The Overseas Chronograph stands out from the rest of the collection, thanks to its size; it’s a large watch, at 42.5mm x 13.7mm, with screw-down chronograph pushers. This reverse panda version also stands out from the other Overseas watches, but it stands out from the other Overseas chronographs as well – with this dial treatment, it becomes a far more different watch than you’d expect from a relatively straightforward cosmetic change, and seems very assertive in its identity as both a sophisticated design object, and a piece of modern technical watchmaking.

As with pretty much everything we get from Vacheron, execution is impeccable. There’s a particular kind of quality Vacheron watches have – or, I should say, more precisely, that the kind of quality they have says something about the firm. With companies that produce high grade watches, once you get past the “wow, that’s good” phase, you start to notice how the quality of the watch expresses a kind of company philosophy; with Lange, for instance, you get a sense of absolute correctness to form and enormous, pervasive dignity; with Rolex, you get a sense of fanatically ubiquitous precision that can seem almost intimidating.

Vacheron’s stock-in-trade when it comes to quality is a slightly less immediately apparent approach; at its best, the company seems to be after a certain kind of understatement, rather than a knock-your-socks-off immediacy. The degree of attention to detail you want from an haute horlogerie product is there, of course (and in spades) but it’s very characteristically Genevan – an expression of sincerity in craft, rather than a desire to draw attention per se.

The Overseas collection as it currently stands, is built around three calibers. These are the ultra-thin caliber 1120 (which is used in the Ultra-Thin Perpetual, as well as the Overseas Ultra-Thin) the selfwinding caliber 2460 (which is based on the 2007 caliber 2450, which, at the time it was introduced in 2007, was Vacheron’s second in-house automatic movement, after the 2005 caliber 2457) and finally, the caliber 5000 series of movements, which launched along with the new Overseas collection in 2016. The caliber 5000 series includes a time-and-date variant, a dual time variant, and of course, the self-winding chronograph caliber 5200, which was rolled out in 2016 along with the rest of the revamped Overseas watches.

Generally speaking, modern self-winding chronograph movements don’t give an impression of fineness, which is scarcely surprising when you consider that by and large, they are built for durability and dependability first, as they’re going to go into watches that are expected to be able to take a little rough-and-tumble wrist time. Practically speaking as well, it’s pretty difficult to slim down an automatic chronograph. They’re generally built on three levels: there’s the mainplate, which carries the basic timekeeping train; above that, there are the chronograph works; above that, there’s the automatic winding system. This is probably a major part of the reason that, while there is something of an arms race going on in extra-flat watchmaking, extra-flat chronograph design has been essentially static for many years. F. Piguet (now Manufacture Blancpain) came out with the caliber 1185 and its automatic counterpart, the 1186, in 1987 and at 25.6mm x 5.5mm, the 1186 has been the thinnest full-rotor chronograph movement ever since. (Vacheron at one time used their version of the 1186 in the Overseas line, as the Vacheron caliber 1137, but has discontinued its use).

Vacheron’s caliber 5200 is a column wheel, vertical clutch design, 30.60mm x 6.60mm (for comparison, the battle-tested, scarred-but-unbroken stalwart known as the Valjoux/ETA 7750 is 30mm x 7.9mm). As is inevitably the case with automatic movements in general, and automatic chronograph movements in particular, there is a little bit less scope for the expression of the movement finisher’s art than you would find in a hand-wound movement, but there are, nonetheless, in the caliber 5200, a number of delightful details.

One of these, of course, is the presence of the famous Poinçon de Geneva, or Geneva Hallmark, which in one form or another has been an important standard of quality for watches made in the City and Canton of Geneva, ever since the first enabling statute, which authorized inspection for compliance by the Geneva Watchmaking School, in 1886. The stipulations for the Hallmark have undergone a number of changes over the years (for one thing, inspection is now under the authority of a different entity, known as Timelab) but thanks to its longevity, it still carries a lot of emotional weight and historical resonance, and it’s lovely to see some of the very traditional features of Genevan watchmaking in this movement, like the beautifully formed and finished balance spring stud carrier.

