Despite their long and storied histories of complicated watchmaking, both Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet are perhaps best known today — at least among younger collectors — for their Nautilus and Royal Oak luxury sports watches, respectively. The final member of the so-called “Holy Trinity” of haute horlogerie, Vacheron Constantin, likewise produced an esteemed luxury sports watch in the form of the 222. (And this is to say nothing of the Overseas, which might be considered its contemporary spiritual successor.) However, perhaps due to that august model’s relatively limited production run, Vacheron tends not to occupy the limelight in the same manner as its famed colleagues.
Of course, this comparative lack of star power is a boon to dedicated collectors, and particularly so to those who appreciate vintage timepieces: Today, it’s possible to find midcentury Vacheron Constantin time-only dress watches for well under $10,000 — an almost preposterously low sum compared to similar fare from Patek Philippe. And while complicated vintage or integrated-bracelet models can certainly run in the tens of thousands of dollars, these rare birds still represent a tremendous savings compared to models from the other “Holy Trinity” watchmakers.
As the world’s oldest continuously operated watchmaking concern, these prices belie the tremendous history, prestige, and power of this truly monumental brand. (Indeed, a new Vacheron Constantin will cost you no less than $12,700 — quite different from the vintage time-only fare that can be secured from a reputable dealer! Prices soar from here into the stratosphere — especially for complicated models in precious metals.) On the occasion of its 270th anniversary, we feel it’s time to celebrate Vacheron Constantin by examining its history and discussing some of the models we have for sale here at Analog:Shift.
A Brief History of Vacheron Constantin
Sketch of company founder Jean-Marc Vacheron - (Image by Watches.Io)
Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva in 1755 by 24-year-old watchmaker Jean-Marc Vacheron. A friend of both Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire, this industrious young man created an early pocket watch with a verge escapement of his own design. It was his son Abraham, however, who saw the fledgling company through the French Revolution and the occupation of Geneva by French troops — taking over the business in 1785, he passed the torch to his own son, Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron, in 1810. Producing complicated musical and repeating watches, Jacques Barthélémi began exporting his wares to France and Italy. In 1819, he took the enterprising step of partnering with François Constantin, an astute businessman who would help expand the manufacture’s reach beyond Swiss soil.
Portrait of Georges-Auguste Leschot - (Image by Wikidata)
In 1839, Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron and François Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot for the role of technical director. His brilliant “pantograph” — a machine that allowed for the standardization of parts, changed not only Vacheron Constantin’s business, but also the larger Swiss watchmaking industry more broadly. As the American market with its mass production methods began to emerge across the ocean, Jacques Barthélémi handed the company’s reins to his son, Charles-César Vacheron, in 1844. The fourth generation to head the company, Charles-César would broaden the firm’s reach to include Spain, India, Cuba, and China. In 1869, Vacheron Constantin entered its pocket watches in competition at the Geneva Observatory, garnering the first of myriad chronometry awards that it would win throughout the coming decades. In 1880, the maison adopted its famed Maltese Cross logo, taking inspiration from the shape of a movement component that ensures rate stabilization, and thus increased accuracy.
Vacheron Constantin's first boutique, established in 1906 - (Image by Vacheron Constantin)
By 1906, Vacheron Constantin opened its first dedicated boutique in Geneva, receiving orders from such famed personalities as Henry and William James and Queen Mary of Romania. On the eve of the First World War in 1914, Charles Constantin — great-grandnephew of François Constantin, joined the family business. At the same time, the company produced an early wristwatch for the Maharaja of Patiala featuring a tiny baguette movement. Two years later, in 1916, it delivered a complicated repeating pocket watch in a 20K gold case to famed American entrepreneur James Ward Packard. As the American market became more important, Vacheron developed a cushioned-case wristwatch in 1921 whose offset dial allowed for one to easily discern the time without turning the wrist. (Though such a design may have been the result of the brand utilizing pocket watch movements with 12 o'clock crown positions.)
King Faud I of Egypt on the cover of Time Magazine, along with his custom-made, complicated Vacheron Constantin pocket watch - (Image by Coronet)
More timepieces built for royals and industrialists followed during the first half of the 20th century: In 1929, the maison delivered a complicated pocket watch featuring a chronograph, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and grand/small-striking mechanism to King Faud I of Egypt. In 1932, it partnered with Louis Cottier, developer of the world time mechanism, to produce a world time pocket watch with 24 time zones and 31 cities. In 1936, Charles Constantin ascended to the company directorship. On the eve of the Second World War, however, Jaeger-LeCoultre acquired a partial ownership stake in Vacheron Constantin. George Ketterer, an officer of the holding company owning parts of JLC and Vacheron, took over the directorship.
The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 in rose gold. - (Image by Hodinkee)
George Ketterer would lead the company through the War and post-War years as it developed a supremely complicated pocket watch for King Farouk of Egypt in 1946; a series of ultra-thin gold dress watches in the 1950s; and the beautiful ‘cornes de vache’ chronograph, with its magnificently sculpted lugs, in 1955. References such as the simple 6073, the beautifully-dialed 4877 — given to Marlon Brando on the occasion of his winning an Oscar Best Actor in 1955 by Zsa Zsa Gabor — and the ultra-thin timepiece powered by the Calibre 1003 movement would continue to cement the brand’s reputation as a horological innovator. (The modern Patrimony line would later take inspiration from many of these classic references.)
