Vacheron Constantin Overseas

The Overseas is among the most famous and highly coveted Vacheron Constantin collections. The Genevan manufacturer first introduced these sports watches in 1996 and has since added new editions at regular intervals. The Overseas is the direct descendant of the Vacheron Constantin 222, which the company released in celebration of their 222nd anniversary in 1977. Like its historical predecessor, the Overseas' most distinctive features are its integrated bracelet and toothed bezel, the latter of which went from having eight to six teeth in 2016. This unique bezel is inspired by Vacheron Constantin's logo – the Maltese cross. It also has a porthole design, making the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak this watch's stiffest competition.

Today, the Overseas collection contains numerous models ranging from simple automatic watches to timepieces with ultra-flat cases and perpetual calendars. Among the latter group, you'll find a white gold edition with a skeletonized dial, which debuted in 2021. Other watchmaking highlights include the Overseas World Time with 37 time zones, the Overseas Chronograph with a 52-hour power reserve and in-house caliber, and the Overseas Ultra-Thin, which is only 7.5 mm thick. Vacheron Constantin has also offered the Overseas with a tourbillon since 2019.

Vacheron Constantin has expanded their material palette over the last few years. In addition to stainless steel, the manufacturer crafts timepieces out of rose or white gold or a two-tone combination of gold and steel. Women's watches are also available with diamond-studded bezels.

In-house movements power every watch in the current Overseas collection. Each movement is assembled, inspected, and encased in Geneva, Switzerland. This is why all Overseas timepieces produced since 2016 come with the Geneva Seal, which guarantees a watch's origin and exceptional quality.

The most affordable Overseas watches sell for between 4,100 and 6,000 USD. For these prices, you will find older quartz-powered women's models from the turn of the millennium. Well-maintained mechanical men's watches from the same period demand anywhere from 10,500 to 13,000 USD depending on whether you choose a gold or stainless steel edition. Finally, an automatic chronograph from the 2000s will set you back about 14,000 USD.

Prices for current three-hand watches like the ref. 4500V begin around 28,500 USD on Chrono24. This is also the starting price for Overseas timepieces with a second time zone or chronograph. However, if you'd prefer one of the top models with a perpetual calendar or tourbillon, you should be prepared to spend between 94,000 and 120,000 USD.

The Overseas Self-Winding with three hands and an automatic caliber is one of the collection's most simple and coveted watches. One example is the 41-mm Overseas ref. 4500V, which has been in production since 2016. Its power comes from the in-house caliber 5100. This movement provides the watch with its 60-hour power reserve. Both the movement and the watch have been awarded the Geneva Seal. A date display at 3 o'clock completes this timepiece.

Vacheron Constantin offers the 4500V with a blue, silver, or brown sunburst dial. As of 2018, this model is also available with a black lacquer dial. You can choose from watches with a stainless steel or rose gold case. The manufacturer mounts the stainless steel edition on a metal bracelet with links modeled after the maltese cross. The gold variant has come on your choice of a leather, rubber, or 18-karat gold band since 2020. Prices for a stainless steel timepiece depend on the dial color and fall between 24,500 and 43,000 USD. Gold watches on a leather or rubber strap generally cost around 41,500 USD. Those on a gold bracelet change hands for roughly 69,000 USD.

Its predecessor model, the ref. 47040, came to market in 2005 and still had an eight-tooth bezel. The caliber 1226, based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 889, ticks away inside this timepiece. You can recognize watches from this series thanks to the date display at 4:30 and large applied numerals at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock. Prices for a well-maintained stainless steel timepiece begin around 13,000 USD on Chrono24. If you prefer rose gold watches, be sure to have about 25,000 USD on hand.

Watches from the 1990s are even more affordable. For example, you can get the 37-mm ref. 42042 in stainless steel for under 11,000 USD. At 34.5 mm, the ref. 72050 is a fantastic women's model. It gets its power from a quartz caliber and sells for as little as 6,500 USD.

Vacheron Constantin produced the 40-mm Overseas Ultra-Thin from 2016 to 2019. This watch is exceptionally flat at only 7.5 mm. In fact, it is a solid 3.5 mm thinner than the Overseas Automatic with three hands. Even the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin is 0.6 mm thicker than the Overseas Ultra-Thin. This timepiece should tick all the boxes for anyone looking for a simple and thin automatic watch.

The automatic caliber 1120 is the beating heart of the Overseas Ultra-Thin. This movement debuted in 1968, and is the result of a cooperation between Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe. Each company still uses the movement under different names to this day. The 1120 lacks a date display and central second hand. This gives the Overseas Ultra-Thin a more minimalist and tidy appearance than its larger sister model.

Vacheron Constantin crafts the Oveaseas Ultra-Thin's case and bracelet out of white gold. You can find never-worn editions for sale on Chrono24 for about 59,000 USD.

The Overseas Chronograph is yet another highly sought-after model in the Overseas collection. Its chronograph function allows this timepiece to measure periods of time up to 12 hours. The in-house caliber 5200 has a 52-hour power reserve, a date display at 4:30, and three subdials: a 30-minute counter at 3, a 12-hour counter at 6, and a small seconds at 9 o'clock.

