Hands-On: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin With Caliber 1120

This is a watch we loved a lot when we went hands-on with it at the SIHH. It’s part of the refreshed Overseas line of watches, and while it’s the sort of thing one expects from Vacheron Constantin, it’s still so nicely done and so well rooted in VC’s history that it rises above merely fulfilling expectations, and becomes something worth celebrating.

The Overseas Ultra-Thin immediately struck us as reminiscent of the Vacheron Constantin 222, from the 1970s, which was along with watches like the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, part of the first generation of stainless steel watches with an integrated bracelet. All three watches, incidentally, were driven by the same movement: the Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 920, which was the result of a development project that involved Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe. The Vacheron Constantin version of this movement is VC caliber 1120.

When we first announced the Overseas Ultra-Thin there was some question as to whether or not the movement is in-house (entirely made by Vacheron Constantin). While we’ve gone on record recently that we feel “in-house” in and of itself is not a terribly useful standard by which to evaluate a watch, it’s worth noting that this movement is today manufactured by Audemars Piguet (this has been confirmed for us within the last month by both AP and Vacheron). The rights to manufacture the movement were acquired by AP in exchange for its stake in Jaeger-LeCoultre when the latter became part of the Richemont Group.

This is, as Walt Odets pointed out in his classic Timezone article years ago, one of the most, if not the most, exclusive automatic movements in the world. It’s pretty incredible that since it was introduced in 1967, it remains to this day the thinnest full-rotor self-winding movement – not only in current production, but of all time. As such, at 2.45 mm thick in its simplest form, it may well represent a sort of practical limit to how thin you can make a full-rotor automatic movement with more or less traditional watchmaking materials.  

In the Overseas Ultra-Thin, the result is a $55,700 watch in white gold, with a total thickness of 7.5 mm, in a 40 mm diameter case. The thinnest automatic watch made by Vacheron Constantin, which also uses the caliber 1120, is the Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968, at 5.4 mm thick. The Overseas earns its slightly sturdier case via an ingenious modular strap/bracelet system, which allows you to switch back and forth using no tools.  

With either the strap or the bracelet, the Overseas Ultra-Thin does what any ultra-thin watch ought to do when you put it on: provides a jolt of unadulterated physical pleasure. There’s something immediately sensuously satisfying about wearing it; while it’s a reference to a great piece of Vacheron history, as well as a wonderful piece of unobtrusively well-thought-out engineering, this is really a watch you have to wear if you really want to understand its appeal. It's a great addition to the VC lineup, and we’re really happy to see a classic, ultra-thin sports-luxury self-winding watch back in the collection.

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin, with caliber 1120, is priced at $55,700. White gold only, boutique only. Caliber 1120, 40-hour power reserve, 2.45 mm x 28.40 mm. Case, 40 mm x 7.5 mm. More here.

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