|
As WHL stated some time ago, seems that every time I decide on purchasing a new watch some black cloud over my head prevents me from having a perfectly smooth and trouble free transaction but for once this was not the case. On the contrary! In fact this was a purchase I did not want to make!! Sometime in April after having returned home from the Swiss watch fairs I received a mail from a vintage watch dealer I know and who knew that I collected vintage Vacheron Constantins. I opened his mail, which bore the laconic subject line "something you may be interested in". After having read his brief mail I clicked on the scan to see what it was and I think my heart skipped a beat!! Not only was it a rare vintage tear drop lugs chronograph but it had an even rarer "doctor's" dial. Not only had I not the funds, but I had promised myself to only buy one watch in 2003 (needless to say that this vow has joined all the others somewhere in the back of my subconscious!!) Well any way I made the big mistake to call the dealer up and ask some questions the main issue being the price, after having hung up I was happy to know that the watch was not in my reach. But that's where I made the biggest mistake: I talked to two friends about it. Now, normal friends would either blow you off when you start talking about Valjoux 22 movements and doctor's dials or have you locked up in an asylum just for considering actually paying over $200 for a watch. My friends are WISs and these guys are tough!! When I told them about the watch the reactions were : "you crazy fool go for it" or "you'll probably never come across another in your life...borrow money from your bank" etc..etc... so much for sound advice! I was not too proud of myself when I sent an email to the dealer offering a trade with a modern chronograph I was willing to part with plus some cash. The answer was almost immediate: NO!! Great, I felt much better and decided to move on in my life. Well, things aren't that easy. A couple of weeks later the dealer calls me up saying that he has a client for the watch I had offered in the trade and is willing to accept my offer. I did not know if I should have laughed or cried!! Too late I was hooked, no turning back... A week later the watch was on my wrist and must admit that it's a pleasure to wear. The 36mm case is the perfect size and the cream colored dial is beautiful to behold. 
In the late 1940s VC signed its watches with either Vacheron & Constantin or simply Vacheron Constantin:  close up of the cream colored dial:  the hours/minutes hands are in yellow gold and the chronograph counter hands and the continuous seconds are in blued steel:  The dial has 3 different markers in rose gold: applied Arabic numerals, applied dots and batons  The beautifully finished VC cal 492 (based on Valjoux 22) beats inside the watch  Notice the oversized balance, with Breguet overcoil (I hate some of the small balances found in some modern wrist watches) beating to the perfect rate of 18,800 VPH :  the case sits perfectly on the wrist:  What makes this watch quite rare is the "doctor's" dial which enables one to calculate the pulse rate.  But even rarer is having a dial indicate the respiration rate  I can't really make a conclusion other than this watch is somewhat the crown jewel of my collection.
Vacheron Constantin discussion forum | ThePuristS Homepage
Copyright August 2003 - Alex G and ThePuristS.com - all rights reserved |