Vacheron Constantin Watches

Breguet, Blancpain, Vacheron Constantin; with approaching a millennium of history between them, these three have earned a reputation for the archetypal classic watch, much like this Classique Alarm Le Reveil du Tsar here. Even the name sounds like it comes from a time when men wore velvet tights and long, curly wigs. But what if these brands tried something a bit more unconventional?

Maybe you know them, maybe you don’t, but chances are you’ve at least heard of the guy who has everything. Birthdays and Christmas’ are a complete nightmare with this guy, because no matter how hard you try or how creative you get—they already have it. So, what can you do? That’s the challenge we’ll attempt to take on with the three watches you’re about to see.

What is a watch? It’s a timekeeping device, primarily. Perhaps this statement is obvious to you, perhaps you think it’s something that doesn’t need clarifying—but yet when a watch can cost £250 or a quarter of a million, the obvious no longer seems quite so obvious. How can two watches that both quite simply tell the time have such a disparity in their prices?

When Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak in 1972, everyone thought the watchmaker had gone mad. The watch was big, it was basic and it was expensive—and it sold by the bucket load. Patek Philippe got in on the action four years later with the Nautilus, and not wanting to be left out, Vacheron Constantin joined the club a year later, completing the 70s trifecta of steel sports watches from the top three. Today, such a watch will set you back from £17,000 and as much as £23,000—but is there something we’re missing that’s just as good for half the price?