Why I own the Vacheron Constantin Overseas

My personal "Holy Trinity" consists of A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin. To me, these three epitomize what luxury watches are about. I've previously written about why I own the Richard Lange and the Master Ultra Thin Date. Both Lange and Jaeger grew on me over time, and in fact I didn't really fall for them until I saw them up close, in the metal.

With Vacheron, however, it was love at first sight. Back when I was a complete beginner, I was absorbing everything I could about watches. At first, I looked through a number of websites to get a feel for the various design languages out there. Vacheron immediately stood out with lots of watches I really liked. At that time I didn't even know that the Holy Trinity was a concept!

For a long time, my focus was on dress watches

It's not without reason that I acquired the Jaeger and the Lange before the Overseas: Dress watches are my favourites. More accurately, I think watches on straps in general are more interesting than watches on bracelets. I also tend to gravitate towards their designs, whether they're simple (like my Lange), or complex (like my Navitimer). The very first Vacheron Constantin watch I tried was a Patrimony.

While the design did appeal to me, the Jaeger was an absolute killer. At half the price, it wasn't much to think about. The Patrimony is just a slight too classic for me, the Master Ultra Thin adds just enough interesting elements.

Following the Jaeger acquisition and the order for the Richard Lange, I knew that I wanted a sportier watch for my next big purchase. The Speedmaster was the first bracelet watch I bought which I really enjoyed, and I felt the need for more variety. Through a bit of luck I was able to see and try both the AP Royal Oak and the Patek Nautilus. Although the Royal Oak is a beautiful (and original!) design, it wasn't all I had hoped it would be. It's hard to put into words, and I can't say definitely that I'll never own one. However, I wasn't sold. The Patek was actually better looking in the metal than I had thought, but it's my least favourite design of the high end sports watches.

The Overseas eventually grabbed my attention, and I looked through a ton of online content. As is often the case, a video from IDGuy on YouTube was a big influence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYyv9vkE96I

A kind collector let me see and try his Overseas

The blue dial Overseas isn't available from an AD in Norway: We have no Vacheron ADs with boutique status. I went abroad multiple times to cities with VC boutiques over the course of a year, but the blue dial Overseas was never around. Eventually I reached out to the community, and a kind collector contacted me and let me visit him. I was even offered to borrow the watch! Incredible gesture, and I am ever so grateful.

The very first time I tried the Overseas!

I spent about an hour at his place, and we talked about watches, watches and watches. The Overseas was everything I had hoped, and then some: The dimensions were perfect for me, the blue dial is even more stunning in real life than in photos, and lastly the bracelet is massively impressive in real life. The various facets and finishing techniques make for an incredible play of light no matter the angle.

As I left for home, there was no doubt in my mind: This would be my next purchase. Having ordered (and paid for!) the Lange, I knew I had to save up for quite a while.

For me, a purchase this big is impossible without the brand appealing to me on a personal level. Vacheron's attributes which resonate with me are:

1. They are a classic watchmaker. Although often overlooked by Patek and AP, they are still part of the Holy Trinity. Their designs are largely timeless, and they carry a lot of tradition.

2. They continue to innovate in an iterative manner. The current generation Overseas derives from the 222, making a total of four iterations on the Genta concept (arguably five, if you count the 2215 Chronometre Royal). With each iteration, they become better, in my opinion. This is hugely important to me, as resting on your laurels can often cause you to become boring and stale.

3. They are one of the oldest watch brands in existence. Their heritage, their stability, their ability to stay on the top for multiple lifetimes is so impressive. I value stability, and I have a lot of respect for maintaining a top tier position over time. In my opinion it's a lot harder to stay on the top than it is to reach the top.

Once I had the Richard Lange and settled the import taxes and everything else related to that purchase, I started planning for the Overseas purchase. WatchCharts has an amazing service for tracking a specific reference number's market value development, and I bookmarked the blue dial Overseas. I checked in daily, and occasionally took at look at various second-hand dealers (e.g. Watchfinder, Watchbox, even JazTime). I had a pretty good idea of where the market was at, and was patiently awaiting (yeah right) my savings to catch up with the cost.

A very good offer on Chrono24 made me pull the trigger, months before I thought I would

One day I was browsing Chrono24 and I found an absolutely amazing offer, which even after import taxes was below MSRP! The seller had excellent reviews, and I initiated a dialog with them. they were highly forthcoming and service-oriented. Now, I had been in contact with VC boutiques sporadically and other VC enthusiasts: I knew that this watch still had long queues around Europe. There's no way a pristine condition blue dial Overseas will be readily available below retail price anytime soon, I thought. So far, that turned out to be correct. In any case, I bought the watch. Its condition was even better than I had hoped for, and I am just super happy with the purchase. An absolute steal, and my favourite sports watch in the world (among the ones I've seen, at least). I feel humble yet proud to own one.

I know that this won't be my last Vacheron. For now, I'm not sure what my next VC purchase will be. I'm happy to just browse their collection and dream. I like most of their designs, and they are amazing in real life as well. I don't understand why most people prefer AP and Patek, but as a VC enthusiast I am just glad that the hype isn't on that level, because that means their watches are all the more available to me!

The blue dial Overseas is an amazing piece. I am so happy with it, and I truly believe that I'll never sell this watch.