Dispatches Style
44 OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
11.19
Tough Luxe
AN ELEGANT TIMEPIECE BUILT TO GO THE DISTANCE
BY JASON HEATONIn watch-enthusiast circles, the name Vacheron Constantin is
spoken with reverence. The Swiss company is the oldest continu-
ously operating watch manufacturer in the world, based in Geneva.
Though Vacheron specializes in hand-fi nished dress watches, its
Overseas line, which was fi rst launched in the 1970s, includes water-
proof stainless-steel cases and rubber straps. They’re perfectly
suited to snorkeling off the transom of your yacht.
The Overseas Self-Winding is the simplest of the lot, with just
three hands and a date indicator. The mechanical movement was
devised and built entirely by Vacheron watchmakers, a rarity in this
age of outsourcing. The motor, visible through a sapphire window on
the back of the case, is meticulously assembled by hand. But this is
no fragile showpiece. Cory Richards recently wore a prototype during
his attempt at a new route up the North Face of Mount Everest.
(Both came back unscathed.) With that kind of product testing, you
can feel confi dent wearing the Overseas while scaling a Colorado
fourteener or sailing in the Caribbean. Just make sure you’ve got the
strap tight. $19,300COURTESYOF^ ZADOK.COM(WATCH);^COURTESYOF^ BLACKDIAMONDEQUIPMENT^ (ICE^AX);^UNCLEPODGER/GETTY^(ICE)