Patrimony Manual-Winding - Patrimony moon phase retrograde date: Two decades of minimalist modernity
APRIL 12, 2024
The perfect balance between rounded curves and taut lines: inspired by the minimalist watches of the 1950s, the Patrimony collection has been celebrating purity of style and the quest for essentials for 20 years. New diameter, new dial and strap colours, customisation: the collection continues to be firmly rooted in the modernity of its era with three new models.
Two manual-winding models in white gold or pink gold feature a new 39 mm diameter, an antique silver-toned dial, a closed caseback providing scope for personalised engraving and two new strap colours, azure blue or olive-green.
A new white gold model with moon phases and retrograde date in white gold features an old-silver-toned silver-toned dial and an olive-green alligator strap.
An affirmation of uncompromising minimalism
At first glance, nothing has changed: the design is understated, undeniably elegant, timeless yet incredibly contemporary. Nonetheless, the Patrimony manual-winding timepiece as it has existed since 2004 has definitely evolved – starting with the size of the two new manual-winding models that are ideal for any wrist. Already appreciated for its 40 mm size, the case sculpted in pink or white gold now features a classic 39 mm diameter. This aesthetic is echoed on the collection’s signature convex dial, whose sunburst-finished surface is attired in a new old-silver-toned colour. This shade providing a hint of retro styling contrasts with the pink gold of the Patrimony collection’s characteristic slim hands, hour-markers and circular ‘pearl’ minutes track composed by 48 polished 18K gold pearls. In addition to these stylistic evolutions, the alligator leather straps are available in original new azure blue or olive-green colours, adding a fresh touch to the naturally understated nature of the Patrimony. As a final aesthetic detail, the closed caseback enables the owner of the watch to personalise it with a text or design of their choice, delicately engraved in gold.
While understatement may be the order of the day, precision is clearly every bit as important. At the heart of the case beats manual-winding Calibre 1440. Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin, this movement is just 2.6 mm thick and endowed with a 42-hour power reserve.
Heir to the Maison’s great stylistic and technical tradition, the new Patrimony moon phase retrograde date watch also favours timeless understatement, with a 42.5 mm white gold case featuring a new dial colour. The sunburst old-silver-toned shade creates a subtle contrast with the pink gold of the hands and hour-markers, giving a two-tone twist to this model driven by in-house self-winding Calibre 2460 R31L powering two complications. The first is a moon-phase indication in an aperture at 6 o’clock, graduated to correspond precisely to the moon’s cycle of 29 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes. This precision moon phase requires just one correction every 122 years. The second consists of a retrograde date display in the upper part of the dial, a Vacheron Constantin technical and style signature. Through the sapphire crystal caseback, this in-house calibre displays the emblem of the Maison: a Maltese cross whose shape has inspired that of the openworked 18K gold oscillating weight.
The elegant, pared-down and visually harmonious new Patrimony moon phase retrograde date watch also adopts a new dynamic, enlivening the wrist with an original touch of colour thanks to the new olive-green alligator leather strap.
From the 1950s to the present day: the legacy of modernity
The Patrimony collection is one that has been passed down from generation to generation, unaffected by fashions and trends. Timeless by nature, it is naturally attuned to each successive age because it has succeeded in capturing the undeniable spirit of modernity pervading the 1950s. This was an era marked by creative effervescence, renewal and optimism, a decade in which fashion underwent a major revolution, when design ingeniously played on curves and straight lines, while architecture expressed itself mainly through pure shapes. Vacheron Constantin accompanied the energy of this period with creations distinguished by their understated roundness and striking slenderness.
Among the most noteworthy timepieces of the decade were three ultra-thin models equipped with the legendary Calibre 1003, regarded at the time as the thinnest in the world at just 1.64 mm thick and presented in 1955 to mark the company’s bicentenary. Two years later, Vacheron Constantin unveiled Reference 6179, which has since inspired the Patrimony collection. Round and devoid of anything superfluous, it embodies the quintessence of watchmaking classicism with its round case surrounded by a slender bezel, a slightly convex dial punctuated by slender hour-markers and a ‘pearl’ minutes track. Perfectly mastered design reinterpreted within the Patrimony collection, whose minimalist allure is one of Vacheron Constantin’s finest signatures.
Twenty years of elegance
Understatement is a demanding stylistic exercise that Vacheron Constantin has mastered to perfection. Since the very first model unveiled in 2004 – a manual-winding Patrimony faithful in every respect to the inspirational 1957 reference – the collection has welcomed numerous watchmaking complications without ever abandoning its identity codes. Perpetual calendar, retrograde displays, minute repeater, ultra-thin calibre and major horological complications have marked the last 20 years without ever detracting from the Patrimony’s formal sobriety.
