Vacheron Constantin Just Unveiled Its First Overseas Minute Repeater

Vacheron Constantin has given its ultra-popular Overseas collection the minute-repeater treatment.

The watchmaker just unveiled the new Overseas Grand ComplicationGrand ComplicationA watch combining several of the most difficult mechanical functions, typically a perpetual calendar, minute repeater, and chronograph. Grand complications represent the summit of watchmaking skill, and these rare, multi-year,Go to Grand Complication Glossary Openface, the first minute repeater in the Overseas collection. And one thing’s for certain with this new model: Vacheron Constantin has certainly made a rather complex iteration of its luxury sports watch.

It all starts with the caliber on Ref. 6510V/110T-128C. Here, the watchmaker chose to incorporate the Calibre 2755 QP, which was first seen back in 2005 and is one of Vacheron’s more intricate creations. With 602 components, the hand-wound movement is just 7.9 mm thick and has about 58 hours of power reserve. For the minute repeater, Vacheron Constantin created a proprietary centripetal regulator that controls the cadence of the mechanism, allowing the hammers to be struck at precise intervals. You’ll also find a perpetual calendarPerpetual CalendarA watch complication that automatically tracks the date, day, month, and leap years, requiring no manual adjustment until the year 2100 in most cases. The perpetual calendar demonstrates remarkable mechanicalGo to Perpetual Calendar Glossary date, day, month, and leap-year cycle indications—which requires no correction before 2100—and a tourbillon.

As often is the case with minute repeaters, water resistance can be difficult to achieve due to the case side’s sliding mechanism that engages the repeater. That was a challenge Vacheron met head-on with this model, undergoing a year and a half of R&D to ensure the water resistance of the titanium case while adapting its lines to the Calibre 2755 QP. The model’s water resistance, meanwhile, has been tested at about 100 feet (30 meters). As a result, the watchmaker completely made over the caseback to make space for the minute repeater mechanism—and preserving the classic profile that the Overseas is known for.

The 44.5 mm by 13.1 mm case is home to a sapphire crystal dial and caseback offering a transparent view of the movement from both sides. Both the hour markers and the counter hands are executed in 18-karat white gold, with the hours and minutes hands highlighted in blue Super-Luminova. The grade 5 titanium strap, meanwhile, can be swapped out with either a blue alligator or blue rubber version. The Overseas Grand Complication Openface is in limited production, with price upon request.

The Overseas watch was born back in 1996 in either stainless steel or solid gold, meant to accompany the well-to-do traveler on any journey. The then head of design Vincent Kaufmann tapped watch designer Dino Modolo to bring the luxe sports timepiece to life. Since then, many iterations of the Overseas have come to market, allowing the watch to become one of the most recognized collections in the brand’s lineup.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.