By Love Blomquist

I always felt that Vacheron Constantin deserved to stand in the limelight that its more notorious rival Patek always has. After all, there’s not that much difference between the identities of the two brands: high end conservative stylings with a sport model or two (the Nautilus and the Overseas respectively). Patek just happens to be considered the end-all be-all in the luxury watch world, while VC vies for attention from prospective buyers of brands like A. Lange & Söhne, Breguet and so on. While certainly not a poor market segment to be in, I hope the Richemont-owned company further elevates to the timeless status that Vacheron Constantin deserves.

Notably, another characteristic that sets VC apart from Patek is its willingness to produce timepieces that are a little more, shall we say, out there. Whether or not this is beneficial with regard to the brand’s identity (wicked tongues will tell you that Rolex’s success is mainly due to more or less staying the same for decades) is hard to tell, and time will probably do such. As it stands today, the only thing you really can do is judge the more eccentric offerings by themselves.

Luckily, they are a feast for the eye. A prime example is the Malte Tourbillon that turned up on JamesList just last week. Sporting a hand-wound 1790R caliber, this rose gold tonneau beauty features a tourbillon bearing the Maltese cross, the symbol of Vacheron Constantin. Its diameter is only 36mm but obviously wears a lot larger because of the art deco shape. The in-house movement has a power reserve of 45 hours

http://blog.jameslist.com/2010/james-pick-vacheron-constantin-malte-tourbillon/

Here is the watch on Iconic Watches for a closer look …

www.iconicwatches.co.uk

This platinum & astronomic Patek Philippe 5049P was made for British jeweller Boodle and Dunthorne in 1998 in just 20 pieces. Features include a perpetual calender, moon phase, 24 hours and a leap year indicator. You know, all that jazz. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to snatch this sucker up – after all, it’s just £62,500. The Patek Philippe 5049P is available for sale right here on JamesList or Here on Iconicwatches.co.uk.