Overseas tourbillon skeleton: A breath of fresh air for an emblematic complication

• First tourbillon skeleton watch in the Overseas collection
• Two versions in 18K 5N pink gold and Grade 5 titanium respectively 
• First Vacheron Constantin all-titanium model with integrated bracelet
• Manufacture Calibre 2160 SQ, redesigned and skeletonised with a new balance-spring featuring a Breguet overcoil

Geneva, 30 March 2022 – The tourbillon, one of the most emblematic Haute Horlogerie complications, joins the Overseas collection in a skeletonised version. Manufacture Calibre 2160 has been redesigned for the occasion in a contemporary, entirely openworked spirit. Available in 18K 5N pink gold and Grade 5 titanium – first Vacheron Constantin model made entirely of this metal- versions complete with integrated bracelets, this watch is accompanied by meticulous attention to the finishing of the movement and case.

Vacheron Constantin continues the travel spirit of the Overseas watches with this new tourbillon skeleton model, a first in this collection launched in 1996. Beautifully streamlined with its entirely openworked movement; sophisticated with its robust case; rigorously disciplined with its tourbillon-driven movement ensuring a comfortable over three-day power reserve, this timepiece is designed for the finest journeys – exactly as François Constantin, the tireless traveller who signed an enduring alliance with Jacques-Barthélémi Vacheron in 1819, would doubtless have presented it.

The watch comes in two versions, one in 18K 5N pink gold and the other in Grade 5 titanium. The titanium model is the first by the Maison to be entirely made of this same metal – from crown to bezel and from bracelet to case. The self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2160 powering these timepieces has been entirely skeletonised in a contemporary spirit with a degree of attention to detail stemming from an authentic aesthetic quest celebrated through Vacheron Constantin’s “Anatomy of Beauty ®” 2022 theme.

A finely crafted movement, Manufacture Calibre 2160 SQ

The skeletonisation work carried out on self-winding Calibre 2160 has enabled not only a 20% reduction in the movement’s weight but also a complete rethink of its architecture. Its curvature is thus very slender, at barely 5.65 mm thick – a real technical feat considering the requirements linked to the integration of a tourbillon carriage. This thinness is notably due to the choice of a peripheral gold oscillating weight, which also enables a completely clear view of the rear of the movement. The work done on the baseplate and the four bridges can be clearly admired, with the NAC (N-acetylcysteine) surface treatment applied by electrolysis conferring an anthracite grey tint. This contemporary touch given to the movement blends perfectly with the classic haute horlogerie finishes in the form of hand-drawn flanks and hand-chamfering with polished bevels to accentuate the light playing across the components. The mainplate and bridges are also delicately decorated to create a finish of very fine, perfectly horizontal grooves. Such concern for details is a credo which holds that even the smallest part deserves the same meticulous attention as those that are perfectly visible.

The same NAC surface treatment can be found on the barrel, of which the drum and cover have been entirely openworked, creating a compass rose shape on the dial side – another original feature of Calibre 2160 SQ. To complete the openworking of this 186-component movement, the wheels have also been made lighter, while the tourbillon is held by a rounded-off upper bridge. The tourbillon regulator rotating once per minute operates at a rate of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz) and serves as a small seconds indicator by means of one of the four screws used to secure the carriage and which is grey on the pink gold version and flame-blued on the titanium version.

For this new calibre, Vacheron Constantin’s watchmakers have also redesigned the regulating organ housed in the tourbillon carriage coupled with the escapement. A new balance-spring was designed in-house, equipped with a Breguet overcoil (terminal curve). By folding the outer spring coil towards the centre, outside its horizontal plane, this arrangement forces a flat development of the spring, thus ensuring enhanced isochronism.

The art of details

The sapphire crystal serving as the dial reveals all the details of the calibre, like a horological anatomy taking shape with each component. The hour-markers secured to this crystal are in rhodium-plated 18K 5N pink gold or 18K white gold, depending on the model. The same noble metals are used for the hands which, like the hour-markers, are coated with Super-LumiNova® ensuring perfect night-time visibility. The dial ring is available in black lacquered 18K 5N pink gold or in blue PVD-treated 18K white gold.

