Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Titanium Red Dial Watch

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Titanium Red Dial Watch



A new interpretation of high-end sports tourbillon watches.

Vacheron Constantin's latest Overseas series tourbillon watch features a titanium case and a deep red dial, reminiscent of last year's perpetual calendar watch. The watch is powered by the Caliber 2160 movement, equipped with a peripheral automatic rotor, fine finishing, and a slow-rotating one-minute tourbillon. This watch is a masterpiece of high watchmaking, both inside and out.

Last August, Vacheron Constantin launched two new Overseas perpetual calendar watches, one with a burgundy dial and the other with a pink dial. I think the dial, which Vacheron Constantin calls "deep red," looks particularly good with the white gold case, and the light blue accents are a nice touch.

There are no changes in this respect; the color scheme looks just as good as before, but it's now lighter due to the titanium case and features a more impressive movement.

While the Overseas Perpetual's movement is slightly inferior to its competitors, the Overseas Tourbillon's movement is more competitive, comparable to, or even surpassing, the yet-to-be-released Nautilus Tourbillon. That being said, its price-performance ratio is not high for its market segment, and the expected price is comparable to Audemars Piguet's top-of-the-line Royal Oak Tourbillon. However, if you disregard the brand prestige and only consider the product itself, the pricing is reasonable.

Case and Bracelet
From every angle, the Overseas watch case is well-made and finely finished, although not as complex as similar models from Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. However, the bracelet is even more impressive than the case itself. The clearly defined high-polished creases on the inside of the bracelet form a Maltese cross pattern, which is undoubtedly difficult to manufacture, especially in titanium. The rest of the case features a screw-down bezel (the Maltese cross pattern on the bezel serves a functional purpose), case back, and crown to ensure its 50-meter water resistance – a depth that now surpasses the Nautilus series. The movement is further protected by a soft iron ring, which effectively shields against magnetism without obstructing the movement's operation.

A key feature of this generation of Overseas watches is its quick-change strap mechanism, allowing wearers to easily change straps in seconds without worrying about scratching the case with spring bar tools. To this end, Vacheron Constantin provides this watch and many other models in the series with a bracelet and two spare straps. These two straps are made of red and white rubber and share a titanium folding clasp.

However, a system like this is somewhat wasted on the Overseas, as the bracelet is excellent and such an integral part of the watch's design that there's little reason to take it off.

Movement
Inside is the familiar Caliber 2160 movement, which has become Vacheron Constantin's go-to tourbillon movement, used both independently and as the base for other complications. This large 31mm diameter movement perfectly fills the case back and is beautifully decorated and visually appealing.

Its most striking feature is the 22k gold peripheral rotor, which uses a magic lever bi-directional winding system for the 80-hour mainspring – a solution pioneered by Seiko but now widely adopted throughout the watchmaking industry, especially by the Richemont Group.

It bears the Geneva Seal, meaning it meets specific structural, decorative, and performance standards assessed by Timelab. While it is still a modern movement manufactured with modern machinery, a significant amount of hand craftsmanship goes into each movement, such as the mirror polishing of the circular tourbillon bridge.

The almost invisible Breguet overcoil hairspring is hand-made, and given the presence of positioning screws on the balance wheel rim, the balance wheel was likely manually adjusted by a skilled watchmaker rather than laser-adjusted. Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Watch
Ref. 6000V/210T-H179

Diameter: 42.5 mm;
Height: 10.39 mm;
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire crystal;
Water resistance: 50 meters

Movement: Cal. 2160
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 80 hours

Strap: Matching bracelet and an additional rubber and leather strap, with a folding clasp.