The watch has been available in a stainless steel version with a so-called "reverse panda dial" since 2018. The "reverse panda dial" is black with white subdials. There are also silver or blue dials available. In terms of case material, you can choose from stainless steel or rose gold. Up until a few years ago, Vacheron Constantin also produced two-tone editions in stainless steel and rose gold. These watches are largely stainless steel but have a rose gold crown, bezel, and push-pieces. Now you can only find listings for these models on the pre-owned market. Regardless of case material, each version features a screw-down crown and push-pieces to guarantee water resistance to 150 m (15 bar, 492 ft).

A stainless steel Overseas Chronograph requires an investment of roughly 33,000 USD with a black or white dial and 38,000 USD with a blue dial. Those in 18-karat rose gold demand around 51,000 USD. Finally, you can purchase a two-tone edition for about 28,500 USD.

Anyone who travels a lot knows the benefits of having a watch with a second time zone or even a world time function. The latter usually refers to watches that show 24 times zones at once. However, the Overseas World Time goes above and beyond. It displays 37 time zones, accounting for those offset by 15 or 30 minutes. To achieve this, Vacheron Constantin splits the dial into four sections. In the center is a top-down view of the Earth from the North Pole. This is surrounded by a ring with 37 famous cities, each representing a time zone. Next comes a 24-hour ring that also doubles as a day/night indicator. Finally, a minute track with narrow indices runs around the dial's outer edge. Other than the minute track, all of the dial elements are adjustable so that you can always set the local time and, thus, the times in the other time zones correctly. All of this is made possible by the in-house caliber 2460 WT/1.

You can call this watch with a white dial your own for around 26,500 USD. Editions with a blue or brown dial require an investment of approximately 38,000 USD.

Dual time (or "GMT") watches generally display two times at once: the local time and the time back home. This is also true of the Overseas Dual Time. The in-house caliber 5110 DT provides this timepiece with a fourth hand for indicating the time in the additional time zone. Unlike most GMT watches, this model's fourth hand completes one rotation every 12 hours instead of every 24. This means that you can "hide" the GMT hand behind the normal hour hand whenever you don't need the GMT function. You can easily determine if it is day or nighttime in the second time zone thanks to the Overseas Dual Time's AM/PM indicator at 9 o'clock. A pointer date at 6 completes the dial.

Vacheron Constantin offers this watch in stainless steel with a black, white, or blue dial. Prices vary by dial color from 28,000 to 37,000 USD. The Dual Time in rose gold sells for around 43,500 USD on Chrono24.

The Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar is a fine example of haute horlogerie. Thanks to the automatic in-house caliber 1120 QP, this wristwatch features a perpetual calendar with date, day, month, moon phase, and leap year displays that will all be accurate until 2100. This complicated movement is only 4.05 mm thick, allowing for an extraordinarily flat total height of only 8.1 mm, despite also having protection against magnetic fields. This means it is only 0.6 mm thicker than the Overseas Ultra-Thin and 1.4 mm thinner than the comparable Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar from Audemars Piguet. At 41.5 mm, the diameter of this Vacheron Constantin timepiece exceeds that of its competition from Audemars Piguet by 0.5 mm.

The Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar is available in your choice of white or rose gold. A white gold edition with a blue sunburst dial debuted in 2021 at a list price of 97,000 USD. The rose gold version on a leather strap sells for about 80,500 USD, while the same watch on a rose gold bracelet costs upwards of 113,000 USD.

In 2020, Vacheron Constantin launched a rose gold watch with the skeletonized caliber 1120 OPSQ/1. A white gold version followed only a year later. Both timepieces have official list prices of 130,000 USD.

The Oversears With a Perpetual Calendar and Chronograph

If you would like to combine the convenience of a perpetual calendar with the practicality of a chronograph, the Overseas Chronograph Perpetual Calendar is the right luxury watch for you. Introduced in 2012, this model is no longer in Vacheron Constantin's catalog.

Its 42-mm case houses the caliber 1136 QP with a 40-hour power reserve. Each subdial serves two functions: The subdial at 3 o'clock is the pointer date and 30-minute counter; at 6, you have a moon phase display and small seconds; there's a day display and 2-hour counter at 9; and finally, the subdial at 12 does double duty as a month display and leap year indicator.

This combined chronograph and perpetual calendar watch will set you back around 73,500 USD in rose gold. The Boutique edition is slightly sportier thanks to its stainless steel case and bright yellow chronograph seconds hand. It is also a few thousand dollars less expensive than its gold counterpart.

The Overseas Tourbillion is the latest addition to the Overseas family. The stainless steel edition premiered in 2019 and was later joined by a rose gold version at Watches & Wonders 2021. The highlight of this watch is the tourbillon, which you can see through a dial cutout at 6 o'clock. The tourbillon also serves as a small seconds and is part of the in-house caliber 2160. Before this model came along, the movement had only appeared in the Traditionnelle and Fiftysix collections. Perhaps this movement's most interesting feature is its peripheral rotor. Shaped like a ring, it rotates around the outside of the movement and, thus, does not obstruct the view of any other components.

Be sure to have some 118,000 USD on hand for a stainless steel Overseas Tourbillon. The newer rose gold edition has a list price of 165,000 EUR (approx. 195,000 USD).