Vacheron Constantin Mercator 43050/00J-17

6304 Mercator 43050/00J-17 1996 Box and Papers The Vacheron Constantin Mercator is one of the brand's most celebrated cult watches from the neo-vintage era. Between the mid-1980s and early 2000s, watchmaking underwent a Renaissance following the turmoil of the Quartz Crisis. Brands were forced to reinvent themselves are purveyors of luxury, rather than being merely manufacturers of wristwatches. Enter Vacheron Constantin and the Mercator. Released in 1994 to mark the 400th anniversary of Gerardus Mercator's death, it took the brand to a whole new level. The unusual time-telling display was conceived to resemble a compass, and used a dual-retrograde handset. The design pays homage to the cartographer who created the Mercator projection, which became the standard 'world map' we now recognise. It was designed by Jean Genbrugge, who was a watchmaker as well as an enameller. The watch sits in a relatively simple yet refined case, with a stepped bezel and lugs. It's also quite thin, made possible by the use of the slim cal. 1120 base movement (itself a derivative of Jaeger-LeCoultre's cal. 920). It's a reminder that the highlight of the watch is very much its dial and dual-retrograde system. Vacheron Constantin 0 Mercator 43050/00J-17 Automatic 36 Yellow Gold 1996 False Box and Papers Watch comes with box, booklets and dated certificate of origin.