Photos by Ed Rhee and Jake Witkin

This year at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Vacheron Constantin did the thinkable: introduced green (a color it already used in the Traditionelle line) to a quartet of Overseas models in pink gold (a metal it already used in the Overseas collection). It was something out of right field, something so imaginable as to strike watch enthusiasts everywhere with a profound sense of familiarity. The four new watches bring the undeniably attractive combination of forest green and gold’s warmth to the Overseas Dual Time, the Overseas Chronograph, the Overseas Self-Winding 41, and the bedazzled Overseas Self-Winding 35.  You could’ve seen these coming from a mile away, but we’ve got them close-up, so you don’t have to squint.

The watches all have the same recognizable Overseas case in 18k pink gold. There’s a gorgeous blend of crisp brushing and shiny polish to create plenty of light play, with the Maltese cross-themed bezel and its cutout embrasures adding depth to the case. Even the pushers and additional crowns on the Dual Time and the Chronograph are pink gold, and the entire package is visually warm but, as you might expect, decidedly hefty on the wrist. There’s just no way to lighten a solid-gold watch on a solid-gold bracelet. Even so, the watches wear incredibly well, thanks largely to the sharply angled lugs and the seamless transition between the case and the integrated bracelets; even those on the team who rarely venture beyond 40mm found themselves enjoying the 42.5mm case of the chrono. The bracelets, with their VC cross-links, feature a one-button quick-release and a clasp that can expand 2 or 4mm as needed. My only quibble is with the use of pavé diamonds on the Self-winding 35mm, which gives the watch a daintier, more delicate feeling. That may be intentional, but I’m always in favor of baguette diamonds when possible, as was done on the Overseas Tourbillon High Jewellery.

I won’t dwell too much on the dials. They’re very beautiful and they’re green. There is a bit of color play, and though the dials play forest green about 90% of the time, there are shimmers of emerald and even the very occasional olive hue that peeks through. That’s exactly what you want from a dial, though — a bit of surprise. It keeps you coming back, looking at your wrist with no intention of reading the time, just in hopes that the light is right and the emerald or olive hues pop out.

For me, going solely by the dials, the Dual Time is the clear winner here. The unique layout, the double 12-hour hand (that’s what makes it a dual time and not a GMT), and the pops of red make it a standout. The dated self-winding dials are certainly inoffensive, but in being so are also rather boring. The chrono dial sits miles behind the rest. Its fonts disagree with each other, the date is an eyesore, and, more subjectively, I have trouble finding practical applications for chronographs, which is probably why I don’t own any.

All the watches run on in-house automatic movements that operate at 28,800 vph. The power reserve varies, though, with 52 hours on the Chronograph’s caliber 5200 (which features a column wheel chronograph mechanism), 60 hours on the Dual Time’s caliber 5110DT, 60 hours on the Self-Winding 41mm’s caliber 5100, and 40 hours on the Self-Winding 35mm’s caliber 1088/1. Though there’s no questioning the quality of every one of these movements, the 1088/1 is the only one without the Poinçon de Genève to certify the rigorous standards of execution (you can read more about that movement and the 35mm models here).

It probably doesn’t surprise you that the watch geared towards women (with its smaller size and diamond bezel) is held to a lower standard than those that are either unisex or with traditionally masculine proportions. This is present in almost every single brand, no matter the price point: where a brand distinguishes between men’s and women’s watches (either explicitly or implicitly through marketing or design), you’ll find the brand using lower grade (often quartz) movements. It’s an area in need of improvement and one that I’m sure the industry is hard at work on, diverting countless resources and spending sleepless nights to ensure that being a woman (or simply having a smaller wrist) doesn’t mean you get the short end of the horological stick.

Predictable or not, the new additions to the Overseas bring more warmth and color to a collection that was somewhat lacking in both. Like just about every Vacheron, all four of these are beautiful at every angle. All that’s left now is for the brand to bring the green to the tourbillon and perpetual calendar Overseas models, and I can’t imagine we’ll have to wait very long for that. In pink gold with the green dial, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas priced at $58,500 USD for the gem-set 35mm Self-Winding (Ref. 4605V/200R-B969), $60,500 USD for the 41mm Self-Winding (Ref. 4520V/210R-B967), $75,500 USD for the Dual Time (Ref. 7920V/210R-B965), and $79,500 USD for the Chronograph (Ref. 5520V/210R-B966). For more information, please visit the Vacheron Constantin website.