Comparison Of Two Patek Philippe Nautilus Watches – 3700/1A Versus 5711/1A

Since the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A in 2006, the watch has reached a mythical status. Especially during the last few years, it seems this watch has been picked up by a larger audience than ever before. With a retail price of 26.810,- Euro, not an easy sell for an all stainless steel watch with no complications other than a date. Wrong! These watches have a long waiting list today, and a pre-owned Nautilus 5711/1A is not a cheap alternative with prices starting at around 40.000,- Euro. It is the watch craze we live in today I am afraid, but it has gone to extremes with the Nautilus.

Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A and 5711/1A Today

This article is a comparison between the Nautilus 5711/1A and the vintage 3700/1A. An article I already published in 2013, when the prices were below today’s list price of the 5711/1A. A lot has changed in the past five years, you could say. But what didn’t change, is the magnificent story about the Genta designed Nautilus and the amazing finish of the case and bracelet on these watches. Where this article used to be a comparison to help you make a decision between the 3700/1A and 5711/1A, it is now purely informative about the differences and similarities between these two references. The prices of the 3700/1A went up from approx. 20.000,- Euro in 2009 to a staggering 70.000 Euro in 2018.

But let’s put the value development of the Nautilus aside for a while, and talk about the steel luxury sports watch that Patek Philippe introduced in 1976 and then re-introduced in 2006.

A Bit Of Nautilus History

Patek Philippe is being regarded as one of the most prestigious watch companies from Switzerland. This always has been the case. Their – often – wealthy clients are located all over the world and among them are royals and captains of industry. It is a brand with one of the best-known slogans, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”. Whether this is true or not, does not matter, owners of a Patek Philippe watch or future buyers of a Patek Philippe watch gladly refer to this slogan to justify their expensive timepiece.

In the mid-1970s Patek Philippe is famous for their high-quality watches with complications or the flat gold dress watches, decided to manufacture a luxury sports watch. A few years earlier, in 1972, Audemars Piguet showed with their Royal Oak watch that an Haute Horlogerie brand could actually get away with a luxury sports watch in stainless steel.

Patek Philippe hired the same man who was responsible for designing the Royal Oak, Gérald Genta. Genta designed a watch with very specific characteristics, such as the porthole design, the combination of polished and satin-brushed parts on the case and bracelet and – of course – the integrated stainless steel bracelet. All was done with the highest possible grade of finish. In 1976, Patek Philippe introduced the Nautilus to the public.

A large part of the Patek Philippe clients did not like the Nautilus. A sports watch did not make sense for a company like Patek Philippe, who always had their focus on classic shaped (gold) timepieces with – or without – complications. The Nautilus became the enfant terrible of the collection and it actually still is.

People who are in the market for a Patek Philippe Nautilus tend to make the decision between a brand new Nautilus from the actual collection or buying a pre-owned vintage Nautilus from the mid-late 1970s. When it comes down to the price tag, a pre-owned vintage model is as expensive (or sometimes even more expensive) than a new one.

This article zooms in on the very first Patek Philippe Nautilus, by the reference of 3700/1A, and the current Nautilus, reference 5711/1A. On the first hand, nothing much seems to have changed in the last 36-37 years, but if we take a closer look, we are able to see what has happened to the watch.

The Porthole Case

The case of the Patek Philippe is designed like a porthole. The ref.3700/1A model consists of two parts basically, the case and the bezel. The bezel and case are screwed to each other, like a porthole.

The case of the 3700/1A Nautilus measures 42mm in diameter, especially for 1976 a considerably large case. It was soon nicknamed Nautilus Jumbo.

When Patek Philippe re-introduced the Nautilus (5711/1A) in 2006 (it then retailed for 14.600,- Euro), about 30 years after the introduction of the Nautilus model, the case had become a bit bigger. The new – or current – case measures 43mm and is a little bit thicker. The ref. 5711/1A also has a three-part constructed case. Besides the bezel and case construction, the case back is now a separate part. According to purists, the two-part construction of the 3700/1A is a bit more interesting as it captures the essence of the porthole design.

Another aspect that had an effect on the appearance of the case was the use of a new movement (more about that later) or better said, Patek Philippe decided to add a seconds hand to the new reference. The placement of a seconds hand had quite some effect on the appearance of the watch, as the upper part (or bezel) became a bit thicker as well. Gérald Genta probably had a weak spot for the hour and minute-only watches, as the original Royal Oak was also a watch without a seconds hand.

