Exclusive: Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 Chronograph (First Live Pictures)
Watches & Wonders is just around the corner, and everyone is wondering what brands have reserved for Hong Kong’s most important watch fair. Haute Time was lucky to get an exclusive first glimpse at some of the new pieces from Vacheron Constantin when we caught up with the brand at SIHH. While we still cannot reveal the entire new collection, we’re glad to finally be able to lift the lid off one of this year’s most exciting chronographs.
Already, the brand had made it clear that complication would be mis à l’honneur this year, by introducing a collection of new chronographs including the vintage-inspired Harmony Chronograph with pulsometer dial.
For Watches & Wonders 2015, the brand has once again dug into its archives, going as far back as the nifty fifties for inspiration. Next month, the brand will introduce the Vacheron Constantin Historiques “Cornes de Vache 1955,” a hand-wound chronograph based on Ref. 6087, a chronograph that holds an important place in Vacheron Constantin’s glorious history.
It was the brand’s first water-resistant and anti-magnetic chronograph, and remains one of its most sought-after watches. According to the brand, only 36 were made, most of which were in yellow gold, while eight in pink gold and two in platinum are also known to exist.
New collectors will be delighted to see the brand’s new twist on this classic dress watch, and find that very little from the design of the Ref. 6087 has been tinkered with, with the exception of its size. Indeed, the new watch appears to be larger than the original design (38.5mm vs. 35mm).
The new chronograph is instantly recognizable for its ‘cornes de vache’ lugs (English for cow horns), from which it gets its name. Presented in a platinum case with mushroom pushers, the new watch features a crisp silver opaline dial with blue accents on the chronograph functions and white gold hour markers and hands. A small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock counterbalances the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and harks back to the design of the original Ref. 6087.
Vacheron Constantin’s new chronograph houses caliber 1142, a modified Lemania 2310 which the brand has been making in-house since the early 2000s, when Richemont acquired the production rights. Boasting a power reserve of 48 hours, the new caliber is visible through a sapphire caseback.
While the Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 will not be a limited edition, it is expected to come in a highly exclusive production run – similar to the original – and it will be priced just above $80,000. It comes with a dark blue alligator with platinum buckle.
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Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official Vacheron Constantin website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.
