![]() 47245 where the gold pearl markers represented the odd hours. Instead of adding more numerals to the equation, the designers have opted for applied pearl markers in white or rose gold, depending on the case (a feature found in the ref. Another detail that I love about the watch is the minutes track. Even the triangular index at noon has been lobbed off to accommodate the date track. However, given the more copious information supplied in the top half of the dial, the indices are about one-third smaller in length. As you can appreciate, the lower half of the dial has larger indices (white or rose gold) with slim triangular wedges applied at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and thin batons at 4, 5, 7 and 8 o’clock, all slightly bent at their tips to follow the gentle curve of the dial. Where things start to get interesting, design-wise, is with the indices applied to the silver opaline dial. ![]() What could seem like a random distribution of stars is, in fact, a depiction of certain constellations in the Northern Hemisphere traced with thinly etched lines filled with stars. Another detail I hadn’t noticed until I spent some time with the watch was the arrangement of the stars. As a precision moon phase mechanism, it will require a one-day correction once every 122 years. However, to promote an even stronger visual balance with the numerals on the retrograde date, the ages of the Moon are inscribed on the arc running from 0 to 29 ½. Like most conventional moon phases, it is placed in a bosom-shaped aperture with a starry blue sky and a rose or white gold moon. A smaller arc balances the date arc in the lower half of the dial for the moon phase indication. Arabic numerals for odd numbers with dots representing the even numbers are indicated by the openworked arrow-tipped hand that performs its jump back to zero (in this case, 1) at the end of each month. Fair enough, purists will argue that 42.5mm is big for a dress watch, but it does reflect today’s trend for slightly larger dress watch diameters, and its height of 9.70mm is slim enough to slide under the cuff.Īgain, the dial is uncluttered and legible representing the retrograde date in an arc spanning the dial from 9 to 3 o’clock. Minimalist yet refined, the case is smooth, flat with polished surfaces and no sharp angles, capturing the mood of slim, sober, high-end watches of the mid 20 th century. Simple, elegant caseĪlthough the case is simple, it takes a lot of work to strike a balance between ‘elegant simple’ and ‘boring simple’. In 2000, Vacheron released the reference 47245 Patrimony, a retrograde Day & Date model to coincide with the brand’s 245 th anniversary with a 31-date arc in the upper half of the dial and a round day-of-the-week counter in the lower half, the ancestor, if you like of the 2017 Patrimony Moon Phase & Retrograde Date. The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Retrograde day-date ref. ![]() In the 1990s, Vacheron produced retrograde wristwatches like the Saltarello with retrograde minutes and jumping hours. 11060) featuring a fakir or a Chinese magician whose arms replaced the hands to indicate the hours and minutes. Coinciding with the creative freedom of the Art Deco period, Vacheron produced the delightful “Arms in the Air” pocket watch with a bi-retrograde display (ref. Retrograde displays are something of a Vacheron Constantin signature and enjoyed their golden age in the 1920s. We are all familiar with retrograde complications and their delightful hands that jump back to the start counterclockwise at the end of their journey. However, today we’re going to take a short trip down memory lane and look at the two gold editions. Initially presented in 18k white and pink gold, there has also been a majestic platinum edition (2020) that really takes the cake. Fitted with a retrograde date and a moon phase indication, the complications were not jaw-dropping, but the overall appeal and discreet elegance of the watch have given it the kind of sticking power you need to become a classic.Īs Brice explained in his review, the Moon Phase and Retrograde Date was a descendant of the Retrograde Day-Date with the same case, same base movement and the replacement of the day indication with a moon phase. The Patrimony Moon Phase and Retrograde Date appeared in 2017, a simpler model that was somewhat eclipsed by the astronomical watch Celestia with double-digit complications and the Grande Sonnerie Symphonia. One of these belongs to Vacheron Constantin‘s understated yet elegant Patrimony family inspired by slim men’s wristwatches of the 1950s. There are plenty of models out there that deserve to be admired, time after time. Adapting the Biblical phrase to the watchmaking sphere, it is true to say that watch lovers do not live by novelties alone.
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