The Nautilus Dial

The dial of the Nautilus also changed in appearance if we compare the 3700/1A to the 5711/1A. Although the pattern on the dial remained, the colour of the dial changed. The new Nautilus dial is a bit more ‘electric’, as the green/blue colour changes a bit when you rotate the watch towards and from the light. The 3700/1A Nautilus remains to have the same blue-ish dial colour, no matter from what angle you will observe it.

5711/1A

The wording on the dial ‘Patek Philippe’ and ‘Geneve’ has moved a notch towards 12 o’clock and the font changed as well. The typography of the Nautilus 3700/1A fits the 1970s style and is a bit bold compared to the current model.

3700/1A

If you look at the hands, you will immediately notice the ‘seconds’ hand on the 5711/1A as opposed to the two hands dial of the 3700/1A. It is a matter of taste and convenience probably, but the dial of the 3700/1A appears to be more soothing.

The Movement

When the Nautilus was introduced, Patek Philippe used the mechanical automatic winding movement calibre 28-255C. This ultra-thin movement was based on Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 920 movement and therefore the same movement as used in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 5402 of 1972. This movement, now only being used by Audemars Piguet as calibre 2121 (and Vacheron Constantin uses their own version it in their Overseas Ultra-Thin), is only 3.05mm in height (including rotor) and does not feature a second hand. The rotor uses rails to roll on instead of ball bearings.

The Nautilus 5711/1A has a mechanical automatic winding movement calibre 324 S C inside. In-house developed and manufactured by Patek Philippe. A beautiful finished and constructed movement, but not as flat as its predecessor. Also, as you can see on the pictures below, the movement is visible through the case back on the current Nautilus model.

Because of the three-part constructed case, calibre 324 S C movement, the appearance of the 5711/1A is a bit different from the 3700/1A model. It is thicker, it has more space between dial and sapphire crystal (due to the second hand) and has a transparent case back. However, Patek Philippe succeeded in maintaining the sleek and elegant design of the Nautilus.

The Bracelet

Although many sports watches feature a thick and solid feeling bracelet, these Nautilus bracelets are very thin and sleek. In wearing, there is almost no difference between the bracelet of the 3700/1A and the new 5711/1A. The main difference is in the folding clasp as you can see in the photos. The 3700/1A bracelet has quite a simple folding mechanism, two pieces of metal with no specific finish or engravings. It does the job though. For safety reasons, there is a flip lock on the clasp as well, to make sure the folding clasp can’t open by accident.

3700/1A

The new 5711/1A bracelet has a double folding clasp and a flip lock. The double folding clasp looks much nicer of course and fulfils the requirements of the modern luxury watch. Both bracelets have the Patek Philippe logo engraved in the flip lock.

5711/1A

Which Nautilus?

Today, the difference in price between the vintage Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A and the 5711/1A is bigger than ever, so it has mainly become a matter of resources or budget. That said, you can’t go wrong with either of these watches, there are some differences in the construction of the case, movement and dial that might trigger the purist to go for the Nautilus reference 3700/1A. If you admire the Nautilus design, heritage and perfect Patek Philippe-finish but you don’t have the resources for it or don’t want to have the worries about it being vintage, you might want to go for the modern Nautilus 5711/1A.

Find below an overview of the value development of the Nautilus references that I recently wrote for Chrono24’s magazine.

*This article originally appeared on Fratello on May 23rd, 2013, but has been updated with new facts, information and images on September 29th, 2018.

Share this:

from Best Watches For Men https://ift.tt/2Nf8Oyy

Hands-On: Citizen’s ‘The Citizen’ Chronomaster AB9000-61E

The world of “High Accuracy Quartz” watches (as they’ve been dubbed by the online watch community, where “HAQ” is a recognized acronym) is a highly specialized one, but within that world, there are a number of technically intriguing timepieces, including such forgotten exotica as the Pulsar PSR-10 and PSR-20, which were accurate to, respectively, 10 and 20 seconds ± per year. There’s a tendency among mechanical watch enthusiasts to regard quartz watches as essentially all the same (and fundamentally unworthy of serious consideration) but this view, while it may be understandable, ignores the fact that there are, both functionally and aesthetically, sometimes very marked differences between the movement in a thirty or forty dollar entry level quartz watch, and one found in higher end offerings from brands as diverse as Breitling, Bulova, and Seiko, all of whom have in their current lineups, quartz watches that represent extremely dramatic improvements in quality and accuracy over more conventional offerings. 

from Best Watches For Men https://ift.tt/2NVMFuF

Hands-On With The Mighty Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M

Citizen has always been an important player when it comes to semi-professional dive watches, the Promaster Professional Diver 1000M, which we’re reviewing this time, is no exception.

The Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M Eco-Drive

An unmistakably serious instrument

Let’s make things clear first, no professional or semi-professional diver needs a diving watch. For a long time, divers use and rely on their electronic wrist-dive-computers, which submit loads more information than just the time that they’ve been underwater. By the way, does it exist anyhow, semi-professional? It’s either professional or it isn’t, isn’t it? It’s like seamless, either something is seamless, or there are seams. There’s no such thing like almost seamless; that’s just not seamless. A semi-professional diver does not dive for his or her profession, thus it’s a fun diver. Absolutely nothing wrong with that of course.

So, now we have that out of the way let’s concentrate on the watch again. And I like to warn you, this will be a love song. As well, especially in this case because you’ll find this to be such a positive review, I like to express that in no way Fratello, nor myself, are compensated by Citizen for this review. All I write about it are my own absolutely honest feelings.

HUGE!

It’s huge! That’s the first you’ll mention when getting the watch in your hands. Huge, as in HUGE! Not huge like a Panerai Luminor or like an IWC Big Pilot, but really massive. And beautiful. But let’s stick to the size first. The diameter of this watch is, according to my own measurements, a whopping 52,5 mm. But the diameter certainly isn’t the only variable which makes this watch show so massive. That is the combination of its thickness of almost 22 mm and a strap width of 29 mm. Even the strap’s buckle, with a width of 22 mm, adds to it.

In fact, the size of the watch makes that, reasonably, it’s not suitable to be used as an everyday watch. The watch clearly shows it is a serious instrument, and that is how it wants to be used. Against this directive, I’ve been wearing the watch once or twice during the day, and I felt like a moron. Obviously, the people around me, seeing me wearing the watch, absolutely agreed with that. But of course, there will be always people – let me name them the look-at-me! people – who like to show off. They won’t find a better opportunity than wearing this Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M.

To get things in better perspective, I’ve pictured the Citizen next to another watch which is considered big. A 1000M Seiko ‘Tuna’ Professional. If you thought as well a Seiko Tuna is a big watch, look and think again. And I’ve pictured the Citizen next to my Mares Puck Pro dive computer. Only a device like this slightly outclasses the Citizen in size.

Technical appearance and used techniques

Besides the impressive size of the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M, it’s the technical appearance as well which convinces. Strong, edgy lines. The almost aggressive but certainly powerful shape of the diver’s bezel. Bold, clearly readable numerals on the bezel. Use of industrial typefaces. Dark coloured metals, combining two of Citizen’s exclusive technologies, Duratect MRK and Duratect DLC.

Citizen’s Duratect MRK is a technology that maintains titanium’s original properties while hardening the surface of the material itself (as opposed to applying a coating to it). Two gases are injected into a special vacuum furnace and heat treatment applied to produce a hard layer about 20 to 30 microns thick on the surface of the titanium. Resistance to nicks is increased because the surface of the titanium material itself is made harder. Parts of the watch treated this way have their original blanc material colour.

And Citizen’s Duratect DLC applies an amorphous carbon coating onto the surface of the titanium through. It’s a cold plasma technology and involves passing an electric current through hydrogen and carbon gases. DLC is an acronym for ‘diamond-like-carbon’. The DLC coating contains carbon and hydrogen (like a diamond) and lacks any grain boundaries. As a result, it’s extremely hard, smooth and scratch-resistant. The Duratect DLC technique has a higher level of adhesiveness than standard DLC technologies. The parts of the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M treated by this technique can be determined by their anthracite colour.

Feeling and operating the watch

The next experience which will impress is handling the watch. Let’s pretend we’re ready to dive, and before we go underwater, set the bezel to the current minute. Before this is possible one has to unlock a slide lock ring, placed just below the diver’s bezel. On the outside of this black Duratec DLC’d ring there are two notches, indicating ‘< FREE  LOCK >’ in white print on top of them. Outside sized 55,5 mm, they slightly stick out from the bezel. Quite intuitive you’ll turn the ring towards the ‘< FREE’ arrow, and you’re able to rotate the diver’s bezel. Even in the ‘FREE’ position of the locking ring, the bezel only turns uni-directional.

