malte

You've probably never seen one of these before. This watch came out a few years (2008) ago under the radar in the United States (only) with just 10 pieces in the limited edition. It originally sold for well over $100,000 and was mostly unknown to people outside of the dedicated Vacheron Constantin fan groups online and a few retailers (and their clients). Such tactics are smart when trying to appease collectors looking for exclusive pieces, and promoting future collectability. As such, one of these 10 pieces is going to be up for auction during Antiquorum's Sept. 15th auction in New York City. Yield for this Malte Tourbillon is very conservative with an estimated price of just $60,000 - $90,000.

The piece itself is beautiful. Set in a Malte style case, it is made from palladium (very rare as a watch case material), and features a totally skeletonized dial that has a great looking "black platinum" finish. Such finishes assist with contrast, allowing you to identify elements on the dial much better, and further appreciating the craftsmanship (and being able to see the hands most easily). The movement features a massive tourbillon cage with a bridge that looks like Vacheron Constantin's logo. There is a dedicated scale for the time (which is nice on a skeletonized dial), and the movement has a date disc, and power reserve indicator. Decoration is a mixture of modern and classic aesthetic, with a masculine twist. To see more images of it check out this post here on Vacheron Constantin's official forum.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Combining a moon phase with a power reserve indicator is a rare mix of complications to have with the time (when it is just these three), though it makes sense on this manually-wound watch. This is the new Vacheron Constantin Malte Moon Phase Power-Reserve watch and it comes with an in-house made Caliber 1410 movement that bears the Seal of Geneva.

Vacheron Constantin's classic line of watches continues to evolve, slowly but surely. It is hard to separate this watch from the rest of their collection, but enthusiasts should be able to pick out the differences. The case is in various shades of 18k gold and 39mm wide in a tonneau shape. The moon phase is specially made to be accurate for about 100 years, while the round dial helps with legibility even though it is in a barrel shaped case. The mix of applied Roman and Arabic numerals makes for a sophisticated look that I don't recall seeing in other Vacheron Constantin models. The watches each have a silvered gold dial. Which begs the question of why they even used gold to begin with. The watches comes with a brown or black alligator strap with a folding deployment. Overall the timepiece is a satisfying rendition of what people enjoy most about Vacheron Constantin without straying much from the core appeal of the brand.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.