Vacheron Constantin Gets No Love

[pamy104]

I wanted to get people's thoughts on the lack of following of the VC brand. Being an avid collector like many of you I owned or still own some of the best brands in the business. Still in the stable are AP, Patek, Rolex, etc.

One brand I own and currently trying to sell to make room for another watch is Vacheron Constantin.

Out of all the brands I have experienced in terms of uniqueness, quality, customer service (only AP was better here), features on the watch; I feel no brand matches them. Ok on in-house movements they are just catching up.

But take two watches for example, same movement and similar retail price points.

1) AP Royal Oak (non-offshore) Chrono
2) VC Overseas Chrono

VC has better depth rating, anti magnetic case, nice big date, two straps.

The AP has the same exact movement inside (Piguet) as the VC, less depth rating, no anti mag case, comes with bracelet only, and the looks could be argued each way.

Why can you not give the VC away and the AP sells fairly quickly.......?

uploadfromtaptalk1471313758300.jpg

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[cervantes]

So wait, you're trying to sell your amazing Vacheron?

[lapince]

One is iconic the other isn't...
New they are too expensive and used they take a huge hit...
About the looks sorry but the RO as well as the Nautilus have a unique iconic look that the Overseas never achieved, I'm not surprised that you can't sell it, if at least you had the blue dial or the one with ti bezel it might be easier, but you didn't choose the most popular option of a not very popular watch...
Good luck on selling it

[psv]

VC is known for their dress watches, not their sport line. The Overseas line is highly underrated IMO, but their popularity and resell value has nothing on AP or Patek. You buy the VCOC to enjoy/keep it, moving it is very tough. You can go down another $1K-$1.5K but it will still be hard to move. Best of luck!

[MonBK]

Agree ^, at $13.500 I think it's going to be a tough sell.

[One Ping Only]

I agree with the the comments above. VC is a wonderful brand, rich history and impeccable quality. And you can't give them away with a few exceptions.

I am wearing my SS / Ti Overseas today

[mps354]

I Like the dress models (particularly the recently released rg chrono), but the sports models do nothing for me

[benlee]

I prefer AP over VC but that's personal taste. I think VC make some nice watches and I am warming up to the new Overseas Chrono with that brilliant blue dial and easy strap/bracelet change option but the price point is kind of high.

There is no right or wrong answer when come to watches. Buy what you enjoy most if that's VC.

[GB-man]

VC prices their sports watches out of the market and doesn't have the iconic designs to boot.

If I am buying a VC it's going to be on a leather strap.

[osamu]

I've always liked the VC overseas, I am just worried I'd grow tired of that gear/ship wheel looking bezel, and the bracelet has just never really appealed to me. I really like the deep stream with the titanium bezel. I also love the way the new models come with strap options out of the box, something I wish all manufacturers would adopt, but for me VC would probably rank at least 4th or 5th in brands I would NEED to own in that segment behind AP, PP, and ALS.

I absolutely love the 1921 and the new Quai de L’Ile in SS

[youthagainsttt]

I've always liked the Overseas line, was seriously considering getting it but I'm not a fan of the VC Chrono overseas or Royal Oak chronos, personally I think they are overpriced for the addition of that complication but just my 2 cents

I think one factor is that people know that Patek is the ultimate, or at least they have that impression in horology terms.

For AP, I really feel the Offshore has been leading them to become one of the leading watch lines and because of a wider trend that more masculine watches are so fashionable these days and the RO Offshore is seen as the pinnacle. That's why Hublots are immensely popular now as well particularly with celebrities and millionaires.

For Vacheron, I'm really not sure what their unique angle is apart from being part of the Holy Trinity - this is to the mass market, not necessarily watch nerds.

Even so, i am disappointed as well that the overseas only got an in-house movement so late into the game

[conkers]

Everything sells if the price is correct as I have found out several times in my rocky watch collecting journey!

[janice&fred]

VC has always been a "regional" watch with some areas and cultures of the world hot for them and others luke warm or cold. believe it or not in the NYC diamond and jewelry district many Jewish dealers avoid the brand as well as their Jewish customers due to the trademark emblem. this kind of has had a ripple effect in the market and other cultures over the past decades and still holds weight now.

[Plastique999]

I've made comments before about Vacheron Constantin because it is probably my favorite watch manufacturer. Why? Because it is unique and has deep heritage behind some very special pieces. There is a lot of depth behind certain collections, e.g. - the Historiques collection, of which I own a Toledo 1952. The Historiques collection pays homage to VC's lustrous past. Inspired by the traditional classical elegance of the model in the 1950's, the unique shape of the Toledo has the exact dimensions of the original, which was 36 x 43 mm. It has a complex dome shaped square sapphire crystal with a Caliber 1125 movement.
It's an extremely sensual design that seduced me. The curves of the Cioccolatone are indeed sexy. There are no right angles on the bezel, sapphire or lugs.





