Vacheron Constantin Welcomes Panda Dial Chronograph to Overseas Collection

The small world of high-end steel chronographs gets a little bigger today with the introduction of a new Overseas Chronograph reference from Vacheron Constantin featuring a ‘Panda’ dial colorway. The Overseas Chronograph has seen a range of colorways over the years, including a reverse panda that currently exists in the collection, but never a white/silver base dial with contrasting black sub-dials. As this colorway is known to do on already handsome watches (and even some not so handsome watches), it looks pretty damn good. As presented here, we’re left with what might be the cleanest manifestation of the Overseas Chronograph design to date. 

The Overseas collection was first launched in 1996 (though it is the spiritual successor to the 222 first introduced in the mid ‘70s), and the Overseas Chronograph has seen a variety of executions in that time. In 2016, the watch welcomed the in-house caliber 5200 which moved the distinctive dual-aperture date complication to a single aperture at 4:30. It also gained a couple of millimeters in the process, going from 40mm to 42.5mm in diameter, and to 13.7mm in thickness. That said, it’s still a pretty nice watch on the wrist, as the case tapers under the bezel, and it’s a pretty flat profile along the bottom, so while it’s not wearing quite as trim as something like a Daytona (the 4130 caliber shares the same dimensions as the 5200 btw), it’s indeed more comfortable than you might expect.

The real star of the show here is the new dial color scheme, which pairs a light silver sunburst base with contrasting black sub-dials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, as well as a contrasting black chapter ring in the rehaut at the perimeter, an inverse detail of which is not shared by any other Overseas Chronograph. It’s a classic combo that works as well here as you might expect, even with the inclusion of a framed date window at 4:30. The black sub-dials house the running seconds at 9 o’clock, and totalizers, which feature Arabic numerals within, at 3 and 6 o’clock. 

One of the defining elements of the Overseas is the six sided bezel with deep notches, mirroring the shape of the bracelet links which integrate to the case. The bracelet can be removed without a tool, allowing for either rubber or leather strap options which the watch ships with. Overall this is the sportiest take on the Overseas Chronograph to date, with the possible exception of the “Everest” limited edition. 

The Panda dial Overseas Chronograph is priced at $32,400 and is available from Vacheron Constantin boutiques as of today.