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It’s a little known fact that the holy trinity watchmaking houses of Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet had an extremely close working relationship during the middle of the last century. According to legend, Audemars Piguet made watches under their own brand which they then delivered to Vacheron who served as a retailer in addition to manufacturing their own watches. Indeed, the name Vacheron Constantin appears numerous times in AP’s handwritten archives as the recipient of completed watches. It’s also been whispered that AP produced watches that were to be branded by Vacheron. It’s believed that some, if not all of the ‘brick’-style watches sold by Vacheron Constantin were actually produced on the benches of Audemars Piguet. While we can’t say for sure, its a fascinating piece of watchmaking lore.
The present ‘brick’-style Vacheron Constantin dates to the late 1940s and remains in excellent condition throughout. The 18kt yellow gold case features a deep ‘florentine’ texture to the top and sides, and measures 25mm excluding the original unsigned crown. The star of the show however is the beautifully preserved brushed gold dial. Utilizing raised enamel for both the signature and the indexes, a round tonal frame adds a dash of elegance. In the center are a set of blued steel hour and minute hands with a small subsidiary seconds hand at 6 o’clock. Signed: “VACHERON & CONSTANTIN”, “GENEVE”. All parts are original from the case and the crown to the dial, hands and movement.
Under the snap down case back is a hand-winding Vacheron Constantin caliber 458/3B with seventeen (17) jewels adjusted to temperatures. The movement is finely decorated in Geneva stripes, and features anglaged bevels and a generous portion of black polished hardware. The movement is in excellent condition and is clean, winding and running well and keeping time.
Case:
- 18kt yellow gold
- Florentine texture
- 25mm (excluding crown) x 25mm (high) x 33mm (lug to lug)
- Plexi crystal
- Case number: 327288
Movement:
- Vacheron Constantin cal 458/3B
- Hand-winding
- 17 jewels, adjusted to temperatures
- Serial number: 488613
Dial:
- Original finish two-tone brushedl gold
- Champleve enamel signature and indexes
- Blued steel baton hands
- Signed: “VACHERON & CONSTANTIN”, “GENEVE”.
