Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum Watch Review

The Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum reference 5100T/000P-H041 has just been released at Watches & Wonders 2024. A new expression of the Maison’s Collection Excellence Platine, the model features several platinum components, including the case, crown, dial and clasp. Even the stitching fringing the strap is a combination of platinum and silk. Angus Davies provides an overview of this mouthwatering limited-edition reference.

Vacheron Constantin at Watches & Wonders 2024

Every year at Watches and Wonders, I visit the Vacheron Constantin booth, keen to discover its latest ‘novelties’. With my nose just a few centimetres from the glass, I admire the timepieces neatly arranged in the display cabinets and slowly consider each crisp line and sinuous curve. When nobody is looking, I usually get a bit closer and view the dials on display. While the excited air from my nostrils causes the glass to momentarily fog, I appraise the dials as they interact with light, evincing different shades when viewed from various angles.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph – Collection Excellence Platine

Among the Vacheron Constantin timepieces on display at Watches & Wonders 2024, there were some models I could just about afford on a sunny day but there were others that will forever remain behind toughened glass. One such example is the new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono – Collection Excellence Platine, a watch that sits in the highest echelons of Haute Horlogerie. Based on a model first seen in 2020, this latest reference includes a case, crown, dial and clasp formed of platinum. Indeed, even the stitching fringing the strap is a combination of platinum and silk.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph (2020)

Back in 2020, the esteemed Manufacture released the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph (ref. 5100T/000R-B623) housed in a 42.5 mm 18-carat pink gold case. The model remains a member of the brand’s current collection.

Fitted with the hand-wound Calibre 3200, the watch is endowed with a tourbillon regulator, positioned at 12 o’clock, and a monopusher chronograph featuring a column wheel and lateral clutch. The complement of functions also includes a power-reserve indicator, located at 6 o’clock.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum (2024)

The new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum is identical to the 2020 release save for its widespread use of platinum. This eminently attractive timepiece, imbued with an array of well-considered mechanical refinements and finished to the highest order, is the latest addition to the Maison’s Collection Excellence Platine, a much sought-after series of limited-edition creations.

Vacheron Constantin Collection Excellence Platine depuis 2006

In 2005, Vacheron Constantin celebrated its 250th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the Maison released ‘Jubilé 1755’, a collection of extraordinary watches including the horological tour de force, the Vacheron Constantin Tour de I’lle, a wristwatch endowed with 16 complications.

The following year (2006), having taken down the bunting and swept the floor of party hats, the Maison needed a new showstopper and it found it in the form of the Collection Excellence Platine (originally called the ‘Platinum Excellence Collection’). This is an über desirable, must-have label for any self-respecting VC fan. The first PEC models were the Patrimony Contemporaine and the Malte Chronograph.

As its name suggests the Collection Excellence Platine models are housed in a platinum case. However, the story does not end there, the crown, dial and clasp are also made of ‘PT950’. In fact, even the dial bears the hallmark ‘PT950’ between 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock.

Since 2007, all Collection Excellence Platine models have been fitted with a blue alligator leather strap hand-stitched with platinum 950 and silk. It was a world-first at the time and it still remains an incredibly rare sight.

Vacheron Constantin Calibre 3200

In common with the gold Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph of 2020, the new Collection Excellence Platine reference is fitted with the same Calibre 3200. This movement dates back to 2015 when the Maison celebrated its 260th anniversary.

While the cadence of the balance is traditional, beating at 2.5 Hz, the movement incorporates some contemporary features including a peripheral drive system for the tourbillon carriage, allowing the Manufacture to make the calibre slimmer. Indeed, the Swiss marque capitalised on this svelteness, openworking the mainplate to afford superior views of the tourbillon in motion.

I explored this movement in much detail in an article I wrote back in 2020, a must-read for all horophiles; however, I will point out a few highlights herein.

Lateral coupling

A lateral coupling affords sight of the wheels meshing as the chronograph mechanism engages and disengages. It’s a traditional approach that provides a delightful dose of theatre, much loved by purists. The potential downside is that there can be a degree of wobble or stuttering when the chronograph is actuated. For this reason, some watch obsessives prefer vertical couplings which address such issues. However, the vertical coupling doesn’t deliver the same captivating performance as its traditional counterpart. The Manufacture has addressed said problems by developing a ‘friction-drive’ lateral clutch, a system that avoids any stuttering, ensuring ‘the seconds hand engages smoothly when the chronograph is started’.

All or nothing activation system

Furthermore, Vacheron Constantin has introduced a feature that prevents the chronograph from being accidentally started with a faint whiff of pressure on the monopusher. The Calibre 3200 is equipped with an ‘all-or-nothing’ activation system that ‘prevents the seconds hand from starting when too little pressure is applied to the pusher’.

Chronograph with two hammers

The chronograph has two hammers instead of one to reset the chronograph hands, a feature that enhances the precision of the timing sequences.

Poinçon de Genève

Both the movement and watch are hallmarked with the much coveted Poinçon de Genève. Enshrined in law since 1886, the Poinçon de Genève is one of the most onerous certifications in watchmaking. It is an independent guarantee of provenance, craftsmanship, quality and extraordinary watchmaking expertise.

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum – closing remarks

The new Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chrono Platinum is a paragon of watchmaking excellence, a timepiece that sits at the top table with other expressions of Haute Horlogerie. It wonderfully demonstrates the Maison’s extraordinary expertise amassed over 269 years. Sadly, the model is beyond my financial means, a familiar frustration encountered each year, that’s cruelly reinforced by the touch of cold toughened glass.