Traditionnelle is the purest expression of the way Vacheron Constantin has understood Genevan fine watchmaking for more than 260 years. In these watches, the technical aspect stands out, accentuated by the most emblematic watchmaking codes. All of them extol the craftsmanship and watchmaking know-how handed down from generation to generation. With their multi-level round case, slim bezel, fluted caseback, railway minute track, applied bâtons de Genève indices and Dauphine hands, each of the references in the collection perfectly blends creative spirit and technical prowess. . The new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon wears a platinum case and a green dial.
Currently, this collection comprises 27 models with complications ranging from moon phases to full calendar and perpetual calendar to the Traditionnelle Twin Beat, a very high-frequency perpetual calendar. Now the Traditionnelle Tourbillon has just been incorporated, which represents the ninth creation that incorporates the antigravity regulatory body.
Traditionnelle Tourbillon
It features a green sunray dial that blends perfectly with the 41mm diameter platinum case. The original color of the dial, obtained by galvanic treatment, gives the model a depth and intensity that accentuates the dazzling whiteness of the noble metal. The contrast is further enhanced by the white gold dauphine hands and indices, while the dark green strap mirrors the color of the dial.
The elegance of this new Traditionnelle is also due, and above all, to the slimness of the case, fostered by the caliber 2160/1, an ultra-thin self-winding in-house movement, which is only 5.65 millimeters thick. Its heartbeat has a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz). This relatively slow frequency, commonly found in historic pocket watches, offers an opportunity to fully enjoy the beauty of the hypnotic mechanical tourbillon ballet. The maltese cross cage, With a small seconds function, it uses a blackened screw as an indicator and displays attention to detail. Its suspension bar has been delicately polished in a completely artisanal operation that requires filing and then polishing the material to obtain a conical and semi-cylindrical shape.
Through the sapphire crystal caseback, the 22-carat gold perimeter rotor which helps in reducing the thickness of the caliber, while ensuring a comfortable 80-hour power reserve. The movement’s finishes are the result of the same striving for perfection: a plate that appears beaded on the dial side and hand-bevelled bridges embellished with Coasts of Geneva on the bottom side of the box.
Tourbillon precedents
Vacheron Constantin launched a model Traditional Tourbillon Chronograph hand-wound caliber 3200. Subsequently, the house presented a Traditional Tourbillon in pink gold and a white dial with the same caliber as the current model, as well as a jewelery version in a 39 mm case, with diamond-set bezel and mother-of-pearl lugs and dial. A full pavé variant in a white gold case crowned these executions. It was followed by three editions dedicated to the Chinese legend of Phoenix and the Dragon in pink gold cases and three dial colors (white, blue and black) over which legendary creatures reigned in the form of sculpted medallions. Finally, the model before the one in question is a Traditionnelle Skeleton Tourbillon with Retrograde Date powered by the 2162 R31 caliber launched this year.
