Vacheron Constantin
Watches
Nonmagnetic horology: a constant concern for Vacheron Constantin
Designed to the finest and latest standards of
functional performance, every version of the new Overseas design incorporates
efficient protection against magnetic hazards. Whether its movement is
mechanical or quartz electronic, an Overseas will thus retain its exceptional
precision unaffected by the numerous magnetic fields found everywhere today.
Every version of the new Overseas is totally
encapsulated with a three-part, soft-iron antimagnetic screen. The magnetic
protection standard adopted by Vacheron Constantin ranks among watchmaking’s
most stringent, providing a dependable shield against potential magnetic
perturbations and ensuring in this way that it maintains a reliably regular
operating rate.
The exceptional protection against magnetic
fields built into the new Overseas generation has its roots in the Vacheron
Constantin company’s longstanding interest in protecting timepieces against such
hazards, as befits the world’s oldest full-fledged watch manufacturer in
uninterrupted operation since its foundation in 1755.
In 1846, the Geneva-based company was the first
to devise a watch impervious to magnetic influence by fitting it with a balance
spring, balance wheel and lever crafted in a special bronze alloy. Its
watchmakers tested palladium balance springs in 1862, the year that saw Vacheron
Constantin join the Association for Research into Nonmagnetic Materials.
In 1885, Vacheron Constantin built the first
watch bearing its name that incorporated a complete lever assortment designed to
withstand magnetic fields: its balance wheel, balance spring and lever shaft
were made of palladium while the lever arms were fashioned in bronze and the
escape wheel in gold.
Vacheron Constantin’s interest in the design of
watches capable of resisting magnetic fields continued throughout the 20th
century. Building on its reputation, its watchmakers designed and, from 1954 to
1959, built a chronometer so resistant to magnetic fields that it was the wrist
instrument of choice for many knowledgeable engineers in electrotechnics. Fitted
inside a round case with screwed-in back and watertight pushpieces, its 13-line
movement beating at 18,800 v.p.h. was protected by a soft-iron hood shielding it
from magnetic fields.
| 