Particular care has been devoted to the finishing of the case and bracelet. The bezel ring is circular satin-brushed on the 18K 5N pink gold version and sandblasted on the Grade 5 titanium iteration. The case and bracelet of both models are vertically satin-brushed with polished angles on the bracelet links, whose shape is inspired by Vacheron Constantin’s Maltese Cross emblem.

Both watches feature the Overseas collection specific interchangeable strap system. They come with two straps in calfskin and rubber: black with two 18K 5N pink gold pin buckles for the gold model; and blue with an interchangeable titanium folding clasp for the titanium model.

The Anatomy of Beauty ®

The Overseas tourbillon skeleton watch features architecture and finishes that are meticulous in every detail, reflecting the quest for excellence cherished by the Maison, whose 2022 “Anatomy of Beauty®” theme pays tribute to the extraordinary work of its artisans. This extraordinarily painstaking care is expressed through the designers’ aesthetic choices and preferences as well as in the meticulous finishing work performed by the artisans. All the components of a Vacheron Constantin watch benefit from this scrupulous attention, even those that remain invisible once the movement has been assembled. A keen eye will note the fine guilloché work on a dial or the gem-set minutes track; it will make out the contours of the Maison’s Maltese cross emblem on the links of a bracelet; it will notice the small flame-blued screw serving as a seconds indicator on a tourbillon carriage and the mirror polish of a minute-repeater hammer; it will appreciate the artisans’ delicate touch when chamfering a plate or rounding off a bridge; and finally, it will admire the miniature enamel painting depicting a ship tossed around by a stormy sea streaked with lightning. At Vacheron Constantin, concern for detail delicately shapes an anatomy of beauty in which nothing is left to chance.**********************

Sum-up

Several “firsts” characterize the new Overseas tourbillon skeleton model. It is the first timepiece in the collection equipped with a tourbillon movement in a skeletonised version. The new Manufacture Calibre 2160 SQ, featuring hand-crafted finishes characteristic of haute horlogerie yet in a contemporary spirit, is equipped with an original regulating organ featuring a balance-spring with a Breguet overcoil. The openworking of the barrel reveals a cover shaped like compass rose, a novel design for Vacheron Constantin. Available in 18K 5N pink gold and Grade 5 titanium, this latest version is the first Vacheron Constantin watch made entirely of this metal, including the bezel and crown. This breath of fresh air, which is entirely in keeping with the travel spirit of the Overseas collection, is accompanied by meticulous attention to the finishing of the movement and case. Each component is reworked and finished by hand, perfectly illustrating the Maison’s Anatomy of Beauty theme for 2022, which highlights all the richness and subtlety of the details featured in a Vacheron Constantin timepiece. Both versions come with two interchangeable leather and rubber straps.

TECHNICAL DATA

Reference
6000V/110R-B934
6000V/110T-B935

Calibre
2160 SQ
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, self-winding, peripheral rotor
31 mm (13½’’’) diameter, 5.65 mm thick
Approximately 80 hours of power reserve
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations per hour)
186 components
30 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Indications                                   
Hours, minutes, small seconds on tourbillon carriage (coloured screw)
Tourbillon                            

Case                                                
18K 5N pink gold / Grade 5 Titanium
42.5 mm diameter, 10.39 mm thick
Soft iron casing ring ensuring anti-magnetic protection
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistant tested at a pressure of 5 bar (approx. 50 metres)

Dial
Sapphire

18K 5N pink gold / 18K white gold hour-markers and hours & minutes hands highlighted with Super-LumiNova®

Bracelet
18K 5N pink gold bracelet / Grade 5 Titanium (half Maltese cross-shaped polished and satin-brushed links), secured by a 18K 5N pink gold / Grade 5 Titanium triple-blade folding clasp with push-pieces and comfort-adjustment system

Additional straps
Black / blue calfskin leather with white stitches
Black / blue rubber

Buckles
6000V/110R-B934: Each additional strap comes with a 18K 5N pink gold
6000V/110T-B935: Titanium Grade 5 interchangeable folding-clasp

Ref. 6000V/110T-B935 (titanium version) only available through the Vacheron Constantin Boutiques.