Celebrating 20 Years Of Patrimony With The New Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Ora Ïto

The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony feels like a classic collection that has been around forever. However, you may be surprised to learn that it celebrates only its 20th anniversary this year. Still, it stands on the shoulders of much older VC creations in spirit and style, as we will see in a moment. To mark the occasion, Vacheron Constantin collaborated with designer Ora ïto.

Ïto has carefully pushed the Patrimony Self-Winding into new territories while respecting its heritage. The resulting watch, limited to 100 pieces, is familiar and jarring at the same time. It is a watch worthy of closer inspection.

Ref. 6187 from 1957

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony

The Vacheron Constantin Patrimony collection is best characterized as classical and minimalist. It consists of archetypal formal watches with large, domed dials, narrow bezels, and clean, simple lines. Of course, this design language wasn’t new when VC launched the Patrimony collection in 2004.

In fact, the style emerged and gained popularity in the 1950s. Simplicity and minimalism dictated watch design, contrasting the more detailed style of the 1940s. Stark, empty dials with slender applied indices and slim, straight hands set a modern and minimalist aesthetic. This style lends itself to compact, slim watch cases, so Vacheron fitted its 1950s models with ultra-thin hand-wound calibers. This resulted in the introduction of the Vacheron Constantin caliber 1003 in 1955. This movement set the record as the world’s thinnest mechanical caliber at the time. It measured just 1.64mm in thickness.

2004 Vacheron Constantin Patrimony

Paying homage to this era of watchmaking, the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony collection launched in 2004. The stylistic similarities between the modern time-only Patrimony and the 1950s watches are striking. Still, Vacheron took the collection in many new directions since, including several complications.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Ora ïto

On to today’s limited edition. Vacheron Constantin partnered with multidisciplinary designer Ora ïto to create this special version of the time-and-date 40mm Patrimony. Ïto calls his design philosophy “Simplexity,” translating complexity into simple forms.

Designer Ora ïto, barely missed by low-flying Christmas lighting

I can only imagine how challenging it must have been for him to make his mark on the Patrimony. It is such an archetypal and minimalist watch that one must practice restraint. At the same time, it is the few subtle details, such as the shape of the hour markers, that make the regular version “truly Vacheron.” Change those details, and you no longer see a VC.

Ïto cleverly opted for a monochromatic theme (if you don’t take “monochromatic” to mean “black and white”). By keeping the rest of his interventions in gold, they blend with the watch in a way that doesn’t break its existing lines. This limited edition features concentric circles on the dial, reminiscent of rippling water. The logo moved from the dial to the underside of the sapphire crystal. Fittingly, the gold-tone date disc has burgundy numerals, matching the burgundy strap. Speaking of the strap, it may be the most striking change. Ïto opted for an embossed pattern of rounded rectangles. In a way, it suits the watch because it is so quintessentially mid-century. At the same time, it is jarring as we are more familiar with seeing this style on racing watches, not formal high-end ones.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Ora ïto specifications

Technically, this watch is identical to the regular 40mm time-and-date Patrimony Self-Winding. You get an 18K yellow gold case that pairs its 40mm diameter with an 8.5mm thickness. The 3.6mm-thick automatic caliber 2450 Q6 enables such a slender case. This in-house movement consists of 196 parts and has a 40-hour autonomy. It also proudly bears the Geneva Hallmark.

Although the press images don’t show it, the case back has a sapphire window to allow a proper view of the beautifully finished caliber. Vacheron rates the water resistance at 30 meters, which is typical for watches of this style.

Initial impressions

At Fratello, we open digital press packs every single day. This is a routine job that usually leads to a clear initial impression in less than a second. Every once in a while, however, an image pops up that takes a little more time to process. Such a watch doesn’t fall neatly into a pre-organized mental category.

This was such a case. I found the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Self-Winding Ora ïto quite jarring when I first saw it. I wasn’t sure whether I liked or disliked it. This, however, is usually a good thing. It means something interesting is going on that doesn’t let itself be automatically processed by my jaded brain. So, where did I land? Well, the more I look at it, the more I like it. As I try to explain above, I think the changes show a masterful design. Ïto has made it distinct without betraying the roots of the watch. The tension between a purely classical, conservative watch and some assertive new design elements speaks to me. It is like with people: the most perfect people are often less attractive than those with something slightly off. The friction creates attraction.

So, is there nothing to criticize? Of course, there is. I am sure 40mm is a commercially clever size, but I find it simply too large for this style of watch, even on tree trunk-sized forearms. To me, it negates some of the elegance and subtlety of the watch. Other than that, kudos to Vacheron Constantin and Ora ïto!