2020 Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Complete Original Box & Papers

Vacheron Constantin FiftySix Self-Winding — Ref. 4600E/000A-B442

IN PRODUCTION (introduced SIHH 2018; current VC catalog)
There are three names at the top of Swiss watchmaking — Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin — and Vacheron is the oldest of them by a margin that matters: continuous, unbroken production since 1755. Two hundred and seventy-one years. The FiftySix collection exists because VC looked at that heritage and decided there should be a way into it that doesn't require a house deposit, and this reference is the purest expression of that idea. The 40mm stainless steel case carries the Maltese-cross-inspired angular lugs drawn directly from VC's 1956 reference 6073 — the same lug geometry that defines the brand's visual identity — and the sector-style silver dial splits into two zones: an opaline center and a sunburst exterior, a design language borrowed from 1930s watchmaking that adds a depth and visual architecture no flat-finished dial replicates. The alternating applied stick markers and Arabic numerals are executed in white gold — not steel, not rhodium-plated base metal, but actual precious metal on the dial of a steel watch — and the box-shaped sapphire crystal arches over all of it with a vintage warmth that a flat crystal would lose entirely.
The Cal. 1326 visible through the exhibition caseback is where this watch quietly announces what it is. The 22K gold rotor is cut into the shape of the Maltese cross — Vacheron Constantin's emblem since 1880 — and finished to a standard that makes the movement worth flipping the watch over for. At 4.3mm thick, the movement allows the entire case to sit at 9.6mm, which is genuinely thin for an automatic date watch and delivers a wearing profile closer to a manual-wind dress piece than a modern automatic. The 48-hour power reserve, hacking seconds, and 28,800 vph frequency are conventional specifications executed to the finishing standard of a manufacture that has never in its history compromised on decoration for the sake of price, and the dark grey Mississippiensis alligator strap with stainless steel triple-folding clasp handles the watch with a material quality that matches the case. This is the most accessible Vacheron Constantin in the current catalog, and it carries every gram of the brand's 271-year reputation without apology.
Key Details

• Case diameter: 40 mm
• Case thickness: 9.60 mm
• Lug-to-lug: not officially listed (Maltese-cross-inspired angular lug design)
• Weight: not officially listed
• Case material: stainless steel, polished
• Case design: angular Maltese-cross-inspired lugs, inspired by 1956 reference 6073
• Crystal: box-shaped (domed) scratch-resistant sapphire
• Water resistance: 30 m / 100 ft / 3 bar
• Caseback: transparent/exhibition (sapphire)
• Bezel: fixed, polished stainless steel
• Crown: pull/push
• Dial: silver, sector-style (opaline center, sunburst exterior)
• Hands: silver, luminous (Super-LumiNova)
• Hour markers: alternating applied white gold stick markers and Arabic numerals, Super-LumiNova enhanced
• Date: aperture at 3 o'clock
• Hacking seconds: yes (balance-stop)
• Caliber: Vacheron Constantin 1326 (in-house designation)
• Movement diameter: 26.2 mm
• Movement thickness: 4.3 mm
• Movement type: self-winding automatic
• Frequency: 28,800 vph / 4 Hz
• Jewels: 25
• Components: 142
• Power reserve: 48 hours
• Rotor: 22K gold, Maltese-cross shape
• Certification: Vacheron Constantin in-house testing
• Strap: dark grey Mississippiensis alligator leather
• Clasp: stainless steel triple-folding deployant