Inheritance of Tradition: The Vacheron Constantin 6000T

Of the holy trinity watch brands— Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin, in the last 20 years, Vacheron has certainly been the quietest. Never quite achieving the cult popular appeal that AP and Patek have garnered with their incredible sports offerings, Vacheron has largely stayed a niche brand with smaller production levels catering more to the dress watch enthusiast than the sports watch collector. This lag for Vacheron is also one of the reasons I respect them most. Today, we are taking a closer look at a particular example of one of the brand’s most impressive mechanical achievements with a modern twist, the Reference 6000T tourbillon.

History

Vacheron Constantin is the longest continually operating high horology brand, managed in Switzerland since 1755. However, this particular piece relies heavily on the innovation on another long-lived watch brand Breguet. In 1801 Breguet sought to solve an age-old problem that the pocket watch industry had been contending with – gravity. The toll gravity places on the accuracy of the escapement was a major issue, particularly when you consider that on a pocket watch, the escapement sits in precisely the same orientation throughout the day. Breguet’s innovation was the patented tourbillon escapement. 

Instead of leaving the escapement in a fixed position, the tourbillon places the escapement inside a carousel that rotates the escapement around (typically one revolution per minute). The result is that the escapement is in constant motion, and changing position consistently. This equalizes the deleterious effects of gravity, and guarantees greater accuracy. The tourbillon changed the industry irreversibly, and became a popular accessory to many high horology watches.

In a modern context, the tourbillon exists more as a work of mechanical and visual wonder, rather than providing a mechanical advantage. Since watches are worn on the wrist and not in the pocket, your wristwatch is often in motion throughout the day and not sitting in the same position as was the case with a pocket watch stored in the watch pocket of an overcoat or pair of trousers. Today, the tourbillon is a celebration of the history and sophistication of the fine watch industry, and the complication has found its way into a multitude of modern creations, including the piece we are covering today from Vacheron Constantin. 

Design Details

The beauty of this Vacheron is that it seamlessly integrates both modern and historical approaches to watchmaking into one package. On the one hand, this piece possesses the minimalist, streamlined design cues characteristic of earlier wrist watches, inspired by the Bauhaus school of design. Minimalist indexes, faceted hands, and a simple layout do much to scale back the over design of many more contemporary interpretations of wristwatches. At the same time, this piece has been scaled to a very-modern 41mm, outfitted with a striking green dial (something we likely wouldn’t have seen back in the day), and topped off with an openwork tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock.

In early times, the tourbillon was almost always buried in the back of the watch, but as the tourbillon has become an appreciated artform, brands have begun to celebrate the mechanical and aesthetic beauty of the tourbillon more “openly”. 

This piece has simple, broad lugs with sharp sides, slab case construction (also a modern detail), a stepped bezel for added three-dimensionality, and high polish throughout. The case, like the rest of the piece, emphasizes this dual identity of old and new. 

The dial, with its green sunburst finish, and faceted indexes, is finished with a subtle railroad minute track, and smaller version for the running seconds inside the tourbillon. Perhaps the most beautiful detail is found in the tourbillon. Vacheron has topped off the tourbillon cage with the Maltese cross motif of the brand. This has to be one of the classiest ways of showing a brand logo anywhere in the industry. Just above that cross is a wonderfully black polished tourbillon bridge, which has been painstakingly hand finished to a perfect shine. This is an incredibly impressive feat for a finisher. 

Inner Workings

To match the sophisticated execution of the case and dial, the movement is equally impressive. The caliber 2160/1 supplies an incredible 80 hour power reserve. Tourbillons place a substantial drain on power reserve, so achieving this power reserve with the complication speaks to the prowess of the brand. 

Additionally, Vacheron was particularly attuned to the fact that on most automatic winding movements, the rotor has the potential to obscure the movement. In order to prevent the tourbillon escapement from getting covered by a winding mass, Vacheron used a peripheral rotor. This is one of my personal favorite details that they incorporated. I think it’s subtle, and shows that the brand is in touch with the types of challenges conventional pieces provide. 

In general, the movement is beautifully finished as one would expect from a watch of this caliber. Vacheron has stripped away a lot of the unnecessary movement bridgework, providing an obscured view of the keyless winding works and more. From both the front and the back, the tourbillon ties the movement together with some much-needed kineticism. 

Versus the Competition

Alternatives to this piece are available at the upper end of the market, but each has a different take on the complication to consider. Firstly, within the Vacheron collections, and built on the same movement foundation is the Overseas Tourbillon. The sporty counterpart to the traditionelle, this is the most modern interpretation of the Vacheron tourbillon on the market. The Overseas has become extremely popular in recent years. The tourbillon has always been the crowning jewel of the collection. 

Next, on the dress side, the most natural counterpart to this piece might be the 1815 Tourbillon from A. Lange & Sohne. A completely different approach to the piece, Lange has essentially taken a tourbillon pocket watch design, opened an aperture at 6 to see the tourbillon, and added lugs to make it wearable. This results in a very unique tourbillon presentation, and a great counterpart to the Vacheron. Both pieces are of very similar proportions, with primarily stylistic differences between the pieces. 

Finally, for a slightly different slate of complications, Breguet has an incredible tourbillon perpetual calendar. This piece has an ornate dial with guilloché executed on a rose lathe, and a freehand engraved movement on the back visible through a sapphire caseback. For the price, this is an incredible value, providing two sophisticated complications for the price of many far-less complicated pieces from other high horology brands. 

Personality

The collector that opts for the Vacheron 6000T appreciates dress watches and complications, but prefers a more modern packaging of those attributes. A larger case size and bolder dial color help to satisfy this customer’s preferences perfectly. Vacheron is a legacy name with a strong watchmaking heritage and skillset behind that legacy. 

This watch can also be a great way for sportier enthusiasts to gain access to dress watches. Many high comp dress watches put out these days are paired with relatively small case sizes and finishes designed to appeal to a hardcore dress enthusiast. This watch has a hybrid appeal that will work great for those that might not be accustomed to the feel of a dress watch. 

Final Thoughts

The Vacheron Constantin 6000T is a reminder that Vacheron is still putting out the high complication dress watches the brand has always been known for. Instead of peddling purely, or even primarily, to the tastes of the mass market, Vacheron continues to deliver to a niche subset of the luxury market. While this means the brand is not as popular as others, it is also the reason most serious enthusiasts have genuine respect for the brand. I personally love that Vacheron has not deviated from its course over the years. I think it signifies the fact that Vacheron answers to a higher order even than the market– they truly pursue what they consider to be of quality, and consistent with horological tradition. And what a beautiful piece has ensued!

See more of the Vacheron Constantin 6000T Tourbillon

Visit europeanwatch.com