One of the most charming details is the column wheel, with the central Maltese cross inside the pillars. On closer examination you can see that all edges of the tops of the pillars, as well as the edges of the Maltese Cross, have been beveled and polished; totally unnecessary from a functional perspective, and, because of that, all the more pleasant to see.

One feature of the Overseas Chronograph is that, like some other Overseas models, there is some degree of antimagnetic shielding, in the form of a soft iron ring; the antimagnetic rating is a very respectable 25,000 A/m (amperes per meter). While the level of protection is not what you’d get with a soft iron dial and full enclosure, the latter are not necessary to achieve a lesser level of still-useful shielding – soft iron (also known as mu metal) is a nickel-iron alloy that works by providing a preferred pathway for magnetic field lines, so the movement ring will tend to direct a magnetic field away from susceptible movement parts. (The international standard for antimagnetic watches, ISO 764, specifies a minimum of 4,800 A/m).

A lot of how you respond to the Overseas depends, I think, on how comfortable you are with the use of the Maltese cross as a design motif; you see it reflected in the bezel, and the movement, and of course in the bracelet. I’ve always found it acceptable; I think it works in the bracelet very well as an abstract design element and in any case, I don’t think it particularly reads as a Maltese cross. The Overseas Chronograph has the same quick-change strap/bracelet system as we’ve seen in the rest of the 2016 refresh to the line.

The bracelet is very well made, but it’s nice to have the option to easily switch it for the very comfortable rubber strap as well, which you can do in seconds, and without any special tools. The only downside to the system is that you’re pretty much restricted to OEM straps, and the bracelet – however, given the fact that this is a watch where aesthetic continuity between the watch itself, and the bracelet or strap, is so much a part of the design, I don’t see that as a great handicap.

Lume on the hands and dials of Vacheron Constantin watches is a bit unusual – you find it in the Quai de L’Ile, Fifty Six, and Overseas collections only – but of course, it’s perfectly logical in a sports chronograph, and, with the Overseas Chronograph, you get to have the somewhat rare experience of seeing a Vacheron Constantin watch with glow-in-the-dark dial markers and hands.

There are a plethora of automatic chronograph watches (thank you, Valjoux 7750) but there are not terribly many automatic chronographs from haute horlogerie end of the spectrum. Over at Patek Philippe, we have the ref. 5968A Aquanaut Chronograph, at $43,770; Audemars Piguet has the Royal Oak Chronograph at $24,300 in steel, which uses the AP caliber 2385 (F. Piguet 1185 base) and A. Lange & Söhne maintains an Augustan aloofness from the whole automatic chronograph genre altogether. There are a few automatic chronographs from other higher end firms, including Bregeut, Blancpain, and Jaeger LeCoultre, but in terms of in-house, self-winding chronographs with haut de gamme finish, it’s not a crowded field.

The Overseas Chronograph is a great looking watch and on the wrist it has real visual punch. The only potential downside is the size – but I should qualify that by saying that it gives the impression of being bigger than it should be, not in absolute terms, but rather, in the context of Vacheron in particular. At 42.5mm x 13.70mm, it’s not excessively large at all by comparison with most self-winding sports chronographs; I just have a sense with Vacheron that overall (high complications and grand comps aside) that their watches seem more Vacheron when they’re more thin than not. However once you wear the Overseas Chronograph for a while, you sort of forget about that and just enjoy the watch for what it is – a very refined, but still visually dynamic, example of the art of the automatic chronograph.

In steel, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph is $30,300, with Vacheron’s in-house caliber 5200; in case you’re wondering, with a gold bezel and steel case the price is the same; in full gold, on a strap, we go up to $46,600. Take a gander at the entire Overseas Collection at Vacheron-Constantin.com.