Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine self-winding

The world's oldest watchmaker. Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. This makes it the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. Vacheron was a talented craftsman and in 1770 his company created the first complication. In 1819, François Constantin became the associate of Vacheron. The company continued its activity under the name "Vacheron & Constantin". Later they changed their name to "Vacheron Constantin".

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine self-winding. The Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony line is best know for having the slimmest mechanical mechanical movement in the world, with a thickness of just 1.64mm which was placed in watches with 34mm case diameters or smaller. Small and slim, are not as desirable todays as they were in the decades past. To meed more contemporary taste, Vacheron Constantin created the Patrimony Contemporaine in 2004.

The Patrimony Contemporaine is a classic design in a contemporary case diameter of 40mm. A manual wind version was launched in 2004. In 2007 Vacheron Constantin released a self winding, or automatic, version named the Patrimony Contemporaine self-winding Ref. 85180.

Patrimony Contemporaine self-winding is powered by the Calibre 2450 which produces 28,800 vibrations per hour. It has a large smooth sweeping second hand and displays the date at the 6 o'clock position. The case has a transparent caseback through which you can view this watches movement and is water-resistant to 30 meters.

The watch is available in rose gold with a brown leather strap or white gold with a black strap.

Rivalries. To date, Patek Philippe still dominates the arena in terms of the most expensive watches ever sold. If there is one true rival to Patek Philippe dominance in the ultra high end watches, it is probably Vacheron Constantin. The two companies, produce similar watches, with dissimilar styles. The Patrimony line is a direct rival to Patek's Calatrava line, and the Patrimony Contemporaine is a direct rival to Patek's 5196/5296 series. But while Patek Philippe watches are like a fine French Merlot, generally pleasing to all, Vaceron Constantin watches are more like an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon, some like it some don't. Patek Philippe's Ref. 5296 with its sector dial is truly an attempt to a fresh look to its Calatrava line, Patrimony Contemporaine is a less audacious attempt at the same thing.