Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony: a supremely traditional dress watch with modern dimensions

French designer Ora ïto has lent a hand in redesigning the Patrimony

Vacheron Constantin watch
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony self-winding limited edition
(Image credit: Vacheron Constantin)

The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony is a watch that slips under the radar – very much in keeping with the brand itself, which represents (and, in some ways, has always maintained) the idea of understated luxury.

Today, French designer Ora ïto has lent a hand in redesigning the Patrimony for the 20th anniversary of the collection. The designer is known for his idea of "simplexity", a neologism combining two contradictory notions, simplicity and complexity, and his ethos makes perfect sense for a traditional self-winding dress watch that is simple in its outward-facing case and dial design, yet complex in its mechanical movement engineering.

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Good to know

In 2013, Ora ïto opened his very own gallery atop Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse in Marseille. MAMO (Marseille Modulor) now sees a different artist take over the rooftop every summer, with the gallery acting as both a showcase for established artists and a springboard for emerging talent. The Corbusier rooftop turned contemporary art space has hosted artists Neïl Beloufa, Sterling Ruby and Alex Israel. In 2022, MAMO presented Le Modulor du Basketball by the New York artist Daniel Arsham.

Malaika Crawford is the Style Editor at Hodinkee, a world-leading platform for all things watches.