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From Geometry to Artistry, Vacheron Constantin annual theme
A Vacheron Constantin watch is far more than merely the sum of its parts. Starting from a sketch, a geometrical drawing and its technical extensions, a whole world of shapes, colours and textures is born. The complex structures of mechanical engineering combine with design; meticulous detail gives life to grace; artisanal intelligence sparks emotions. Based on formal, mathematical study, Vacheron Constantin timepieces are thus endowed with a touch of soulfulness and elegance representing the ultimate expression of artistic talent. The classicism of the Traditionnelle collection; the minimalism of the Patrimony watches; the allure of Égérie; and the sporty-chic spirit of Overseas, all vividly illustrate this alchemy within which artistry is inspired by geometrical shapes, expressed through Vacheron Constantin’s 2024 theme.
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Interview with Christian Selmoni, Style & Heritage Director, Vacheron Constantin
The minimalist elegance of Patrimony watches is intrinsically linked to the slimness of their cases. What legitimacy does Vacheron Constantin have in this field?
The quest for slenderness has been a key field of expression for Vacheron Constantin for several generations. Our archives contain early 19th century correspondence that clearly refers to “thin watches”. Over the course of the last century, our Maison has distinguished itself on numerous occasions in this respect and this quest for slenderness has become a Vacheron Constantin signature. Among the most telling examples is a 1931 pocket watch with a manual-winding movement measuring just 0.94 mm thick. The Patrimony collection itself is directly inspired by the ultra-thin and particularly elegant watches of the 1950s. Developed to equip a 1955 watch marking the company’s 200th anniversary, Calibre 1003 was in the same vein. Like all the watches in the Patrimony collection, these examples are part of the same approach that involved achieving extreme understatement rooting the watch firmly in a spirit of timeless modernity.
Why is it so difficult to develop a watch as minimalist as the Patrimony?
It is certainly true that the design of the Patrimony is so simple – at least apparently so – that modifying it without altering its character is a tricky exercise. The Patrimony rapidly established itself as the quintessential classic watch, appreciated by men and women alike. Since its launch in 2004, we have opted to develop it in a very subtle way. This has been reflected first and foremost in the choice of mechanisms, such as the Patrimony retrograde day-date in 2006; the Patrimony perpetual calendar ultra-thin in 2011; an ultra-thin minute repeater in 2013; and the Patrimony moon phase retrograde date in 2017. Aesthetic evolution also involves discreet adjustments in terms of diameter, for example. This is what we are offering this year with a reduction in the diameter of the manual-winding Patrimony, a new dial colour, new strap colours and a place reserved for personalisation. One of the strengths of the Patrimony is that it is both timeless and firmly rooted in its era.
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TECHNICAL DATA
Patrimony moon phase retrograde date
Reference
4010U/000G-H070
Calibre
2460 R31L
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, self-winding
27.2 mm (11 1/2”’) diameter, 5.4 mm thick
4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
275 components
27 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva-certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes, retrograde date
Precision moon phase, age of the moon
Case
18K white gold
42.5 mm diameter, 9.7 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 meters)
Dial
Old-silver-toned, sunburst finishing
Convex external zone, 18K 5N pink gold pearls applied circular minutes track
18K 5N pink gold applied hour-markers and hours & minutes hands
Strap
Olive-green Mississippiensis alligator leather with calf inner shell, tone-on-tone stitching, square scales
Buckle
18K white gold pin buckle
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped
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TECHNICAL DATA
Patrimony Manual-Winding
References
1410U/000G-H017
1410U/000R-H018
Calibre
1440
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
22.1 mm (9 1/2”’) diameter, 2.6 mm thick Approximately 42 hours of power reserve
4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour)
116 components
19 jewels
Hallmark of Geneva-certified timepiece
Indications
Hours, minutes
Case
18K white gold / 18K 5N pink gold
39 mm diameter, 7.7 mm thick
Closed caseback
Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 meters)
Dial
Old-silver-toned, sunburst finishing
Convex external zone, 18K 5N pink gold pearls applied circular minute track
18K 5N pink gold applied hour-markers and hours & minutes hands
Strap
Olive-green/Azure blue Mississippiensis alligator leather with calf inner shell, tone-on-tone stitching, square scales
Buckle
18K white gold / 18K 5N pink gold pin buckle
Polished half Maltese cross-shaped