Vacheron Constantin Overseas

Overall Condition: Good overall condition with some surface wear on its surface from age. The crystal, dial, and hands are all in excellent condition.

The Holy Trinity of watch brands: Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin.

Far less understood than either of its respected compatriots, Vacheron Constantin has a legacy of producing some of the very finest high horology complications in history — and some of the loveliest.

Sports watches came later to VC, as pressure from the new 'luxury sports watch' category introduced in the early 1970s forced the storied brand to evolve. Its entry arrived in the form of the Reference 222, whose design language would form the inspiration for the current Overseas collection.

The Overseas — which competes with other watches such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, IWC Ingenieur, and Piaget Polo in the 'luxury sports watch' category — often finds itself favored by collectors who value a certain je ne sais quoi in their watches. After all, this is one of few 1970s icons not designed by the famed Gérald Genta!

This particular example, an Overseas Reference 42040J, is sized at 37mm — the perfect diameter for a wide range of wrist sizes. Dating to the late 1990s, this early execution features an 18k yellow gold case with an integrated-style bracelet, a notched bezel, a date complication, and a beautiful silver guilloché 'sigma' dial with applied 'wedge' indices, luminous tritium plots, and a luminous 'sword' handset.

Powered by the Vacheron Constantin Calibre 1310 automatic movement — a highly modified version of the Girard-Perregaux Caliber 3100 that measures roughly 3mm thick — the Ref. 42040J is wondrously slim, clocking in at just 8.5mm. Elegant and emblematic of neo-vintage 1990s design codes, it's an ideal city-slicking watch for the discerning collector.