I think VC is an alluring historic brand if you take time to get to know the pieces and its horological significance. There are some very seasoned collectors on thehourlounge dot com that share a wealth of information behind VC. Once you start reading about these, you will appreciate the tradition this brand carries.


Sent from my 16M

[regnant]

As much as I appreciate their historical background and their craftsmanship they put into their products, it's not my favorite brand and when it comes to watches made by the brand I remember their dress wathces with leather strap
So, in this respect that Overseas model sadly no luck in comparison with other brands' similar products and other sibling models in the model line up . I think, however, new model having a in house movement may have a better chance
Let's not forget, Daytona hadn't have an instant success when it was first introduced

[capote]

Originally Posted by janice&fred

VC has always been a "regional" watch with some areas and cultures of the world hot for them and others luke warm or cold. believe it or not in the NYC diamond and jewelry district many Jewish dealers avoid the brand as well as their Jewish customers due to the trademark emblem. this kind of has had a ripple effect in the market and other cultures over the past decades and still holds weight now.

What? How would you explain Patek's success given the Calatrava cross then?

[Snow-Dweller]

Originally Posted by janice&fred

VC has always been a "regional" watch with some areas and cultures of the world hot for them and others luke warm or cold. believe it or not in the NYC diamond and jewelry district many Jewish dealers avoid the brand as well as their Jewish customers due to the trademark emblem. this kind of has had a ripple effect in the market and other cultures over the past decades and still holds weight now.

Interesting. I have often thought that the Overseas' bezel has a slightly Nazi feel about it, but this had never crossed my mind with the VC logo....until now!

By the way, I inherited my grandfather's 1946 VC, which I had restored but rarely wear. Sorry for the bad picture.

[lapince]

IMO it should be priced at 11.000 and even like that not sure it would sell

[Psmith]

Very nice watches, but over-optimistically priced imho.

[improviz]

Originally Posted by capote

What? How would you explain Patek's success given the Calatrava cross then?

Actually it's a Maltese Cross:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltes...d_civil_orders

[improviz]

Originally Posted by lapince

IMO it should be priced at 11.000 and even like that not sure it would sell

Sorry but that's a joke. Just because you personally dislike the watch doesn't lower its intrinsic value. As usual, you never miss an opportunity to diss a fine brand that you subjectively dislike.

[improviz]

Originally Posted by pamy104

I wanted to get people's thoughts on the lack of following of the VC brand. Being an avid collector like many of you I owned or still own some of the best brands in the business. Still in the stable are AP, Patek, Rolex, etc.

One brand I own and currently trying to sell to make room for another watch is Vacheron Constantin.

Out of all the brands I have experienced in terms of uniqueness, quality, customer service (only AP was better here), features on the watch; I feel no brand matches them. Ok on in-house movements they are just catching up.

But take two watches for example, same movement and similar retail price points.

1) AP Royal Oak (non-offshore) Chrono
2) VC Overseas Chrono

VC has better depth rating, anti magnetic case, nice big date, two straps.

The AP has the same exact movement inside (Piguet) as the VC, less depth rating, no anti mag case, comes with bracelet only, and the looks could be argued each way.

Why can you not give the VC away and the AP sells fairly quickly.......?


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VCOs don't have the resale values of APs, which in turn don't have the resale of Rolexes or Pateks. Fine by me as I just picked up a BNIB VCO Chrono at a very good price and I love it, but if you don't buy them (or pretty much any other watch outside of Rolex and Patek) right, you take a hit on resale.

Here's mine:

[lapince]

Originally Posted by improviz

Sorry but that's a joke. Just because you personally dislike the watch doesn't lower its intrinsic value. As usual, you never miss an opportunity to diss a fine brand that you subjectively dislike.

No, I just took a look at chrono 24 at overseas chronos, and according to what I saw said what appeared to me a normal price for this watch, sorry but some are on sale for 9K, so 11K seems to me a very optimistically price for this one.

Here's the link for chrono24, you'll see a ton of them for very cheap, many for less than 10K, so really don't think 11K is a joke VC has crappy resale, it's a fact of life, and when you see that their new Overseas line is when more expensive than PP or AP, with the WG 3 hander costing more than the 5711-1R or the 15202OR, you wonder why the hell don't they price their watches in a way to get more people interested in them, don't see that changing soon...

They are nice watches just not priced competitively at all, the one you got is nice, like the dial...

http://www.chrono24.com/en/vacheronc...aseMaterials=4

[improviz]

Originally Posted by lapince

No, I just took a look at chrono 24 at overseas chronos, and according to what I saw said what appeared to me a normal price for this watch, sorry but some are on sale for 9K, so 11K seems to me a very optimistically price for this one.

