After my week on the wrist experience with the adorable Overseas Chronograph, it was safe to say that I’m a big fan of the relaunched 2016 Overseas collection across the board. From its unique bezel and case design right down to its clever strap changing system, there’s a lot to love, but when given an initial first-hand glimpse at the new World Time model, I – along with many of my fellow enthusiasts and media who made it up onto the High Line in New York for Vacheron’s entertaining kick-off event – was almost immediately convinced that this was the new it piece from the Overseas lineup. I love a good GMT or world time watch on any given day, but the overall execution of this Vacheron left me all too eager to get some extended hands-on time. The time has come and gone, so let’s get to it.
Design
Case-wise, the changes to the Overseas are quite nominal unless you’ve been handling both the Chronograph (42.5mm) and the World Time back-to-back. The World Time loses a hair over a millimeter in thickness and gains a millimeter in overall diameter, though these changes have little impact on the fit and wrist presence of the piece. At 12.6mm thick, the World Time still can get tuck under a shirt cuff when needed. It pales alongside the 7.5mm Overseas Ultra-Thin, mind you, but it’s still plenty reasonable to dress up for polite company. Its 43.5mm diameter might sound a bit large to some, but all-told it wears a fair bit smaller than expected.
As with the rest of the Overseas line, the World Time arrived with its leather strap, rubber strap, and metal bracelet all in tow. At first I was a little bummed out to see that I was getting hands-on with the brown version of the World Time (ref. 7700V/110A-B176 for those obsessed with reference numbers). I’m all about color, but brown is never at the top of my list no matter the watch – or shoes, or clothes, or cars for that matter – but in hindsight the brown World Time is the most attractive of the three dial and strap variants available. In blue, the smoked sapphire that rests above its contrasting center ring seems almost out of place when compared with how well the corresponding component matches the brown dial and strap on my tester. It’s also worth noting that the smoked sapphire also serves a rather glorious purpose – it acts as a day/night indication as the center ring rotates through a 24-hour period.
While still talking color, there is more dissonant contrast that afflicts the silver-dialed World Time model when worn on its accessory straps. Dial-wise, that example fares much better, though it looks a million times better on its steel bracelet than it does on its jet black leather and rubber straps. Though it photographs well for Vacheron’s website, there’s a bit of a clash between the dark grey of the silver dial’s 24-hour ring night portion and the intense black of that model’s straps. The moral of the story? If you love blue, go blue. If you love the bracelet, then silver or brown will do. If you’re detail-obsessed? You’re pretty well stuck with brown as far as I’m concerned.
In The Field
At a functional level, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time was a real joy to wear over the course of the extended week (about 10 days to be precise). Busy as its dial is, the watch is incredibly legible. The same can be said for reading off of its world time indication for any other city. Vacheron takes great pride in stating that the world timer indicates every time zone on earth, even going so far as to include the obscure one-half and one-quarter hour zones like St. Johns, Newfoundland and Nepal. This is as true as “true world timer” gets, and Vacheron’s design team deserves a little hat-tip for the extra effort.
In terms of comfort Vacheron Constantin succeeds again. Every strap configuration fits like a glove, and unlike the situation with the blue chronograph, I found myself splitting my time between the metal bracelet and the supple alligator strap — a real testament to the dressier capabilities of the World Time when compared with the chronograph. The chocolate brown rubber strap wasn’t my favorite; however, it remained remarkably comfortable on the wrist. Given that the watch is rated for 150 meters of water resistance and has a screw-down crown, I can absolutely see the rubber strap coming in handy for someone on vacation who wants to travel with a single watch.
The “only one watch” argument is one that I tend to dismiss. Much like my love of cars, my love of watches replica means I can give you my top five all day long, but picking a single watch is a little too Sophie’s Choice for my liking. That said, both the Overseas World Time and Chronograph make a real compelling argument. I could easily see travelling for at least a solid few weeks (or even months) with nothing other than the World Time and its strap kit. The whole “take it from the boardroom to the pool to your Michelin-rated dinner out” thing is incredibly difficult to accomplish and I’d argue that the Overseas can do it without breaking a sweat.
Final Notes
While I do have minor gripes centered around color choices on the new Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time lineup, the takeaway from my latest experience once again is resoundingly positive. This thing satisfies so many individual items on the figurative “wants list” of countless fellow watch enthusiasts that it’s almost humorous. In-house caliber? Check. Comprehensive and legible world time? Check. Bold design? Check. Versatility? Check plus plus. I can go on, but you get the idea.
So what’s the catch? Well, the Overseas World Time doesn’t come cheap — not even close. The all-stainless steel watch rolls in at U.S. $37,000 – which is steep – but if you’re able to justify the number for any brand’s sports watch, Vacheron deserves to be a leading contender for your watch-dollars. The movement is spectacular, the bracelet can compete with the best in the business (including Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet), but really it’s the complete package that sells these new Vacherons. Even if the new Overseas isn’t your first world timer, it would be a fine choice as your last.