Vacheron Constantin Launches First Minute Repeater in the Overseas Collection

Vacheron Constantin has a long tradition in this area. The Maison made a name for itself in the 1920s, at the height of the Art Deco period with some extremely elegant openface pocket watches in platinum and rock crystal. More recently, the Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar Openface in 2019, the Traditionnelle Complete Calendar Openface in 2021 and the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface in 2023 have continued this tradition. And let's not forget the one-off pieces, like the Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Rolls-Royce model and the Traditionnelle Openface models launched at Watches and Wonders 2025. 

When we create complex movements such as Calibre 2755 QP, it is only natural to want to reveal their full beauty, not just through a sapphire caseback, as is usual, but also by opening up the dial. This aesthetic, which is considered avant-garde because of its kinetic aspect, imposes its own demands. When the dial is openworked the calibre is visible from the front, so we need to apply galvanic or PVD (physical vapour deposition) surface treatments to the movement components to give them colours that fully respect the avant-garde spirit. Another challenge concerns the sapphire crystal dials. As they are also used to display functions, they require delicate machining with several openings, not to mention metallisation and finishing. In this sense, the very notion of openface adds an extra level of complexity. 

With the boundaries between watchmaking genres becoming increasingly blurred today, the world of horological complications is no longer confined to fragile, museum-quality timepieces – far from it. This is exactly what Vacheron Constantin is doing with the Overseas collection. Conceived as a watch with a spirit of exploration adapted to the adventures of everyday life, with useful complications such as a chronograph or dual time-zone display, the Overseas also knows how to go beyond those boundaries. The collection already includes tourbillon and ultra-thin skeletonised perpetual calendar pieces that in no way detract from it – quite the contrary. Each of them is faithful to the Overseas spirit, respecting its codes while adding a new dimension to the world of complications, one of Vacheron Constantin’s great areas of expertise. The same is true of this new Overseas Grand Complication Openface. It is equipped with a complex calibre but in a form that honours the collection’s adventurous character. 

We chose Calibre 2755 for this new watch because of its level of complexity, combining a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and a minute repeater that incorporates the latest development in regulating the striking mechanism. In developing the movement, we benefited from the research behind the creation of the Tour de l'Île, the 250th anniversary timepiece that featured 16 complications. Another advantage of this calibre is its slimness for such a level of complexity – just 7.9 millimetres. What's more, the movement is modular, allowing the addition of astronomical and other functions, as illustrated by the Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Bacchus watch of 2022 and the Les Cabinotiers Dual Moon Grand Complication presented the following year.