Vacheron Constantin celebrates 30 years of Overseas

Across two generations and with the continuous evolution of its models driven by innovation and wearer comfort, Overseas has seen its desirability soar since the beginning of the 2020s. To mark its 30th anniversary, the world’s oldest continuously operating manufacture presents the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Azur, a limited edition of 200 pieces featuring an unprecedented combination of white gold and an azure blue dial.

Vacheron Constantin’s love affair with the sport chic style first took the form of the Chronomètre Royal shaped watch with an integrated bracelet in 1975. In its wake came the legendary 222 in 1977, on the occasion of Vacheron Constantin’s 222nd anniversary, considered by some collectors to be the ancestor of Overseas. For Style and Heritage Director Christian Selmoni, "Our clients’ expectations evolved from the beginning of the 1990s towards designs with a sportier character, with steel as the reference metal. It was in this context that we launched Overseas, a collection in three sizes firmly positioned in the field of sporty elegant watches". The official launch of Overseas came in 1996, when the brand joined the Vendôme group, which would become Richemont. It immediately stood out with its fluted, screwed bezel and slim case, combining elegant design and functionality for lovers of fine watchmaking with an active and demanding lifestyle, particularly when travelling. It was then offered in three sizes ranging from 24.5mm to 37mm, with the famous Jumbo becoming the most sought-after model. The collection incorporated its first chronograph in 1999, and enjoyed a new lease of life in 2004: the second generation was designed to be sportier, with its integrated bracelet appealing through links evoking the Maltese Cross, the emblem of the Maison. Its versatility revealed itself through the years in the form of complications and jewellery versions, much to the delight of the women and men who wear or admire it.

New Horizons

While the world had not yet fully grasped the significance of Donald Trump’s election in the USA and England’s Brexit in 2016, the aptly named Overseas saw its third generation take flight. Its vocation as a great traveller spread its wings and its technical ambition was reflected in the creation of manufacture calibres designed for the collection, notably dual time and world time, without forgetting the chronograph. To accompany these changes of time zones, Overseas was now equipped with highly practical interchangeable bracelets that required no tools. Although it displayed more fluid lines, it retained its strong aesthetic codes such as the bezel and integrated bracelet in which the Maltese Cross is outlined, as well as the compass rose on the gold rotor. Titanium and platinum cases were added to steel and gold, as was a first azure blue dial that was particularly complex to produce, and a first ultra-thin perpetual calendar incorporating the highly accomplished calibre 1120 QP/1, already acclaimed in the Patrimony collection. 

More recently, miniaturisation has become increasingly evident in terms of case thickness and diameter, with 34.5 and 35 mm models, while the complications have continued to expand, for example with a moon phase combined with a retrograde calendar. Christian Selmoni also sees a certain dialogue with the brand’s aficionados: "In summary, the sporty elegant positioning of Overseas has always been maintained, adapting it to changes in our clients’ expectations. Today, sporty elegant watches are enjoying remarkable popularity, and this is why we have incorporated into the third generation of Overseas complications that were usually found in classic watches. Such as retrograde date and moon phases."

The Archetype of Demanding Sport Chic

For 30 years, Vacheron Constantin has skilfully maintained a constant tension in its Overseas between loyalty to its sporty travelling DNA and an elegance that has become more refined with each generation. A concentrated expression of this aesthetic and technical achievement, the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin Azur in white gold perfectly illustrates this philosophy and commemorates this 30th anniversary. What surprises and seduces at first glance are the depth and subtle contrasts of the lacquered dial, with its carefully studied reliefs designed to promote legibility and harmony throughout. On the reverse, the extreme attention to detail is immediately apparent on the beautifully decorated 22 carat gold oscillating weight, which sweeps across the ultra thin movement with the most refined hand finishes of haute horlogerie. Its sophisticated architecture allows its 276 components to operate in symbiosis within a thickness of 4.05 mm, a feat for an automatic perpetual calendar movement with moon phase indication. One never tires of the bracelet’s links inspired by the Maltese Cross, elegantly integrated into the gold case, yet it is always appreciated to be able to vary the experience with a single click by opting for one of the two other blue or white rubber straps.

The Overseas has its own love story, and the explanation is as simple as the wordplay.

Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin Azur

Case: white gold, sapphire crystal caseback, 8.1 mm thick, water resistant to 50 m

Size: 41.5 mm

Movement: self-winding mechanical movement, calibre 1120QP/1, 40 hour power reserve, 276 components, 22k gold rotor, hand finished haute horlogerie decoration

Functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar, date, day, month, leap year, moon phases

Dial: azure lacquered dial, luminous hands and gold moon

Bracelet: 3 interchangeable options, gold, white and blue rubber, adjustable triple folding clasp

Limited edition: 200 pieces

Price: CHF 120'000.-