Thu, Mar 23, 2017
Vacheron Constantin’s new iteration of its Traditionnelle World Time comes with a detailed enamelled dial and a platinum case.
Simultaneously displaying 37 of the world’s time zones, this travel watch with a three‐part dial is adorned with a hand‐enamelled gold world map.
Depicted in subtly graded shades of blue, the seas and continents compose a miniature work resulting from meticulous craftsmanship and brimming with graphic details and depth effects.
A blend of artisanal refinement and perfect technical mastery, the new Traditionnelle World Time is distinguished by its user friendliness enhanced by the crown‐operated activation of all functions.
ENAMELLING EXPERTISE
Crafted in opaque enamel and grisaille enamel, its dial highlights the horological expertise of the manufacture. The distinctive and sophisticated world time display, composed of three superimposed discs, is enhanced by a miniature enamelled gold world map.
The seas, portrayed in an opaque blue, accentuate every detail of the continents they surround. The strikingly realistic coastal and land reliefs take on subtle shades of blue and white, achieved using the grisaille enamel technique. This delicate paint, composed of Limoges white – an extremely fine powder mixed with oils – is applied to the dark enamel in tiny touches and meticulously drawn out using needles and brushes. This material is particularly difficult to work with and calls for dexterity, experience and extreme precision in adjusting the firing times – to the nearest second – for each layer applied.
Opaque enamel calls for equally painstaking care and can tolerate no flaws, since the light directly strikes even the slightest bump or rough patch, instead of being absorbed by the translucent nature of a traditional enamel.
This technique used for the world map is picked up on the 24‐hour disc bearing gold hour‐markers and the 37 city names painted on dark blue opaque enamel. They appear in white for those representing time zones with a full‐hour time difference and in sky blue for those with half‐hour or quarter‐hour time differences, all swept over by 18‐carat gold hands and rimmed by a minute ring. After 20 hours of decorative craftsmanship and ten firings, the tableau springs to life, graced with a wealth of fine details and fascinating light effects.
The watch frames this exceptional dial with a precious 42.5 mm case, water‐resistant to 30 m and housing caliber 2460 WT.
In addition to central hours, minutes and seconds hands, this mechanical self‐winding movement also drives a combination of original functions: simultaneous reading of 37 world time zones – including those offset by a half‐hour or quarter‐hour compared with Coordinated Universal Time – along with a day/night indication and simplified adjustment of all these indications via the crown.
Its rating precision is further ensured by a stop‐seconds system. Set to winter time in the Northern hemisphere, the 225‐part 2460 WT features a 22‐carat gold oscillating weight, a balance wheel beating at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour) and a 40‐hour power reserve.
Available exclusively from Vacheron Constantin boutiques, the limited edition consists of ten individually numbered watches bearing the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva and fitted with an elegant blue Mississippiensis alligator leather strap with large square scales and a platinum triple folding clasp.
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