Mount Everest. Not just a pinnacle achievement for mountaineers and extreme sport death-defyers, the world’s tallest mountain has long been a marketing beacon for luxury watch brands, with Rolex chief among them through the eternally appealing Oyster Perpetual Explorer…in whichever size case they deign to make it in. (Never mind that it was actually an Oyster Perpetual that made the first successful summit on Sir Edmund Hillary’s surefooted Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, and futher disregard that it was a watch by the humble brand of Smith’s that was apparently on Hillary’s.) Be what may, the lore and mystique of the exploits upon this towering titan of rock and snow, thrusting steeply upwards into the thin oxygen of the Himalayan sky, keeps our fascination for rugged people and the tough watches that accompany them alive and well. Now, we can finally say that a true brand of high horology, indeed a member of the celebrated “Holy Trinity” of Swiss manufacturers, can lay their claim to a big adventure upon The Mountain. We in turn, get a beautiful and truly epic set of watches to covet, and that’s horological happiness for me if ever it existed!
The prototype that started it all a few years ago all began when Vacheron Constantin reached out to a fellow by the name of Cory Richards. To say Cory is an individual of daring is rather of an understatement, considering his work in mountaineering (two previous Everest summits just for starters), exploration, and intrepid photography quests for National Geographic. He’s also equally a person of taste, as he trekked off to his third climb of The Everest in 2019 not with some multi-function digital wrist altimeter, rubberized G-Shock, or even a respectable mass-produced luxury watch like a mere Rolex or Omega, but a custom, one-off Vacheron Constantin Overseas–yes, the one that came about as a result of their meeting. So did the special, extra-sporty Vacheron Constantin join Cory in a summit celebration upon the Roof of the World? Unfortunately…not quite. Inclement weather combined with his choice of a particularly treacherous Tibetan/northeastern summit route and a lack of supplemental oxygen, made the adventurer stop short and live to climb another year.
Still, this was clearly an achievement of notable badassery and the Vacheron Constantin Overseas made for him endured the temperature extremes, plus knocks and bumps superbly; what’s more, the Dual Time was certainly an appropriate partner, with its clear luminous displays, and AM/PM indication and 24 hour capability, something which would certainly have been appreciated for the severe inclement weather that may have made day and night tough to decipher at times. The great Reinhold Messner relied on his Ref. 1655 Rolex Explorer II for similar reasons, but Cory Richards chose a path less traveled in more ways than one, giving a brand associated with European royal houses, supreme watchmaking complications, and haute de gamme movement finishing, but not hair-raising adventure, surely?…an entirely new feather in its very luxurious, historic cap.
The result of their collaboration for the 2019 expedition then, was a unique custom Overseas Dual Time wrought from Titanium and Tantalum. Distinctive not just for these exotic metals, it also showed a weather resistant strap in rugged nylon to secure it in the worst weather, and a dashingly sporty dial that came about because of significant input from Cory himself on what would make the watch easily usable in arduous conditions. Watch fans were enraptured when photos first appeared, but crushed in the same moment, as it seemed there would be only one with no plans for further production. But in 2021, we no longer need be sad about this, as Vacheron Constantin has heard the collective prayers of the WIS tribe, and answered appropriately!
Two Everest limited editions will be offered by Vacheron Constantin, both with a production series of 150 pieces. In addition to the Dual Time, a chronograph will also be on the table. While the former was the actual model which Cory Richards wore during his intrepid Everest climb, the chronograph is certainly no less compelling: As with the Dual Time, the Everest Overseas Chronograph carries with it all the elegant nuances that recall previous generations of the Overseas, but with subtle markers of its high-climbing, distinct attitude. The use of a matte, dark blue granular finished dial, bright yet lovely pops of orange, and protected crown and chronograph pushers distinctly protected by case flanks, gives the Everest variants of these Vacheron Constantin sports watches a striking and very desirable stealth-luxury aura–as well a a subtle differentiation from the lovely standard production models. I adore them both, although owing to my bias for GMT watches and the history of the prototype, make mine a Dual Time, please! As with any of the Overseas watches, the owner can readily shift from a synthetic strap, to a rubber strap, to a very artful Overseas bracelet, and back again, giving a level of flexibility for any occasion unmatched by Vacheron’s biggest competition from Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet (the Offshore Diver perhaps excepted). Cory Richard’s piece unique prototype may be in titanium and tantalum–a very cool and especially exotic combination indeed–but I don’t think there’s much to be disappointed by from the production version being chiefly in titanium with some stainless components. (Well, maybe just a tiny bit–but the overall result is so well done, I can’t complain too heartily.)
My admiration for Vacheron Constantin watches is well known. The brand combines design, exceptional finish, and horological excellence in a way that few can, of course abetted by a history which is rich and lengthy. For me though, history means little without real watchmaking substance, and Vacheron doesn’t rest on its laurels. Both of these Overseas limited editions, despite their calloused-hands toughness, have the silken finesse on the inside you’d expect from the greatest of watchmaking houses. Protected to magnetic fields and water ingress to 150 meters inside the rugged yet refined cases of combined steel and titanium, both pieces feature supremely beautiful movements produced in house by the manufacture, both bearing the Geneva Hallmark for their adherence to norms of classical watchmaking. The chronograph, typical of Vacheron Constantin, features nothing less than column wheel actuation for its stop-start-return to zero functions, and that column wheel displays the additional flourish of being shaped in the form of the marque’s maltese cross symbol. A particularly rich and beautiful touch, is a customized rotor in 22K yellow gold, showing off a detailed depiction of Everest in relief. And finally, the bridges receive a darker coating than what you’d find from standard rhodium, giving the luxuriously Geneva striped and anglaged caliber a stealthier, ever so slightly more tool-like impression. All of this is of course readily admirable through a sapphire exhibition window.
One often hears intonations that the mechanical watch as a tool is dead, and now they serve no purpose beyond status projection or self-aggrandizement on social media. While I can acknowledge the general “truth” behind such an observation, I feel that there are a few out there who appreciate that while technology may have moved beyond the mechanical watch, and vastly cheaper options will do the same work more efficiently, there’s just something cool and unapologetically offbeat about taking a well-crafted machine along–as in the old days–to keep track of time even in the most demanding of situations. Sure, you could do it with a G-Shock or some other quartz tank, but if you can do so, why not mark off those memories with something exceptional, something that you’ll form a bond with through use? Especially if that watch can still do the job! On that point, will most of us put a watch this exceedingly fine, through conditions a fraction as rough as Cory Richards has? Of course not, but now…you know you can! 😉
I like to think that Cory Richards, even while struggling to keep warm high up in the Death Zone, perhaps took a few moments to admire the intricate contours of his Vacheron Constantin Overseas, while noting the readily legible time on the luminous dial, and recognizing that the watch was steering him straight for the next steps. If he had sufficient dexterity while bundled up to remove the watch for a moment in his tent before settling in to sleep, perhaps he might’ve even considered taking it off to view the beautiful movement and its mechanical heart for just a moment, a reminder that it, like himself, was still alive despite the merciless press of Nature all around him. Would he have? I doubt it, but it’s certainly cooler to make memories such as that, with a watch…like this. And that’s reason enough for me. The only hesitancy is the price, at $31,000 and $37,000 USD respectively. Even with that…err, “steep climb” facing enthusiasts, I doubt Vacheron Constantin will have any problem finding wrists for the 150 pieces of each that will be made.
