5 Unexpected Vacheron Constantin Timepieces That Will Shock You | Inside the Archives Ep. 1

What happens when the world's oldest watchmaker lets its hair down? Turns out — a lot. In this first episode of the Vacheron Constantin Inside the Archives podcast series, Andrew McUtchen and Justin Hast go deep into the brand archives with Christian Selmoni to uncover some of the most unexpected Vacheron Constantin watch designs of all time. We start in 1929 with a coral-pusher purse watch so thin and so tactile it makes you wonder why we ever stopped making objects this precious. Then there's the pocket watch from the same year — a complete calendar with moonphase hidden behind an oval sub-dial in a round case, two-tone, deeply strange, deeply brilliant. But the showstopper? A 1931 pocket watch featuring a fakir — a magician figure at the centre of the dial whose arms raise to indicate the time on demand. An all-or-nothing retrograde system, directly ancestral to the modern Métiers d'Art Tribute to the Quest of Time. We had no idea. We lost it. Then: 1949. A watch so avant-garde it looks like it was designed last week — conical centre, oversized indices, flying-saucer proportions, this is Disco Volante watchmaking in its prime. And finally, 1971 — a piece given to Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell by the citizens of Geneva, with a dial so wonderfully unhinged it almost looks like Soviet propaganda. All of which leads us to the present day — and the long-awaited Overseas Cardinal Point. Full titanium, four dial colours, dual time, quick-change rubber straps, 150m water resistance. Is this the watch that finally closes the gap for Vacheron in the sports watch conversation? We debate hard. We pick sides. We don't agree. Blue, green, white or mushroom — drop your pick in the comments. Like and subscribe for more VC Files — only on Time+Tide. ------------------------------- 00:00 Intro 02:54 Vacheron Constantin Purse Watch, 1929 08:46 Vacheron Constantin Quantiéme Simple á Guichet + Lune pocket watch, 1929 11:08 Vacheron Constantin "Bras en L'air" pocket watch, 1931 15:46 Vacheron Constantin Toledo 'Cioccolatone' ref. 4821, circa 1950s 17:15 Vacheron Constantin Altesse ref. 3681, 1949 21:26 Vacheron Constantin ref. 6351 'Edgar Mitchell Apollo 14', 1971 29:05 Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Cardinal Points Collection, 2026 42:38 Outro ------------------------------- Read more articles: https://timeandtidewatches.com Shop: https://shop.timeandtidewatches.com ------------------------------- MB01OTIXZLPJ5VH INSTAGRAM @timetidewatches TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=timeandtidewatches T+T Shop Instagram https://www.instagram.com/timetideshop/