When set to the ‘FREE’ position, a dark-orange colour element becomes visible. It’s warning the user that the bezel could be rotated and the watch should not be used for dive-time measurement in that position. The feeling of rotating the locking disc is absolutely wonderful. First, it needs a more firm force to release it from its current position – be it  ‘FREE’ or ‘LOCK’ed – then it slides like a charm to its other end. It’s something which feels so good, that you could play with it all day

Looking from the top of the watch the crown shows a dark-orange ring when opened. Here it’s closed.

In line with the watch’ other dimensions, the crown with a diameter of 9 mm is suitably sized. It has a very good grip and of course, it’s of the screw down type. Unwinding it from its thread a same dark-orange colour element below the crown becomes visible. Warning the user again that the should not be used for diving in this position. For the rest, the crown operates like any other crown. Pulling it out one position sets the date, two positions enables to set the time.

The Eco-Drive J210 caliber

And here’s the first time I’ll mention the movement used in this Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M. While at most automatic/mechanical watches not pulling out a crown is a position to hand wind the movement, we won’t see that here. After unscrewing the crown from its thread, and not pulling out at all, it can be turned but nothing happens. That’s because Citizen decided to use an Eco-Drive quartz movement in this hefty watch, their proven caliber J210.

While I’m not at the end of my love song for this watch at all, this is a point I’m not totally sure of. Probably it’s an enormous achievement, I don’t know. The Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M is ISO 6425 certified and it’s also suitable for saturation diving at great depths. The watch even has a pressure equalization valve to release gas from the internals of the watch during saturation immersion to prevent damage or breakage. And Citizen fairly states “Thanks to the Eco-Drive technology, there is no need to change batteries regularly. The power reserve indicator informs divers about the remaining battery power so that they can enjoy the dive without worrying.”. And for the achievement part of where I started this paragraph with, the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M is the first ISO 6425 compliant watch ever to be equipped with a solar powered movement…

9 mm large crown, beautifully embossed and with very good grip

Electric power and water

But still. While totally unnecessary, besides being great fun to wear a nice and beautiful dive watch when diving, I can think of one tiny practical reason to wear a diving watch while underwater. And that would be the fact that a mechanical diving watch is independent of electric power. Electricity and water always have been enemies, and just for the sake of that, I could make the excuse that a mechanical watch is more water-friendly than an electronic one. Mind you a waterfilled drowned mechanical watch wouldn’t run anymore as well, but we’ve all seen watches damping up because some moisture entered the watch’ casing. In that situation, an electronic watch will stop operating almost instantly, while a mechanical watch still runs and will just need a good cleaning at the nearest watchmaker as soon as it’s surfaced.

However, one way or the other, the robustness and obvious reliability of the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M make it possible for me to overcome this reluctance, to use an electronic diver’s watch, quite easily. Fully solar charged the movement has a power reserve of one-and-a-half year (540 days). A, compared to all other parts of the watch, small power gauge is visible at the three o’clock position on the dial.

Ready for underwater!

For a watch, in my opinion, hardly suitable to reasonably wear on land, a review of it underwater is essential. So, as mentioned in the heading of this article, I have tried the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M underwater as well. I wore it in the comfortable luke-warm waters of the Mediterranean while discovering relatively shallow near-coastal waters in the area of Monte-Carlo. Near-coastal, because, something not many people may realize, the Mediterranean sea in this area, only a few hundred meters off-shore quickly reaches depths of over 100 meters. Something the watch wouldn’t care but not a place for most recreational divers.

The Citizen Promaster Professional 1000M in its natural habitat

How does it wear?

So here we go, ready for underwater! Putting on the wrist is fairly easy. As might be clear by now, everything is adequately sized and thus can be handled easily. The rubber strap is somewhat stiff, exactly as you would want for an instrument which will accompany you in probable harsh environments. The length of the strap is adapted to use on a bare wrist (like I did), as well as used strapped over a diving suit of any thickness. It can be worn quite tight as the waved extension part of the rubber makes up for differences in diameter of the wrist/suit and wrist movements. Because of its weight, its better to wear the watch quite tight indeed, it won’t wobble on your wrist like that. An actual weight being less by the way than you would expect because of the size of the watch. Once on your wrist it belongs there and doesn’t hamper in any way.

And how’s the functionality?