I think you're looking at the wrong reference. I just bought one and did a lot of looking around on Chrono24, and for the model I bought, the 49150 pictured above, right now, as I type this, the lowest-priced preowned model is in the $11500 range with the exception of a few in Monaco and Ukraine (good luck there) for $11K flat, aside from one with no box/papers at $10.3K, but I'd steer clear of that dealer after reading the ad. The remainder go from $11.5K to $20.4K, and the ones I see on WatchRecon are in the 11.5K to 15K range as well.

Now, if you're including the previous model to that, the 49140, that's really not applicable for the model being discussed here. That's a long-discontinued reference and obviously won't hold value as well as the newer model, and is not the reference being discussed in this thread.

Originally Posted by lapince

Here's the link for chrono24, you'll see a ton of them for very cheap, many for less than 10K, so really don't think 11K is a joke VC has crappy resale, it's a fact of life,

Compared to, say, AP? OK, let's compare chronos: the AP Panda chrono is a nice example, those list out at $26K (on strap) and can be had used all day long in the $16K range, which is a 61% of MSRP, a loss of $10,000. As compared to the "crappy resale" VCO Chrono, which retails out at $21K and used go for about $10K less....oh, heavens to mergatroid, the same loss!! Which, of course, assumes that whomever bought it was dumb enough to buy either one at full MSRP, which would hopefully not be the case here.

So please, let's be realistic and use actual data; yes, there are notable exceptions (your CD is one of those, they're holding value quite well for now, but I prefer the SS Diver, which is why I got it instead), but generally speaking the AP losses from MSRP aren't up there with the Rolex or Patek models, but that's fine because you can get them (and VC) at deeper discounts when new to offset the loss, or buy preowned if you're really wanting to save as much as possible.

But in any case, as anyone knows who's in this hobby, the key is buying right with ANY of them; I certainly won't be taking a bath on mine if I ever decide to sell it, at least not near-term, and long-term a loss of a few grand or even several really won't put me in the poor house.

Which raises another point: if your only objective in purchasing watches is not to lose money, stick with Rolex and Patek...I mean, seriously: is this all about dollars and cents, or is there perhaps a subjective element of beauty and design that maybe you're willing to spend a bit more on? Come on...sometimes some of you guys come off more as accountants than WIS types, honestly...I'm not gonna pass on a piece that I find to be stunning and irresistable over the potential loss of, well, less money than a decent car will depreciate over the course of one year.

Originally Posted by lapince

and when you see that their new Overseas line is when more expensive than PP or AP, with the WG 3 hander costing more than the 5711-1R or the 15202OR, you wonder why the hell don't they price their watches in a way to get more people interested in them, don't see that changing soon...

They are nice watches just not priced competitively at all, the one you got is nice, like the dial...

I waited until the release of the new one to get this one, and as you can see by the results, I didn't like the new one either, irrespective of price.

You seem like a nice guy, but you do have a nasty habit of not being so nice when discussing others' timepieces sometimes. There are watches in this forum and others that I loathe, irrespective of price, but unless it's a pretty egregious violation of protocol like the Hublot knockoffs (and even there I generally hold my fire), I tend to practice the old "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything" maxim when it comes to others' watches.

[dchang81]

i checked out that same watch today, also the yellow handed model. i think these are very cool, but i like the overall design of the AP better. Same with the traditionelle. It's lovely but I like the lange 37mm a bit better. Then again my wife thinks two AP royal oaks are redundant so maybe not a bad way to mix it up.

[Hollister]

The Patrimony is very nice, but overall I have a preference for the stunning FPJ CB, aesthetically, not that I can afford either at the moment.

[janice&fred]

Originally Posted by capote

What? How would you explain Patek's success given the Calatrava cross then?

i don't have an explanation i'm merely sharing what i have heard over the years mixing it up with various NYC watch dealers and collectors. for myself i happen to like VC. some Jewish collectors do but there are many that don't. it is what it is.

[pamy104]

Seems my listing at $13,500 is right on the market for a limited edition. Same watch

http://www.chrono24.com/en/vacheronc...50000a9017.htm

[dchang81]

if you're not a serial flipper I say do it, 13.5 would be a great price from a dealer. the AP is still at least 4-5k extra which isn't chump change though if you sell you will wipe out that advantage. For a while, if i were to get another sport watch in that price range i was looking at an AP diver, but i think this one would be it.

[ash20]

Been there, done that. Took an absolute bath letting my 49150 go. On paper it's a great piece, but the build quality is inferior IMO to AP. More and more I find I prefer to stick with PP and Rolex. Good luck with your sale.