The calibre 3300 features “fleurisanne engraving” on the balance cock. A scrolling motif inspired by the oldest pocket watches, this special decoration is reserved for the seven inaugural pieces of the Harmony range, which will all be released in limited numbers – presently, there are two chronograph and two dual-time models (meaning one larger and one smaller version of each), one tourbillon chronograph, and one split-second chronograph (hands-on here), so there is still room for the Harmony range to expand.
It is no news that in watchmaking, it is the microscopic things that make the difference – and even for a “revival” (or rather, tribute) piece like the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph, there was room to improve on some key parts and functions. A small, cone-shaped gear has been added between the winding pinion and the crown wheel to improve the smoothness of the winding action when recharging your timepiece. Thanks to an extremely advanced gear profiling system, Vacheron have managed to reduce the tooth clearance of the train wheels to a staggering 0.03mm. What this means in practice is that there is almost no backlash in the teeth, no wobble of the hands in winding or operation with the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph – eliminating that rather annoying (although arguably minor) issue with most all mechanical watches where there is noticeable play between the rotation of the crown and the movement achieved when setting the hands or winding the mainspring.
The 65-hour power reserve (that’s a touch under 3 days) means that owning this manual wind watch will not be too much of a chore. The watch displays the hours and minutes, mounted centrally, while the running seconds hand can be seen at 9 o’clock. At 6 o’clock, we can see a power reserve indicator (an eminently useful complication for a manual wind) on a small sub-dial that does not interrupt the surrounding information of the pulsometer. The chronograph seconds hand is centrally mounted, and the minute counter can be found at 3 o’clock. A new technique for the coupling of the chronograph clutch ensures a smooth, jerk-free start to the travel of the chronograph seconds hand upon starting the chronograph running. One other cool upgrade installed by the Vacheron Constantin experts is the two reset hammers used instead of one. This, along with the activation system and improved gear profiling, improves the immediate functionality of the watch, as well as extending the lifespan of the parts, as the stress placed on them during operation is much reduced.
Priced at $69,000, the Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph tugs at my horological heartstrings like few others. There’s nothing that says you have to like this watch, but I’m guessing a lot of long-time aficionados will hold this one in high esteem. vacheron-constantin.com
