Vacheron Constantin Historiques Chronograph ref.47101/2

Dating from circa 1993/94, this Vacheron Constantin Historiques Chronograph ref. 47101/2 belongs to the highly attractive pre-Vendôme era of the manufacture.

Introduced in 1989, the Historiques Chronograph was Vacheron Constantin’s interpretation of the great mid-century chronographs from its own archives. The result is an elegant, classically proportioned chronograph with unmistakable vintage character: a beautifully balanced dial, traditional pump pushers and refined teardrop-shaped lugs.

Inside is the hand-wound Vacheron Constantin calibre 1140, based on the legendary Lemania 2310 architecture. The same celebrated movement family formed the basis for some of the most important chronographs of the era, including the Patek Philippe 5070 and the perpetual-calendar chronograph 3970. Today it is widely regarded as one of the finest traditional hand-wound chronograph movements ever produced.

Production of the reference 47101 and its closely related variants was remarkably limited. Approximately 1,250 examples are believed to have been produced across all metals between 1989 and around 2000, resulting in very small annual production numbers. Despite this rarity, the reference remains surprisingly underappreciated compared with many better-known neo-vintage complicated watches produced in considerably larger quantities.

For us, the 47101/2 represents much of what makes neo-vintage Vacheron Constantin so appealing: exceptional traditional watchmaking, beautiful proportions, low production and the discreet elegance associated with one of Switzerland’s great historic manufactures.

A seriously underrated chronograph from the Holy Trinity and one of the most attractive Vacheron Constantin designs of the pre-Vendôme period.