Vacheron Constantin Introduce Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface

We’ve already talked about the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Day-Date Retrograde and now it’s time to talk about another of Vacheron’s new retrograde pieces, the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface. Having been up close and hands-on, it’s perhaps my favourite of the 2023 collection with a huge depth of detail to feast on.

Let’s start with the dial because that’s the main attraction. It has a partially skeletonised display revealing the tourbillon at 6 o’clock and the mechanisms surrounding the central hand stack. The rest of the dial is a dark slate colour, achieved with a NAC surface treatment, with a recessed lower portion and a pronounced semi-circle above for the titular retrograde date function.

The contrasting finish between the two steps of the dial is wonderful to look at, with the lower section featuring vertical lines and the top portion a radial motif. Gently playing the light across the dial reveals new levels of depth and finishing all the time.

The hands and hour markers are all delicately picked out in pink gold to match the case, which has a 41mm diameter. Although not all the hands are gold because the retrograde date hand is black with a white arrow tip – an interesting choice because it means that it simultaneously stands out from the hours and minutes hands while blending in with the dial to a greater extent. I actually like the fact it blends in slightly as it doesn’t pull focus away from the tourbillon, which is the star of the show.

Flipping the watch over, we can see the more of the movement, which is the calibre 2162 R31. It features automatic winding and has a power reserve of 72-hours, particularly impressive in a tourbillon watch as tourbillons are typically a drain on the power reserve. With its Maltese Cross cage, this is one of the most beautiful tourbillons around and it is captivating to watch, rotating once per minute and functioning as the seconds indicator.

The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface is price on request. I really like this watch for the way it combines the class of the Traditionnelle with the technical appearance of the openface display. A worthy centrepiece to any collection and one I’m sad to part ways with here.