Vacheron Constantin Historiques 1952, ref 47300

The Watch: A 2003 launch from Vacheron Constantin, part of the Historiques collection inspired by great past references. This is the Vacheron Constantin Toledo 1952, nicknamed Chiccolatone, named after an Italian chocolate candy. The watch is modeled after 1950s references, featuring an extraordinary, fluid-like case design. 35mm in white gold from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock, but as you can see, it's not easily characterized in traditional round watch terms. From lug to lug, it spans 43.2 mm, and it’s 12.9 mm thick, quite reasonable given its complications. The 22 mm lug width is more forward-looking than retrograde, a hallmark of modern watch design. The watch has a wonderfully fluid form, difficult to pigeonhole. It’s wasp-waisted at its center, with a layered, stepped lug profile, all beautifully rounded off in high polish. From the side, you can see the compound curvature of the crystal, which curves end-to-end, side-to-side, and diagonally into the corners. The crown is recessed, a