With just seven days to go before Watches & Wonders takes place in Hong Kong, various brands have begun previewing their agendas for the fair to whet visitors’ appetites. Vacheron Constantin is no exception, having unveiled two new watches that will be added to its Collection Excellence Platine.

For the uninitiated, Collection Excellence Platine is a special collection of watches previously made by Vacheron Constantin from other collections, but re-released entirely in platinum. This collection was first introduced in 2006, and acts as a “Hall of Fame” of sorts for the manufacture’s exceptional creations. Like their elder siblings, the two new models to be admitted into this collection will have cases, crowns and even dials of 950 platinum. The usage of the metal extends right down to their straps: even the thread used to stitch them are a combination of silk and platinum!

Vacheron Constantin’s focus this time is on useful complications, with a related goal of beefing up its ‘medium complications’ product segment. Unsurprisingly, both timepieces hail from the Traditionnelle collection.The Traditionnelle Day-Date and Power Reserve is the first of the series and, as its name implies, presents its namesake astronomical and power reserve information on its dial in addition to telling the time. Within the 39.5mm platinum case, the day and date information are presented on separate sub-dials at nine and three o’clock respectively, while the power reserve counter occupies the sector at six o’clock. These auxiliary indicators have blued steel hands, while the sweeping hour, minute, and second hands are done in platinum, effectively separating the watch’s primary and secondary functions. The timepiece is driven by Vacheron Constantin’s Calibre 2475SC movement, which is self-winding with a 40 hour power reserve and certified Poinçon de Genève.Next up is the Traditionnelle World Time, aimed at the frequent traveller. This worldtimer tracks all 37 time zones around the world, from the main ones to those offset by 30 minutes (Adelaide: UTC+09:30) and 45 minutes (Nepal: UTC+05:45). Apart from the time in cities around the world, the Traditionnelle World Time also has a shaded sapphire crystal on the dial that rotates to display at a glance the cities experiencing day/night. To top it off, the entire setup with all its indicators are adjusted via the lone crown on the case’s right side – no pushers or hidden adjusters are necessary. The completeness of the worldtimer function, coupled with the ease of operation via a single crown, made the timepiece exceptionally well received, which explains its reintroduction here.

Historically, timepieces from Collection Excellence Platine are released in limited runs never exceeding 150 pieces. Both the Traditionnelle Day-Date and Power Reserve and the Traditionnelle World Time are no exceptions, and are limited to 100 individually numbered pieces each.

Besides these two watches, Vacheron Constantin has also promised a special exhibition at the fair. Patrimony: The Essence of Pureness will be held within the manufacture’s salon at Watches & Wonders, and features four areas ordered both chronologically and thematically. The exhibition will chart the Patrimony collection’s evolution from the 1950s to the present.