Vacheron Constantin might be trying to give Rolex a run for their money with their very own Panda dial chronograph. The newest Overseas Chronograph has been long awaited from many fans and it’s finally here, but it has come at a price. The brown Overseas model and the full-silver dial model are being discontinued with the only ones remaining being the blue dial, “reverse panda”, and today’s regular Panda.
There’s nothing new in regard to specs here, it’s an Overseas Chronograph. The only real difference is the dial colour, but when you have a quality watch like this it isn’t particularly shocking. What are you improving on?
However, if you look at it another way, if a Panda dial doesn’t do it for you, this probably won’t change your mind. However, there’s a preference here in how you enjoy your panda presented to you. Do you prefer the sub-dials a solid black or outlined black like the Rolex? Personal preference comes into play here, but either way, you aren’t going to lose out.
We mentioned that this isn’t that different to others, but we’ll mention the specs anyway. A 42.5mm cushion-shaped dial with a 13.7mm thickness making this a fairly chubby watch. There’s an inspired bezel, screwed crown and pushers, and high-end finishings with polished and brushed surfaces. In addition, you get 150m water-resistance and a soft-iron case for anti-magnetism.
While it’s delivered on a steel bracelet, it also has the additional black options in leather and rubber closed with a folding buckle with comfort release. For easy changes of the strap, the practical and patented interchange system has been retained.
Powering the watch is the in-house automatic calibre 5200 with a Geneva Seal/Poinçon de Genève quality. The chronograph features a column wheel and vertical clutch while being prettied up with traditional decorations, wound with a 22k gold rotor with Overseas design. This has a power reserve of 52 hours.
This is launching as part of the permanent collection and is available in boutiques and retailers for $32,400 USD ($51,500 AUD).
