Introducing: The Titanium Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface
What happens when you take the 2755 QP movement out of the 2017 Traditionnelle Calibre 2755 (ref. 80172/000R-B406), update the design so it caters to an audience with a more contemporary taste, and put it in the sportiest of watch designs available? You get the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface. This limited-production watch is the first minute repeater in the Overseas collection. The functions of the caliber that also beats inside the Traditionelle didn’t change, so it also features a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon. Still, because of the transparent sapphire crystal dial, the complicated movement now shows itself from both the back and the front.
What a combination — a 44.5 × 13.1mm titanium Overseas case holding the ultra-complicated, 7.9mm-thick caliber 2755 QP visible through a sapphire crystal dial. Since the movement has been around for a while, why did Vacheron Constantin just now think of sticking it in an Overseas? Never mind; it’s better late than never. For those with deep pockets and a thing for sporty watches with a complicated twist, the Overseas Grand Complication Openface ref. 6510V/110T-128C was well worth the wait.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface: The exclusive and elusive sound of a titanium minute repeater
Complications in sports watches… They’re OK if you can get past the paradox of a rugged exterior and a fragile interior. Well, I suppose they’re a little bit more than OK. I can think of plenty of examples of luxury sports watches that are an excellent platform for a complication or two. Or three, in the case of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Grand Complication Openface. Vacheron decided to put the 602-component caliber 2755 QP — which incorporates a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon, and, for user-friendly reasons, a power reserve indicator — inside a water-resistant Grade 5 titanium case matched to an integrated bracelet.
The brand also decided to change the movement’s aesthetics to match the design codes of the Overseas. The sapphire dial reveals rhodium-plated wheels with a dark NAC coating. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the look industrial since the Geneva Hallmark-certified timepiece has so many hand-finished movement components on display. However, combined with the transparent dial featuring blue and white indicators, the overall look of the grayish titanium watch and color-matching movement is technical with a complicated, luxurious twist.
Yes, it’s a water-resistant minute repeater
The most challenging part of constructing the Overseas Grand Complication Openface is creating a water-resistant case for a repeater movement. Keeping water out of a case with a sliding mechanism is no mean feat. In the case of this Overseas, Vacheron had to make that happen while also considering the specs of the 2755 QP movement. The watchmakers took a year and a half to figure it out and conduct the necessary research and development. They had to completely redesign the case back to create space for the repeater mechanism while not ruining the sleek lines of the Overseas case. The most complicated Overseas is not a dive watch, but it can take a mild splash thanks to its 3-bar water resistance.
Final words on the Overseas Grand Complication Openface and a guess at the price
At this year’s Watches and Wonders, Vacheron Constantin put the hyper-complicated Les Cabinotiers Solaria with its 41 complications in the spotlight and brought a range of classic watches in 270th-anniversary livery. The brand launched the Historiques 222 in steel before the show and waited until after the big salon to bring out the titanium Overseas Grand Complication Openface. VC probably foresaw either of those two novelties stealing too much attention from the more classical jubilee watches. That was a clever move, but now I desperately want to get my hands on this 44.5 × 13.1mm titanium Overseas. How does it feel? How does it wear? Is it too big or proportionally perfect? I have many questions and probably very little chance of going hands-on with one. Maybe I’ll drop by the Vacheron Constantin manufacture and see if there’s one lying around; it’s not too far from my new home, anyway.
Regarding the price, the Traditionnelle Calibre 2755 cost US$655,400 when it came out eight years ago. I’m guessing that the price-on-request Overseas Grand Complication Openface is around US$900,000. Does it matter? For those with the disposable income to play in this league of horology, it probably doesn’t.
What do you think? If you could choose between all the sporty grand complications out there and had an unlimited budget, would you pick this Overseas?
