?Patrimony? is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ?property inherited from one’s father or male ancestor,? or ?valued things passed down from previous generations; heritage.? In the case of Vacheron Constantin?s Patrimony collection of fine timepieces, both interpretations apply. Patrimony watches most definitely trace their design lineage to ancestors from the Geneva-based manufacture?s 260-plus-year history ? most directly, from models made in the 1950s ? while they also are clearly suitable to be passed down as a treasured heirloom to a current owner?s descendants.
To continue the metaphor, ?Retrograde? is defined as ?directed or moving backward? ? and the Patrimony Moon Phase and Retrograde Date, which Vacheron added to the vintage-inspired collection this year and which I recently had a chance to review, is indeed a throwback to a more elegant era of timekeeping with its midcentury-influenced design ? but, with its user-friendly moon-phase complication, is clearly meant to embody a very modern sense of luxury as well.
The watch, as its lengthy name implies, features a somewhat rare combination of a retrograde date indication and a moon-phase display, and does so in a pleasingly balanced and symmetrical dial layout.
The round, rose gold case measures 42.5 mm in diameter and 9.7 mm thick, and dazzles with a gleaming, polished finish. A subtly curved sapphire crystal, rising just fractions of a millimeter above the sloping contours of the bezel, gives the watch an...