Vacheron Constatin 222 'Jumbo' - IN THE SHOP
In 1969, George Ketter passed away, with the directorship passing to his son Jacques. In 1977, on the eve of its 222nd anniversary, Vacheron launched the 222. A luxury sports watch in the mode of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972) and the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976), the 222 was conceived of by a young watch designer named Jörg Hysek. Featuring a monobloc case with a notched bezel, an integrated bracelet, an ultra-thin automatic movement, and a small Maltese Cross in the bottom right hand corner of the case top, the 222 would inspire several successor models and, ultimately, lead the way to the modern Overseas collection.
In 1987, Jacques Ketterer died, with Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani — a former petroleum minister in Saudi Arabia and a watch collector — taking over as majority owner. By 1996, Richemont Group, owner of brands such as IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, and more, purchased the company and added it to its luxury watchmaking portfolio. That same year, Vacheron Constantin launched the Overseas, its sporty-yet-luxurious travel-inspired collection that took inspiration from the earlier 222. 2004 was a landmark year, seeing both the launch of the 1950s-inspired Patrimony collection as well as the inauguration of Vacheron’s new manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates. In 2015, on the occasion of the brand’s 260th anniversary, it presented the Reference 57260, then the world’s most complicated timepiece with no fewer than 57 complications. In 2024, it outdid itself with the introduction of the Berkley Grand Complication, a grapefruit-sized pièce unique pocket watch crammed with an astounding 62 complications and 2,877 components.
The Berkley Grand Complication produced as part of Les Cabinotiers program - (Image by Vacheron Constatin)
Now, with the arrival of the brand’s 270th anniversary — an astounding feat of continuity even within the relatively traditional (and occasionally staid) world of high-end watchmaking — it’s no doubt clear why Vacheron Constantin is a member of the “Holy Trinity.” With a multi-hundred-year history of innovation and excellence; a wide array of both classically-styled and sporty collections; and a customization program that has yielded some of the world’s most complicated timepieces, this is a marque with which few others can compete. Here at Analog:Shift, we celebrate the entirety of the brand’s long history by carrying both vintage and pre-owned Vacheron Constantin watches within our stock. Check out some of our favorites below, and be sure to drop us a line if there’s something in particular you’re looking for.
Vintage and Pre-Owned Vacheron Constantin Watches at Analog:Shift
Vacheron Constantin 'Disco Volante' Dress Watch ($4,850)
Vacheron Constantin 'Disco Volante' Dress Watch - IN THE SHOP
Though the ‘Disco Volante’ (“flying saucer”) shape is common amongst all three ‘Holy Trinity’ brands, this neat Ref. 6335 hits all the right notes: At 34mm it wears beautifully for both men and women, while its subtly textured case and crown add depth. The simple sunburst silver dial is a study in restraint, while a hand-wound movement and an elegant leather strap complete the picture of the ideal dress watch. And the best part, of course, is the price.
Vacheron Constantin 222 ($104,950)
Vacheron Constantin 222 - IN THE SHOP
We’re sure you’ve seen a 222 before. But have you ever laid eyes on one that looks like this? The yellow-gold Ref. 46503-415 -222 is absolutely covered in sparkling diamonds set into the dial and bezel, but it’s the way in which they’re affixed to the watch’s bracelet that truly takes one’s breath away: Three rows of stones are worked into each of the center links, riffing on the brand’s Maltese Cross logo. Measuring 37mm in diameter, it’s an ideal unisex piece.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes De Vache Chronograph ($37,850)
Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes De Vache Chronograph - IN THE SHOP
The beautifully sculpted cow’s horn lugs on the Cornes de Vache make this vintage-inspired Ref. 5000H/000A-B582 positively pop off the wrist. Based upon a reference from the mid-1950s, the stainless steel case features a silvered dial with a base-1,000 tachymeter scale, gorgeous applied indices, and a dual-register chronograph with 30-minute and running seconds registers. Powered by the hand-wound Calibre 1142, it’s the perfect modern dress chronograph.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual-Time ($49,850)
Vacheron Constantin Overeseas Dual-Time - IN THE SHOP
The Overseas — the modern successor to the sporty 222 — is Vacheron’s counterpoint to the dressy Patrimony and Historiques lines. This stainless steel Dual-Time is emblematic of the collection: Housed in a 41mm case with a six-notched Maltese Cross bezel and a matching integrated bracelet, its black dial houses a handy dual-time readout with a central GMT hand; a day/night indicator at 9 o’clock; and a rotary date display above 6 o’clock.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle World Time ($27,850)
Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle World Time - IN THE SHOP
This World Time Ref. 86060/000R-9640 calls to mind the maison’s work with Louis Cottier in the early 20th century. Part of the Traditionnelle collection, its 42.5mm rose gold case houses an incredible multi-tone dial with a top-down view of the Earth and a rotating city/hour disc. By manipulating this disc, the user can easily register both local time as well as the time around the globe simultaneously. For the business traveler, there’s no more appropriate timepiece.
