Vacheron Constantin Day-Date Ref.46009 18ct c1987

Vacheron & Constantin

One of the recognised ‘Holy Trinity’ of Swiss watchmaking along with Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, Vacheron & Constantin is also the world’s oldest ‘Watch Manufacture’ and as such, it has remained in continuous operation since 1755. More than this, Vacheron & Constantin is the founding father of a spirit of technical excellence taken so far, it is considered an art. This is known as ‘Haute Horlogerie’ in which Vacheron & Constantin has been the leader for over 260 years. This tradition defines the Manufacture, evident in the finest quality execution, reflected in a finish which goes far beyond the demands of the ‘Poinçon de Genève’.

Created in 1886 the ‘Seal of the State of Geneva’ is the highest accolade, reserved for only the very finest quality watchmaking. Vacheron & Constantin was the first watchmaker to be allowed to use this hallmark of excellence on its movements. This, along with its extraordinarily high standards of quality and manufacture, lead many watchmakers, horologists and watch industry experts to believe Vacheron & Constantin reigns supreme among the finest quality watch manufacturers of the world.

To the collector, Vacheron & Constantin offers a level of exclusivity which even the more famous Patek Philippe can not. During the 1940s and through to the 1960s, Vacheron & Constantin only ever produced a maximum of 24 examples of each reference in any one configuration. This means that while it produced a variety of dial and case combinations, colours and designs, each one was strictly limited in number. For the collector, the fact that these watches are seriously undervalued doesn’t go unnoticed either.

Description

This beautiful Vacheron & Constantin day-date is simply the epitome of style and class. The perfect, understated dress watch which nevertheless is of the very highest quality in every regard. The watch dial is simply stunning! Every aspect of this watch is incredible, the original, unrestored and untouched off-white sigma dial, the beautiful 18ct yellow gold case and the outstanding high grade Calibre 1126 automatic movement. This classic watch is perfect for both evening wear or with care, everyday use, as you so wish.

The Dial

In addition to its very fine movements, Vacheron & Constantin is widely renowned for the quality and elegance of its watch dials. Here we have a fine white dial which carries a beautiful guilloche effect. This dial has the original, 18ct gold ‘index’ hands and applied solid gold ‘baton’ hour indices which we believe, look remarkable against this dial. This incredible dial carries the days of the week on the left hand side of the watch, which is shown in french and a date of the month dial which is on the right hand side of the dial. All of these beautiful features of the watch make this a statement piece when on the wrist.

The dial is known as a ‘Sigma’ dial as indicated by the signature at the very bottom of the dial below 6. This shows two ‘σ’ marks either side of ‘Swiss’, meaning the dial, hands and indices are made in 18ct solid gold.

The dial carries the correct signatures ‘Vacheron & Constantin’ and ‘Genève’ in the upper half of the dial with ‘Automatic’ in the lower half and ‘σ Swiss σ’ at the very bottom.

The dial is original and unrestored and has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The ultra high grade Calibre 1126, 33 Jewel automatic movement here is utterly beautiful and very simply… a work of art. This example is in amazing condition having just completed a full overhaul and service by our vintage Vacheron & Constantin specialist watchmaker. It is running perfectly and has been calibrated in 5 positions to run within +8 seconds per day which is truly outstanding for any mechanical watch and has been checked and confirmed on our electronic watch timegrapher.

With care and regular servicing, say every 3 to 4 years, we would fully expect this watch to continue to run very happily for another 50+ years! We are therefore totally confident in offering this watch with our 12 months’ written warranty*.

In addition, this movement carries the most highly regarded ‘Geneva Seal’. This is a distinctive hallmark depicting the Geneva coat of arms, granted by an official body at the Ecole d’Horlogerie de Genève and was only ever placed on movements which were able to achieve the most exacting standards and whose quality and finish conform to most precise and demanding specifications.

The movement is all correctly signed with ‘Vacheron Constantin’, ‘Thirty Three (33) Jewels’, ‘Automatic’ along with the calibre number 1126 and correctly movement reference number 747726.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the list price is paid.

The Case

The totally original, 18ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct Vacheron Constantin signed crown. The case is of a heavy three-piece design with a press-fit case-back and carries attractive lugs. It is solid, elegant and of obvious very high quality.

On the left hand side of this wonderful 18ct yellow gold case there are two pushers. The pusher between 7 and 8 changes the day of the week and the pusher between 10 and 11 changes the date of the month.

This watch case has been carefully inspected for fatigue marks and there are none. It is very rigid and the case-back and bezel are a nice tight fit. Importantly, it is of full thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside the press-fit case-back, we find all the markings are correct and as expected with ‘Vacheron Constantin’, ‘Swiss’ plus the case serial number 581909 along with the two case reference numbers 46009 and 73009. Vacheron Constantin also used these case reference numbers for the Moonphase day-date they produced.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap & Buckle

A high quality dark brown leather strap has been fitted, along with a plain 18ct yellow gold buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock, in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish, here.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to c1987.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

This watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box as shown in the photographs.

If you would like to pay by bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and unfortunately out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges, however attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those that happen to visit the UK on occasion we are of course more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and deliver your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no quibble sale or return policy.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.