Vacheron Constantin Facelifts the Iconic American 1921
Vacheron Constantin has gently updated one of its most distinctive time-only watches, the Historiques American 1921. Now kitted out with a silver grained dial, the 1921 retains its characteristic dial layout, along with blue Breguet numerals and hands. Like its predecessor, the new 1921 is also available in two sizes, 36.5 mm and 40 mm, but only in pink gold for now. Initial thoughts Ordinarily, cosmetic variations would not be that interesting, but the 1921 has not been iterated upon too often, despite being almost 20 years old. In fact, the 1921 is a fixture in the VC catalogue, yet has varied little given its tenure. As a result, the facelifted model is appealing and also arrives in a timely manner. Though the changes are subtle, namely to the dial texture plus hand and numeral colour, they give the dial a little more life. The updates also make the watch feel a little more modern, but the result still sits comfortably with the historical design. A driver’s watch Sometimes known as a “driver’s watch” for its off-the-vertical dial layout, the 1921 was modelled a small number of watches made by VC in 1919 and subsequent years. The unusual dial alignment was reputedly to improve legibility while driving, or while preaching at the pulpit for one of the owners of the 1920s originals was an American clergyman. The latest version retains the same design and layout as past iterations, with the dial 45 degrees off the vertical and the crown at two o’clock. Instead of a...
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