Ultimate Showdown: Patek Philippe vs Vacheron Constantin

　　Patek Philippe andVacheron ConstantinBoth brands have rival models across all watch categories; whenever one party introduces a new type of watch, the other is guaranteed to field a similar piece in retaliation, making for truly extraordinary competition.

　　Two Popular Sports Watches

　　Patek Philippe Nautilus andVacheron ConstantinOverseas are popular sports watches from the two major watchmakers. The Patek Philippe Nautilus is the creation of horological design master Gérald Genta. In 1972, after designing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Gérald Genta subsequently designed the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the IWC Ingenieur. Historically, the Nautilus was Patek Philippe's most convention-defying watch. Some have even dubbed the Nautilus Patek Philippe's "illegitimate child". Regardless, the success of the Nautilus is evident to all. The modern Vacheron Constantin Overseas actually evolved from the historical Vacheron Constantin 222 watch. Early on, the Vacheron Constantin 222 watch was long thought to be designed by Gérald Genta, but it was later clarified that Vacheron Constantin 222 was designed by Jorg Hysek. Because Vacheron Constantin 222 was born in the same era as the Nautilus and Royal Oak, they share many similarities. In 1996, the Overseas, spawned from 222, made its debut. Today, the modern model of Patek Philippe's three-hand Nautilus is 5711, and Vacheron Constantin's new-generation Overseas also completed its generational update last year. The most prominent external distinguishing feature of the new Overseas is the serration at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, featuring one per side compared to two per side on the older model, which you can use to tell them apart.

　　Asymmetrical Shapes

　　Patek Philippe andVacheron ConstantinAs two traditional Swiss watchmaking brands, they have long been relatively conventional, usually offering rather straightforward timepieces. Throughout history, however, these two heritage watchmakers have also engaged in many unconventional, outside-the-box endeavours. For instance, both Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin have manufactured asymmetrical wristwatches. In the 50s, Patek Philippe designer Gilbert Albert created a Patek Philippe watch unlike anything seen before or since, 3424. Influenced by the modern art style of the era, this timepiece definitely marched to the beat of its own drum—angled entirely askew and completely asymmetrical, it is one of the most eccentric Patek Philippe watches ever made. By contrast, Vacheron Constantin also exercised its imagination, though clearly not to such an extravagant degree. The Vacheron Constantin 1972 is an iconic model for the brand and remains very famous today. 1972 This timepiece is trapezoidal in shape; while asymmetrical, it looks remarkably harmonious, which is why a number of ladies bought this watch. Furthermore, the reason this Vacheron Constantin watch is named 1972 is because in 1972, Vacheron Constantin became the first watch brand to receive the Prestige de la France award.

　　Two additional special watches

　　Vacheron ConstantinIn the past, a shutter-dial watch was also released. The dial features a shutter mechanism that can be opened and closed by selecting the crown positioned at 6 o'clock on the lower part of the case. I recall that Vacheron Constantin also released a modern version of the shutter-dial watch. Vacheron Constantin's shutter-dial watch was designed by Verger Frères. Verger Frères was a jeweller and watchmaker who played a pivotal role in Vacheron Constantin's history, and his designs continue to influence the brand to this day. Another notable Patek Philippe timepiece is the Ellipse. The Ellipse is yet another emblematic watch from Patek Philippe, first introduced in 1968. It features an oval case that is halfway between round and square, with remarkably well-balanced proportions. I know the Ellipse is popular among collectors due to its distinctive shape combined with special dial colours, such as chocolate brown.