Vacheron & Constantin Cal.458 18ct 1935

Vacheron Constantin

One of the widely recognised ‘Holy Trinity’ of Swiss watchmaking along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin is also the world’s oldest ‘Watch Manufacturer’ and as such, has remained in continuous operation since 1755. More than this, Vacheron Constantin is the founding father of a spirit of technical excellence which it has made an art form. This is known as ‘Haute Horlogerie’ at which Vacheron Constantin has been in the vanguard for over 260 years. This tradition defines the ‘Manufacture’, evident in the finest quality execution, reflected in a finish which goes far beyond the demands of the ‘Poinçon de Genève’.

Created in 1886, the ‘Seal of the State of Geneva’ is the highest accolade, reserved for only the very finest quality watchmaking. Vacheron Constantin was the first watchmaker to be allowed to use this hallmark of excellence on its movements.

Vacheron Constantin was also the first watch company to manufacture movements with interchangeable parts, beginning in 1839. The manufacturer is known for their highly complicated masterpieces, including the King Farouk Grand Complication made in 1935 and the Tour de l’Ile which was the most complicated serially produced wristwatch when introduced in 2005. Then followed the 57260 — the world’s most complicated watch — made in 2015.

For the well-heeled and the collector, vintage Vacheron Constantin offers a degree of exclusivity which even Patek Philippe can not. During the 1940s and through to the late 1960s, Vacheron Constantin only ever produced a maximum of 24 examples of each reference in any one configuration. This means that while it produced a variety of dial and case combinations and colours and designs, each one was strictly limited in number. For the collector, the fact that these watches exist and are seriously undervalued doesn’t go unnoticed.

Description

A rare, rectangular-cased 1930s, art-deco 18ct yellow gold Vacheron & Constantin watch with a beautiful, unrestored off-white dial. Relatively few square or rectangular shaped Vacheron & Constantin watches have been produced, making these case shapes more exclusive. At 21mm across, excluding the original unsigned crown, this is a good-sized Ladies dress watch for the period.

The Dial

Although this watch is almost 90 years old, the dial design is so elegant and timeless it could easily be mistaken for a contemporary watch today.

The beautiful Vacheron & Constantin art-deco dial, carries original yellow gold Index hands with mixed stud hour indices and ‘2 – 4 – 6 – 8 – 10 – 12’ standard Arabic numerals on a slightly off-white background, all delicately framed by subtle dash minute dial and a subsidiary seconds dial at 6. So well balanced, beautifully proportioned and executed to perfection. In harmony with the watch case, the dial speaks of pure class, simple elegance, quality and confidence.

This watch has very slight signs of aging with a wonderful even patina and some delicate spotting and pitting, all of this giving the dial a wonderful unique look, yet leaving the watch very easily read on the wrist.

This dial is simply signed ‘Vacheron & Constantin’ and ‘Geneve’ just below 12.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The P458 subsidiary seconds movement, along with its sister movement, the P454 are widely regarded as two of the best hand-wound movements ever produced.

The hand-wound Calibre 458, 17 jewel movement here is utterly beautiful. Put at its simplest… it is a work of art, with Fausses Côtes, Geneva Wave embellishment, a lever escapement, monometallic balance with screws adjusted to temperature, self-compensating Breguet hairspring, Superchoc shock-absorber and a swan-neck micrometer regulator, enabling much finer calibration.

The movement is in superb condition having just completed a full overhaul and service by our vintage Vacheron Constantin specialist watchmaker. It is running perfectly and has been calibrated in 5 positions to run within +9 seconds per day which is is truly outstanding for any mechanical watch and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher. This movement also has an excellent power reserve of 44 hours when fully wound.

The movement is signed ‘Vacheron Constantin’ and  ‘Geneve’ with the movement serial number 431797 and Swiss Geneva hallmarks. The movement serial number dates this watch to 1935.

With care and regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to continue to run very happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore totally confident in offering this watch with our 12 months’ written warranty*.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

Watch Case

This wonderful example is all the more desirable due to having a wonderful 18ct yellow gold rectangular case. As stated earlier, rectangular Vacheron & Constantin watches are rare, due to low production numbers, which makes these highly sought after today.

Vacheron & Constantin watches have always been conservatively sized and at 21mm across, excluding the correct unsigned crown, this was a typical size for the period. Although this may appear small, the watch measures 41mm, including the beautiful straight lugs, actually making this watch quite a large size for the period.

The condition of the two-piece case is outstanding, indicating the watch has seen only light and careful use. It is as sturdy and tight as the day it was made, with its two halves pressing together with a very firm click and there are no scratches, other marks, or signs of wear visible to the naked eye.

Inside the case, all is correct and simply signed ‘Vacheron & Constantin’ and ‘Swiss’ with Swiss 18ct hallmarks and the case serial number 273993.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality blue leather strap is fitted along with a plain gold-plated buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin. We can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps here.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1935.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

Here we have a truly rare and highly sought after vintage gold dress watch from horology’s most revered name which is truly a thing of beauty – to wear, use, treasure and enjoy. It will also make an excellent investment as well as a family heirloom piece.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.