Vacheron Constantin is no stranger to vintage re-creation watches, and in the past few years has established its ability to produce some of the most interesting haute horology homage pieces on the market. Earlier this year we covered two of these releases from SIHH 2017, the Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942 and 1948 ? two subtly different triple calendar watches with designs directly from the mid-century ? and in 2016 we covered my personal favorite Vacheron timepiece, the Cornes de Vache 1955 modeled on the unique-lugged reference from its namesake year.

Alongside the Triple Calendriers, the Genevan manufacture last year released the American 1921 Mid-Size as a new addition to its Historiques collection, this watch coming as a slightly smaller edition of its original 40-mm ?full size? American 1921 watch first released in 2008. Both of the pieces are based on an art deco-influenced watch from 1921 produced in limited quantities for American motorists, with its dial rotated forty-five degrees for easier viewing while driving, and a case construction providing it a distinctive style. In sum, only 12 pieces of the vintage watch were produced from 1921 to 1931, making the model extremely rare; the last example to go up for public sale was in 2012, through Sotheby?s: a right-handed model (pictured above), which sold for just below $80,000.
The newest version of the watch (Reference 1100S/000R-B430), like the 40-mm version before it, is a faithful homage to the original that...