Once underwater, gazing through damped diving goggles, one realizes that even the boldest set of hands and index markers, as we find them on this watch, remain difficult to read. Before diving with it I already mentioned that the diameter of the dial, with only 29 mm, is more or less equal to a Rolex Submariner. But I’m sure I would have never expected it when I hadn’t used the watch underwater. I mean, look at those hands, look at those index markers. They’re like LEGO-bricks. And even in dim situations, they glow like the internals of a nuclear power plant. How could one possibly misinterpret them?

Well, luckily it’s not that bad indeed. It helps very much that the minute hand is fluo-orange, while the hour hand is just white. Immediately where to look at. That said, and at least with my eyesight, the power reserve indicator and date indication are close to non-existent looking at the watch while diving. Again, exactly what you want. This is no information which is much needed at that time. One could even argue about the necessity of a date indication on such a pure diving watch like this. However, being a saturation diver’s watch, saturation divers who often stay for several days in their saturation tanks could easily benefit from it.

Conclusion

At the end to me, the Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M is a near perfect dive watch. If there’s the possibility of such a watch at all. The perfection for me comes from the level of technical finish, the materials used, the way the watch looks and certainly feels and operates. It’s such a beautiful product, I can imagine that someone just wants to own it, even if when they will probably never really dive with it. The materials, the tolerances it’s manufactured with, the engravings, the colours, the proportions. I’m a big fan and absolutely can see myself adding this watch to my collection.

Specifications and price

Make & Model: Citizen Promaster Professional Diver’s 1000M Eco-Drive

Reference: BN7020-09E

Case size: 52,5 x 22 mm

Material: Titanium, Duratect MRK and DLC treated

Caliber: Eco-Drive, solar powered, caliber Citizen J210 with 540-hour power reserve

Price (in Europe): € 1.995,= incl tax

More information can be found at www.citizenwatch.eu

Share this:

from Best Watches For Men https://ift.tt/2OlO4Kh

Weekend Round-Up: Calling Ball Games, Scaling Mountains, And Remembering Good Design

Get In Bed With Skynet – The New York Times

Traveling the world as an artist for a good part of my 20s, I’ve learned the value of living and working in small spaces. A futon for me would serve as a sofa, a bed, and a desk to lay my canvases on as I worked. Now that I’m in my mid 30s, I’m not about that life; I’m all for comfort and appreciation of key pieces of furniture. This article explores what could have appealed to my younger self – robot operated, modular style furniture systems that disappear smoothly into the valuable unused spaces of one’s living quarters. It sounds cool, I could see how it applies to living in tight urban spaces or even if whole buildings came prefabbed with this technology. I would just be way to scared knowing my bed was above my head. 

– David Aujero, Digital Producer

from Best Watches For Men https://ift.tt/2DHbc1y

Introducing: Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Bucherer BLUE EDITIONS (Live Pics)

Blue is a dial colour that Vacheron Constantin always associated with steel watches, as it has this cold look to it. At least, according to their Style & Heritage Director, Christian Selmoni. That’s what he told the crowd in a short but interesting panel talk with Laurent Perves (Chief Marketing Officer Vacheron Constantin), Patrick Graf (Chief Commercial Officer Bucherer) and Ben Clymer (CEO Hodinkee). Patrick Graf was delighted to introduce their latest Blue Editions cooperation, this time with Vacheron Constantin. In total, Bucherer did 21 collaborations with 13 different watch manufacturers. We covered previous editions here and here, for example.

Vacheron Constantin Bucherer Blue Editions

On Wednesday 26th, I was invited by Bucherer to come to Paris and witness the introduction of the new Vacheron Constantin Bucherer Blue Editions. In the beautiful and well-known Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, the aforementioned people introduced the three new Vacheron Constantin Bucherer Blue Editions watches. Three Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle models, one for ladies, one that can be worn by men and women (38mm) and a very exclusive 42mm Tourbillon with 14-days of power reserve. All three watches carry the Poinçon de Genève emblem, a very high standard for fine watchmaking.

Without further ado, let’s have a look at all three watches.

Traditionnelle Small Model Bucherer Blue Editions

As written above, the smallest size of the pack is this beautiful-looking 33mm pink gold Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Small Model, with a diamond-set bezel. This bezel consists of 54 diamonds adding up to 0.87 carats in total. As you can see the pink gold combines perfectly with the deep blue Blue Editions colour, a very well-made decision by Vacheron Constantin (and Bucherer). It is actually a warm combination, and not cold at all. Which it indeed would be, if it was a white gold or platinum watch.

