Status Watches Are Shrinking—And This Watch Is Proof
After years of watches growing larger and larger, they’re finally trending back down...way down. The new design of the Overseas Self-Winding reference 4600V features all of the signature traits of Vacheron Constantin’s iconic sports watch collection—three interchangeable bands (metal bracelet, leather, and rubber straps), automatic movement, date display, and Maltese-cross bezel motif—but with an elegant 34.5mm diameter, down from the standard 41mm.
This more diminutive version was released to critical acclaim at the Watches & Wonders trade show in Geneva last year. The Overseas was originally released in 1996 and has gone through several aesthetic and mechanical evolutions over the years, reaching a eureka moment in 2016 with the introduction of its current (third) generation. For the past several years, all models in the collection, ranging from simple time-only examples to highly complicated ones like tourbillons and perpetual calendars, have been among the most sought after on the market.
The new Overseas comes in either 18-karat pink gold or stainless steel variants and runs on a thin automatic caliber 1088/1, which is on full display when the watch is turned over, thanks to a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback. For those collectors with thicker limbs concerned that the new Overseas will have a diminished presence on the wrist, the lug-to-lug measurement is a generous 42mm, giving the overall profile a boost. The chameleonic blue dial changes intensity depending on how the light hits it—but when paired with the polished pink gold case, its shimmer is eternal.
Overseas Self-Winding, reference 4600v
Materials: Stainless steel or 18-karat pink gold
Caliber: 1088/1
Case diameter: 34.5mm
Thickness: 9.3mm
Lug-to-lug: 42mm
Includes metal bracelet as well as rubber and leather straps
This story originally appeared in the May 2024 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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