Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch manufacturer in continuous production since its founding, unveiled its Fiftysix collection in January 2018, in the form of three new models: Self-winding, Day-Date and Complete Calendar. On September 11, the maison launched the fourth model in the collection: the Fiftysix Tourbillon.
Beautifully slender at less than 6 mm thick and framed by a 41 mm-diameter 18K pink gold case, the Fiftysix Tourbillon is equipped with a 22-carat gold peripheral rotor. The calibre of this model may be observed through a transparent caseback revealing all the beauty of the mechanism with its refined ornamentation. The tourbillon alone, according to the maison, requires over a dozen hours of chamfering and other hand-crafted finishing operations. Its 2.5 Hz frequency provides a chance to follow its steady beat while the two-tone opaline-sunburst dial’s decoration plays an equally exceptional tune.
The style of the Fiftysix is a direct tribute to a watch created in 1956: reference 6073. Its distinctive design embodies the creativity of the maison during the 1950s; a period representing the golden age of watchmaking refinement.
Round, slim and effortlessly elegant, reference 6073 is distinguished by its four lugs each representing a branch of the Maltese cross. It was also, at the time, one of the first watches from the manufacturer to be equipped with a self-winding movement and a water-resistant case.
With its classic dial, daring case and avant-garde technical characteristics, the 1956 watch was a bridge between respect for tradition and innovative excellence. Qualities that were deeply cherished by Vacheron Constantin are now expressed in the Fiftysix collection as it takes inspiration from several features of the original model such as the lugs forming one portion of the Maltese cross, a box-type crystal, as well as self-winding movements.
The Fiftysix Tourbillon will be available exclusively from Vacheron Constantin boutiques from April 2019.