The movement for this 33mm watch is a hand-wound calibre 1400, consisting of 98 parts and 20 jewels. Calibre 1400 has a power reserve of 40 hours. It is a very classic looking ladies watch and relatively thin. Attached to it is this blue alligator strap that perfectly matches the blue of the dial. The blue dial is very clean looking, and there (luckily) not much text on the dial beside the Vacheron Constantin logo and Maltese cross. Pink gold dauphine style hands and beautifully cut hour markers give a nice contrast with the dial. The retail price for this watch is 30.000CHF.

Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions

With a 38mm diameter, this Vacheron Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions can be easily worn by men and women. A very nice and thin automatic watch, in pink gold with blue dial. The dial comes to life a bit more, due to the running seconds hand at 9 o’clock. At 3 o’clock, there’s a date aperture with a nice pink gold frame around it. The date disc is also in blue, which is not best for contrast, but it does look very good. Also here we find the pink gold dauphin shaped hands, pink gold applied numerals and the printed railway track minute circle.

The Vacheron Constantin calibre 2455 movement has been fitted to this Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions model, which is an in-house manufactured movement. It consists of 194 pieces and 27 jewels. Just like the calibre 1400 movement of the ladies’ version, the power reserve is 40 hours.

As you can see, the movement is a feast for the eyes. A beautifully decorated gold rotor and perfectly finished movement bridges underneath. As you can see in the photo below, the Geneva hallmark is on the balance-wheel bridge.

Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon Bucherer Blue Editions

Last but certainly not least, the heavy-hitter of the Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions is this Tourbillon version with a 14-day power reserve. This watch was kept for last during the introduction, of course.

As you can see below, the tourbillon has the shape of the Maltese cross. A sleek gold hand is indicating the seconds on top of the tourbillon. At 12 o’clock, there is the power reserve indicator that goes all the way up to 14-days. The centre dauphin shaped hands indicate hours and minutes, of course. Just like the other two watches, the blue opaline dial looks stunning in combination with the pink gold case, hour markers and hands.

A 42mm pink gold case that houses VC calibre 2260, an in-house developed movement that consists of 231 components and 31 jewels. The power reserve is a whopping 336 hours, which equals 14 days. It has four barrels mounted in pairs and together they unwind four times more slowly than a single barrel.

The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions 14-day Tourbillon is, of course, a bit thicker than the other two watches. The hand-wound calibre 2260 movement consists of more parts and houses the four barrels. This surely takes up some space.

The price of this 14-day Tourbillon model is 282.000CHF and it comes with a pink gold folding clasp.

First Thoughts On The Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions

I only had a brief look at the new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions, and a short moment to take some images during the event. But I believe that both Bucherer and Vacheron Constantin did an excellent job in coming up with a blue dialled Traditionnelle.

Traditionnelle

I find the Traditionnelle collection to be a very good choice for a Bucherer Blue Editions edition. At first, I was somewhat afraid that they would have picked the FiftySix collection, which happens to be a model I find not very convincing, but that’s a topic for another time. So seeing the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle being used for the Bucherer Blue Editions made me happy. Beautiful round sleek cases and the blue opaline dials really make them pop. I slightly wondered why Vacheron Constantin stuck to the more traditional dial colours, perhaps they now realize this as well. Although the 14-Day Tourbillon is the cream of the crop, I prefer the 38mm Traditionnelle in all honesty. A perfectly sized dress watch that even looked stunning on my relative big wrists (images can be seen on our Instagram feed). The ladies watch is interesting as well, although it does slightly rely on the general thought that women prefer small watches with diamonds. Perhaps some do, Bucherer and Vacheron Constantin probably have sales numbers to back this up, but I am also wondering how many women will instead opt for the 38mm version. That could be an interesting thing to monitor or measure for them.

Limited Edition

The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions are limited. However, numbers have not been given. These watches are not limited to a specific ‘publically announced’ number. So it is definitely limited, especially the 14-Day Tourbillon version, mainly by capacity and resources, but there will be no communication about the numbers. We see that some brands tend to do a “One of xxx” when they limit watches, with the idea that this will prevent customers from fighting over a certain number. But this will also not be the case for these three Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions.

To be honest, I wouldn’t care too much. They are just beautiful blue editions pieces, from a manufacture with a huge heritage when it comes to fine watchmaking.

More information about the Traditionnelle Bucherer Blue Editions and how to order them, here.

Share this:

from Best Watches For Men https://ift.tt/2OU9VW9