Vacheron Constantin

The Les Historiques Skeleton Chronograph references 47100 and 47102 from Vacheron Constantin are definitely among the most beautiful and attractive traditional hand-wound chronographs. Both were introduced in 1991 and offered either in yellow gold or, more rarely, in platinum, with a leather strap or, very rarely, with a soldered mesh bracelet. Along with several other references launched by the brand at the same time – 47100 and 47101 (47111 from 1999) – the Ref. 47102 introduced the magnificent Nouvelle Lémania 2310/2320 to the Vacheron Constantin chronograph collection. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Nouvelle Lémania attempted – to replace the Valjoux chronograph movements that dominated the high-end chronograph market – and quite successfully. The fact is that Valjoux, which was taken over by Eta, abandoned this market segment, which we can only regret today. Since 1989, the Vacheron Constantin calibers 1140/1141 and, since 1991, the skeletonized version 1140SQ have been based on the Nouvelle Lémania 2310/2320 ébauches and formed the basis for the introduction of Vacheron Constantin’s outstanding high-end chronographs in the Les Historiques, Malte and Patrimony Traditionnelle collections, including models with an additional perpetual calendar module. The Nouvelle Lémania 2310/2320 ebauches were also used by other leading Swiss brands such as Patek Philippe and Roger Dubuis in their top-of-the-range chronographs.

The undisputed advantage of the Les Historiques Skeleton Chronograph Ref. 47102 is the combination of the outstanding technical characteristics of its caliber 1140SQ, one of the most reliable and efficient hand-wound chronograph movements with a lateral clutch and column wheel, with the outstanding esthetics of the skeletonized and hand-engraved parts and the unique “Iceberg” skeleton style. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer watches with traditional skeletonization and meticulous hand engraving, as the cost of this highly skilled work is too high. In this sense, the Les Historiques Skeleton Chronograph Ref. 47102 will never lose its importance, especially since the production of this watch has been discontinued and the number of pieces produced is extremely small.