One of Our Favorite New Watches from Vacheron Constantin’s Fiftysix Collection Gets a Cool Blue New Look

This week, the Palexpo facility in Geneva, Switzerland, will become the center of the watch world for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, or SIHH, a luxury watch show rivaled only by BaselWorld in relevance and prestige. We’ve got a team on the ground, there to bring you the most exciting releases. Follow our coverage here, and also be sure to check out Instagram. We’ll be posting to our feed throughout the week.

Upshot: Vacheron Constantin is one of the “Big Three” of Swiss luxury watchmaking, along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. At SIHH 2018, Vacheron made its first play for a younger watch-buying demographic with the Fiftysix Collection (including the Day Date, reviewed here), within which the base automatic model costs $11,700 — downright entry-level compared to the brand’s standard pricing. Two new watches from the Fiftysix collection, the Self-Winding and Complete Calendar, maintain the retro inspiration, but with a striking new Petrol blue dial.

Key Specs: Self-Winding
Price: $11,600
Availability: TBD
Movement: Vacheron Constantin calibre 1326
Winding: Automatic
Case Diameter: 40mm
Case Thickness: 9.6mm
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Unique Features: Petrol blue dial; date

Key Specs: Complete Calendar
Price: $22,800
Availability: TDB
Movement: 2460 QCL/1
Winding: Automatic
Case Diameter: 40mm
Case Thickness: 11.6mm
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Unique Features: Petrol blue dial; moon phase; day, date and month

Who It’s For: The aspiring watch collector who’s ready to graduate from four-figure watches to something from The Big Three, but who doesn’t quite have the bankroll for a full-fledged Vacheron Overseas Chronograph or AP Royal Oak, might find the Fiftysix Self-Winding fits the bill. On the other hand, the Complete Calendar offers the next step up, with a moonphase that’s accurate for 122 years, plus a 22K pink gold rotor that’s visible through the transparent case back.

First Take: The rich navy look of both watches adds a new dimension to the Fiftysix series, which previously was only available in a gray sunburst dial. The Self-Winding version simplifies the look of the Fiftysix Day Date, which has sub-dials for the day and date as well as a power reserve indicator, and also slims down the case to a little over 9mm — rectifying an issue we had with the Day Date’s wearability. The Complete Calendar matches the chunkiness of the Day Date at 11.6mm, but even with a moon phase indicator, its dial feels less busy than that of the Day Date, and this simplicity seems to pair better with the deep blue color.

Insight: It’s unclear how large the audience is who can spring for, say, a $10,000+ Rolex but can’t quite fund a watch from the highest tier of Swiss watchmaking. But by offering something cleaner and simpler than the Fiftysix Day Date in the form of the Self-Winding and by and taking things up a notch with a gorgeous Complete Calendar, Vacheron has tripled down on the space.

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