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

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.

Available in a limited run of 100 pieces, this monochrome dress watch radiates gold. Displaying a discreet tonal date window at six o'clock, the concentric patterned gold dial is decorated with stick-thin hand-applied gold indices and a gold "pearl" minutes track. Inspired by classic mid-century Vacheron Constantin dress watches, the Patrimony also comes equipped with vintage-inspired baton hands and a burgundy calfskin leather strap.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

At 40mm in diameter and 8.55mm thick, this new VC Patrimony is a satisfyingly thin slice of yellow gold that slips oh-so elegantly under the cuff of your suit jacket. It would also work with a T-shirt and jeans (and a heavy dose of nonchalance).

Although it debuted in 2004, the Patrimony is also, in a certain way, a very 2024 watch. There is something refreshing about a supremely traditional dress watch with modern dimensions. With the watchmaker riding high on the success of its vintage gold 222 reissue, it's clear that, for Vacheron Constantin, yellow gold has made a comeback.

vacheron-constantin.com

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.