Vacheron Constantin is Still Challenging What’s Possible

By Rob Edwards - Sponsored

Updated: 10 July, 2026

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Readtime: 5 min

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Vacheron Constantin’s founding motto, “Do better if possible, and that is always possible”, has served the maison well. Originating in the 1819 writings of François Constantin, the man who helped transform a single-city Geneva workshop into an internationally trading maison, these words have fostered a commitment to innovation and refinement that can’t be matched.

To put it simply, this statement has helped guide the watchmaker to the very highest tier of horology as it crafts the world’s finest timepieces, synonymous with luxury, collectibility, and immaculate elegance and style.

For 2026, the maison’s new theme is an evolution of this foundational statement: “Explore all ways possible”. This call to constantly push the boundaries of excellence and creativity, wherever it may lead, has, in fact, led to some of the maison’s most striking timepieces to date. Specifically, five new Overseas models, which are some of the finest demonstrations of Vacheron Constantin’s absolute mastery of materials and design.

The Pinnacle of Sport and Luxury

With its signature integrated bracelet and toothed bezel, the Overseas is an unmistakable icon that helped to popularise the form of integrated-bracelet sports watches.

Through its latest incarnations, Vacheron Constantin continues the spirit of exploration and openness to the world that has always been at the core of both the collection and the maison’s philosophy more broadly.

It does this first through the Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points collection, which introduces four new timepieces—one to represent each of the four compass points: north, south, east, and west. And second, this spirit is embodied by the Calibre 2550, a stunningly thin new movement that challenges the limits of what’s possible and makes its debut in the all-platinum Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin.

Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points

All four of the entries in this ambitious new Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points collection are direct descendants of a timepiece Vacheron Constantin created for photographer and explorer Cory Richards, who thoroughly field-tested the watch under extreme conditions during his 2019 ascent of Everest.

Each watch deploys titanium across its 41mm case, signature integrated bracelet, and interchangeable folding clasp, which the maison selected for its properties of lightness and strength. Here, Vacheron Constantin lives up to its centuries-old motto by applying a matte anthracite grey finish on the bezel, crown and pusher ring, heightening the material’s distinctive aesthetic and high-performance qualities. The contrast this creates helps to showcase the Overseas bezel’s famous cutaway notches which echo the shape of the Maltese Cross, which is synonymous with the maison.

Whether you opt for the white (North), brown (South), blue (East), or green (West) timepiece, each dial rewards close inspection, thanks to the use of three finishes. All four watches boast dials with a grained-finished centre, a circular satin-finished internal minute track, and a lacquered-finish external minute track. This stunning trio of finishes is paired with snailed counters, and dual-time hands realised in striking orange. The picture is completed with 18K white gold hour/minute hands and hour-markers highlighted with blue SuperLuminova.

All of this is powered by the 5110 DT/3, the third iteration of Vacheron Constantin’s elegant in-house automatic dual-time movement, boasting a 60-hour power reserve and superb finishing throughout, which can be admired through the watch’s refined display caseback.

Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin

Vacheron Constantin has a legacy of making watches that sit at the apex of exceptional craftsmanship and elite exclusivity, but even for this revered maison, few can match the Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin.

This incredible watch is powered by the new manufacture Calibre 2550, which somehow measures in at a mere 2.4 mm in thickness and yet still manages to deliver an impressive 80-hour power reserve. A technical achievement of this magnitude required seven years of research and development, which focused on performance enhancement, leading to the creation of an innovative architecture that combines a micro-rotor, a suspended double barrel, and a compact single-level gear train.

An exceptional movement deserves to power an equally exceptional watch, and in this regard, Vacheron Constantin has delivered. Limited to just 255 pieces, the Self-Winding Ultra-Thin is the only Overseas release to have been realised entirely in 950 platinum. Measuring in at 39.5 mm in diameter, it’s a perfectly proportioned piece, and to be entirely frank, it was my favourite release of all the watches I encountered at Watches and Wonders 2026.

The Exploration Continues

Vacheron Constantin’s appetite for discovery shows no signs of waning, and with the maison creating watches like the Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points and Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin, that’s as strong a cause for celebration as the world of horology is likely to produce.

As this most elite watchmaker continues to “explore all ways possible”, it feels like the only truly impossible task is left to those of us observing these pieces not to do so with a genuine sense of awe. More than 270 years into its journey, Vacheron Constantin refuses to rest on its laurels, despite its centuries of remarkable heritage. Instead, the maison recommits time and again to the pursuit of doing better.