With the latest collection of Vacheron Constantin watches, forums have been invaded with watch enthusiasts’ opinions. And to my surprise, the opinions weren’t the most positive ones. I remained perplexed to see the skeptical feedback, as I trust this brand so much that I can’t believe that it could have screwed it up with the new collection.
Therefore, I challenged myself to make a close inspection of both the authentic and the replica versions of this watch. I wanted to objectively look at the FiftySix Complete Calendar, in particular, so as to overturn the rumors (or to confirm them?!)
I clearly remember how half of our AAAReplica team was skeptical when we first heard about the release of the FiftySix Vacheron collection. It was back in 2018 if I recall well. There were many disputes regarding the upcoming design concept, marketing strategy, and the risks of disappointing the audience. You know? When a certain brand reaches a certain status level, it gets harder to impress the public, as the expectations are super-high. It seemed that such hot discussions were held not only in our office but among the whole watch community as well.
Either way, I don’t like too many talks, I like facts instead. So, silently and focused, I took a Vacheron imitation from our stock without anyone knowing and decided to perform my own test by wearing it for a couple of days. To make things more complex, I took a Complete Calendar model, as the most complicated ways usually lead to the most fruitful results.
Why the skepticism in our office and the watch community?
Reason 1
The first thing to conclude about this watch on my wrist is that in reality, it looks far more “lively” and handsome than in most pictures on the internet. And that was when it dawned on me; People know about this watch only what the internet pictures show them. And sadly, almost all press pictures featuring this model didn’t transmit the real aesthetic value of the piece. Incorrect angle, darkened light, no sense of proportions- all these factors were making the FiftySix watch look far from what it represents in reality.
When I spotted the difference between the pictures and the real piece, I just wondered “how could people see the beauty of this watch with such unprofessional pictures”? Most of the photos showed the watch in an incorrect shape and in a “too” monochromatic tone in comparison to the real piece. In a single word, the pictures lacked any sense of Constantin Vacheron’s authenticity. How sad that sometimes press images “eat away” the true spirit of watches, confusing a community of millions of watch enthusiasts.
Reason 2
The second reason for skepticism was actually what I call “too high expectations”. Before release, people made assumptions that the authentic model would be about 10,000 USD for the “simple” stainless steel versions. With the release of the line, the disappointment was huge. Why? Because the public found out that the “simple” steel model was actually about 20k USD. And without even diving into technical and aesthetic details, the audience labeled the collection as “not conforming to its expectations”.
And there is when the audience made the big mistake: it should have dived into the collection’s details (technical and aesthetic), because they are marvelous, as it turned out. If only the public would give it a try, it would have discovered that the price actually justifies completely the quality and the aesthetic amplitude of the watch.
Why Wearing the Imitation for a Week Changed My Office Mates’ Minds?
I wore the FiftySix imitation in secret for two days. Then, I summoned up the courage and began wearing it openly in the office, to my seniors’ surprise. I told them that I wanted to overturn their impressions about the FiftySix collection. I was deeply sure that they didn’t know a thing about the whole beauty of the watch.
Within a couple of hours after my confession, the whole office was with eyes on my wrist. We all inspected the watch from all the angles and lights possible. Finally, all the most skeptical persons agreed that the watch looked differently from what they saw in press pictures.
A lesson to learn
At this point, I shall mention that we were lucky to have a great replica in our stock. It looked extremely close to the authentic model. Perhaps, this allowed us to embrace the beauty of the model and feel the authentic sense of Constantin Vacheron.
With the watch on the wrist, all the proportions and the case elegance made sense right away. I would have liked the case to be slightly thinner. Still, as this watch isn’t part of the”ultra-thin” segment of watches, the thickness is pretty acceptable. Either way, believe me, it looks far more satisfying on the wrist than on any picture from the press.
On the whole, I feel the watch is more compact than the pictures suggest. Also, the metal looks more vivid and inspirational when ambient light runs its reflections on the masterfully- polished areas. The eccentricity of the case is expressed by the interplay of convex and concave surfaces, round shapes, angles, and straight lines.
This is something impossible to transmit through pictures. And the main lesson we all have to learn from this story is to NEVER rush in making assumptions about a watch until you don’t have it in your hands to absorb its NATURAL beauty and not the one exposed in pictures.
Watch specifications
As a general rule, Constantin Vacheron addresses its watches mostly to the mature audience. In contrast, the FiftySix collection is distinctive in that it is attractive to any type of buyer persona. The design of the watch comprises both classic and contemporary elements. While the steel automatic imitation is more attractive for the junior public, the Complete Calendar and the Day-Date satisfies the expectations of the adult audience.
The most balanced model from all three versions is the Complete Calendar, the one that I’ve been testing for some days. In comparison to the other two models, it comes with a slightly thicker case. This is because the imitation runs on a more complex movement, which is a Genuine Swiss 2475-2 base movement, by the way.
An important aspect to know is that the lugs of this imitation are pretty short, just like in the authentic model. This means that the replica will sit well on most wrists. In addition, it looks gorgeous on the wrist due to its round-tonneau shape.
Pictures of the case are likely to confuse you. In reality, the case is not as flat. As for the dial, I can spot different types of finishes on it- an element that is also lacking in pictures.
Technical aspects of the replica watch
Functionally, the imitation works identically as the authentic piece: the moon phase, date, month, week, hour, minutes, and seconds are all in service. Thus, despite its beautiful construction, the watch is also highly practical. I could adjust all the functions easily through the buttons and crown on the case side. Despite the many functions of the watch, I shall say that it is highly intuitive and easy to use.
The genuine Swiss 2475-2 base movement is said to be highly promising in terms of reliability. Though, I must say that I’m not completely satisfied with how it actually looks. Looking closely at it, I spotted minor inaccuracies on the movement plates and auto rotor decorations. I mean these movement’s minor errors aren’t critical but don’t look as good as in the Malte Tourbillon CV imitation.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, I’m pretty satisfied with having looked at the FiftySix Complete Calendar timepiece from all perspectives. The main idea to get from this review is to never judge a timepiece on others’ opinions and on first impressions. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a replica or a genuine model. The FiftySix collection is a great example of when the first impression can be a deceptive one. It takes time to “understand” a watch. Let it “decant” on your wrist. Or, if you don’t have such a possibility, listen to those who do.
My own impression about this replica watch, and about the FiftySix models in general, is that it’s one of the most inspirational timepieces. It’s one of those pieces that keep their value and beauty to be opened only to true watch connoisseurs.
As for the replica version, I’m delighted with the great reproduction of the dial pattern, the technical functionality of all complications, and the masterful finish. Would be pleased to see improvements in the movement decorations in further iterations. Either way, its condition completely justifies the price and deserves all of your attention.