Vacheron Constantin Overseas-Swiss High-End Watches Review

Vacheron Constantin Overseas manifests a surprising shift in design compared to the unique traditional appearance of the majority of VC timepieces. It also packs, perhaps less surprisingly, a series of technological improvements which put the collection into the category of elite travel watches. One of the most recognizable characteristics of the Overseas is that it's not instantly recognizable.

It may take a second glance to discover that one watch belongs to Vacheron Constantin: the general design, though elegant, stylish and sporty, bears conceptual similarity to watches made by other companies, Rolex or Omega, for instance. This, however, tells us more about the effectiveness of that particular prototype, than about Vacheron Constantin.

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The conception behind Overseas design is to create a completely new look, and later inject various Vacheron Constantin unmistakable visual components. On the one hand, Overseas displays a cohesive and strong design, on the other hand, the familiar sleekness of the lines fades somewhat the unique character of Vacheron Constantin. For a Vacheron Constantin connoisseur this may be confusing, and not everybody may like this confusion.

That said, the company declared that the stress in Overseas was made on function and utility. Few elements – the sharply and ornately executed bezel, the corporate logo, and others – reveal the Swiss maker's identity; much more do so quietly and “behind the scenes” – these are the functional components that protect the watch, and turn it into a highly effective travel time-keeper.

So let's examine the improvements and enhancements Vacheron Constantin included in Overseas. The collection follows unusually high standards to protect the case of the watch: water resistance is assured by watertightness gaskets, screw-locked components (the crown, for instance) contribute to overall tightness and impenetrability to alien objects.

The inside of the movement includes an anti-magnetic screen that protects the mechanism from magnetic fields. Bracelets are made particularly supple in order to precisely fit the wearer's wrist. Luminescent hands combined with a glare-proofed sapphire cover and oversized luminescent indices or numerals make time reading effortless and outright enjoyable.

Concerning movement, the five main lines in Overseas -- the Urban Voyage, the Athletic Voyage, the Chronograph, the Dual Time and Ladies – contain Vacheron Constantin's complications especially targeted at travelers. Day/Night and power reserve (for the self-winding mechanical movement) indicators, various calendar, as wells as hours, minutes and seconds subdials transform the watch into an effective working instrument.

In my opinion, the conventional, at the first impression, visual appearance, downplays the big name – Vacheron Constantin – and makes Overseas an exercise in elegant understatement. Appropriately, Overseas is the only collection that offers new watches encased in unpretentious stainless steel. In other words, the company goes all the way with the concept of sports and travel watches – less looks, more function. Overseas will suit individuals who prefer and rely on understatement as a form of self-expression and manner of operating in the world.

Latest models deviate slightly, incorporating more prominent stylistic additions, sometimes in surprising combinations. Ladies pieces feature mother-of-pearl dials diamond indices; the bezels in gents models have been paved with diamonds.