The Overseas is Vacheron Constantin's take on a stainless steel luxury sports watch. Designed by a young Jorg Hysek and released in 1977 (shortly after Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak in 1972 and Patek Philippe's Nautilus in 1976), it stood in stark contrast against the brand's mainstay, which was then (and arguably still is now) thin dress watches rendered in precious metal.

The watch was then discontinued, until it was resurrected in 1996 as the modern Overseas collection. Unlike Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin drew from its heritage and included the Maltese cross motif both on the bezel and bracelet. This created an arguably more complex and nuanced design which perfectly encapsulates the inherent contradictions between a "Holy Trinity" watchmaker and the humble stainless steel sports watch.

This version is the "mid-size" model. Sitting at 37mm, it features a small-seconds subdial sitting at 9 o'clock instead of a centre-seconds hand. It also omits the date window, a design choice often lauded by collectors and enthusiasts. This makes the entire package notably more "dressy", though it still maintains the 150m water resistance that makes the Overseas such a perfect everyday luxury watch.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

As the oldest brand from the "Holy Trinity", Vacheron Constantin has a deserved reputation as one of the finest watchmakers still in operation. The company's repertoire is extremely broad, covering everything from sports watches and dress watches all the way to its famed "Les Cabinotiers" atelier, which specialises in combining the manufacture's most modern horological advances with centuries of artistic and decorative experience to produce watches that are, simply put, works of art.