time and chronograph — we’re going to focus only on the latter today. The case is the familiar Laureato shape, though the material used is titanium, which has been given a black PVD coating — the finishes are a mix of polished and brushed, elevating the somewhat utiliarian treatment to more refined territory. A rubber strap is a natural choice for this sort of sporty look. The chronograph complication is also a natural choice, and it looks good here — the three registers in black, to match the case, but the rest of the dial is realised in a graduated blue sunburst. The pushers on the Laureato Absolute also offer an evolution of the octagonal screw-down numbers of the ‘regular’ version. Here we’re treated to sporty paddle-shaped numbers with a dashing blue highlight. The movement that you activate by pressing those pushers…