Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin (4300V/000R-B509) Watch Review

Hi, this is Tim of The 1916 Company. Welcome, and thanks for logging on. If you love this watch, email me, Tim Osso, at the1916company.com for purchase pricing and availability questions. Today, we're discussing a variant launched in 2020. Back in 2016, when the third generation Vacheron Constantin Overseas Collection launched, we got an overseas perpetual calendar ultrathin, but for 2020, it was available with a blue dial and a rose gold case. Vacheron would have you this is 5N red gold, not merely rose. The example you see here was ordered originally on straps. So, I rarely get to feature the strap clad version of this watch. It does change the fit and it does change the aesthetic. So, 41.5 millimeters in diameter in red gold. I measure the watch 8.4 millimeters thick and from lug tip to lug tip 49 millimeters. But what's different about this compared to say the chronograph or the self-winding is that a little bit like the discontinued reference 2000V, this ultrathin has full articulation of the strap. So, it doesn't flare out and fight you. You can pull it straight down vertically out of the lug and that means though this is a 41.5, it wears smaller than any other men's overseas. And that's not to say a woman couldn't wear. In fact, because of the fit and compatibility with a smaller wrist, this is a great candidate. If you're a lady who wants a full-sized overseas, this is the one to go with. It is super thin, sliding easily under a cuff and you can see across the wrist. It's relatively constrained with a little bit of a downward canted angle to the lugs that mitigates any fit issues if you are sort of borderline. So, my wrist is 16 centimeters in circumference. I think this is fine for a wrist as small as 14. And again, very, very, very thin. The strap here is blue rubber. There's also leather available and we have a quick release system that allows you to rapidly denude it of the strap if you want to clean it or swap to a different strap. In theory, you could at some point even order the bracelet that's designed for this, although ordering a bracelet as an aftermarket accessory would probably be prohibitive. If you're from a place like Miami, LA, South of France, Italy, Singapore, you're probably going to want to wear this watch in any case on a rubber strap. It's sportier, it's cooler, it's just better for hot weather. The buckle is a very deluxe, heavy, and substantial piece. You can see internally, we have these little Maltese cross motifs inside. You can see it again on the buckle itself, a combination of media blast and polish. And because the strap is designed to quick release from the case, the buckle is designed to quick release from the strap, just like that. It's like a lock and key. You turn it, it releases. You turn it again, it pops right back on. The clasp does use a twin trigger system, so you have to press both triggers for it to pop open. It will not pop open inadvertently. There you go. Unrock, that is the manufacturer of the clasp, spelled backwards. The manufacturer is Cornu. Taking a look at the case, you can see satin finish on the top. We have an expanding bevel that flares over the lug hoods. The flanks of the case are polished. The bezel top and the plinth under the bezel on their outer faces are polished, but you can see that the base of the plinth is satin finished and the recesses of the bezel are vertically satinated. The crown is a push down. It has a Maltese cross logo on it. Watch is 50 meters water resistant with a push down crown. I do not advise actually swimming with it. We have little pusher adjusters to correct the calendar on the side, then a dial of blue translucent lacquer that is absolutely gorgeous along with rose gold indices and hands. So forgive the fingerprints here, but this watch is quite well loomed. Not the calendar functions, but the time itself. We have a moon phase disc that includes some of the constellations, a little bit of a flare for the dramatic outboard. We have a 60 minute scale with little cyan blue numerals, and then the calibrations, the hashes at least, are all in white. Perpetual calendar and moon phase. You don't need to correct the calendar until the year 2100. And the moon phase, it doesn't expire precisely on a date or a day, but it is accurate until 122 years from the last time it was set. So you have a moon phase, day, date, month, and you can see that the 48 month cycle is present and the cyan months are the leap year. So that's what that means. And if you're wondering, is it the leap year? Ask yourself, is this the summer olympics year? If it is, leap year. If not, no. Turning it all over, you can see JLC 920 is what this movement was called when it debuted in 1967. It was designed and at the behest of the holy trinity. This movement designed for AP, Patek, and Vacheron, and only ever used by them, never by JLC itself or any of its other clients. It was designed at the time to be one of the thinnest automatic movements in the world, and it did that. At 2.4 millimeters thick, the base caliber is incredibly slender, made possible by an annular rotor that is a beryllium ring that goes all the way around, and then the 22 carat hand-finished mass is only on one side of the ring. The ring sits on four ruby roller bearings, so by supporting this through 360 degrees, the mass can be shrunken down and cinched up against the bridges without coming in contact with the bridges or the base plate under condition of shock. That's what it means to have the bearings supporting the rotor all the way around. Now you can see there are four different finishes on this 22 carat rotor, not 21 carat, not 18, 22, the good stuff, the most mass, the greater polar moment or turning force. It's a compass rose motif here, and so four different finishes on the rotor. Then we have mile-wide bevels on the bridges. You can also see tight overlapping engine turning or perlage on the base plate. Some of the locating pegs that are used to locate bridges on substructures, those pegs are polished on their tops. All screw heads are mirror finished with chamfered slots and circumference. You can see on the ratchet wheel and the crown wheel core, we have an elaborate and handsome solarization. This is a beautifully finished movement that meets the standards of the Geneva seal, which is why we have the Geneva seal on the movement. There it is right there, but since 2012, it has been a full watch standard of quality, which is why it is also on the case. Now, in terms of tech specs, this movement is unidirectional lining with a 40-hour power reserve, 36 pivot joules, high horology style, five position adjustment. You can see this one features a gyromax style free sprung balance for more precise adjustment, but also slightly greater shock resistance. And it beats at a quirky beat rate that is a product of its vintage of 19,800 vibrations per hour. AP used to call this the 2120 movement. Vacheron always called it the 1120. This is the 1120-3. You can see there's not one, but at least two distinct sizes of engine-turned perlage on the base plate. Nothing is left raw. A beautifully decorated heritage movement. And frankly, although not a Vacheron manufacture movement, most high horology aficionados would rather have an AP or a Vacheron with this movement than a cheaper and more mass-produced manufacturer alternative. One feature that you cannot see here, the soft iron ring that encompasses this movement. So, though it has a display case back, it is actually highly anti-magnetic, fairly well shielded against magnetic flux densities of up to 25,000 ampere per meter. So, reach out to Tmosso at the1916company.com for purchase and pricing details.