Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Vacheron Constantin · Historiques
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Blue Sapphire
Reference 12888OR.55
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Vacheron Constantin
- Collection
- Historiques
- Model
- Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Blue Sapphire
- Reference number
- 12888OR.55
- Year / era
- 1969 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 64D — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1969 – 1979
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Blue Sapphire sits within Vacheron Constantin's Historiques line, introduced in 1969. It carries the house codes established since 1755 — sapphire crystal case case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house automatic micro-rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Vacheron Constantin
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1755
- Founder
- Jean-Marc Vacheron
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Overseas, Patrimony, Traditionnelle, Fiftysix, Historiques, Malte, Egerie, Les Cabinotiers
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Notable watches
- Vacheron Constantin Overseas 36 mm Skeletonised Carbon (1984) · Vacheron Constantin Overseas 39 mm Salmon Ceramic (1986) · Vacheron Constantin Overseas 38 mm Salmon 18k (1981) · Vacheron Constantin Overseas 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic (1975)
Brand history
Vacheron Constantin has spent more than 271 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Overseas, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Jean-Marc Vacheron established Vacheron Constantin in 1755, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Vacheron Constantin calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1755
Jean-Marc Vacheron founds Vacheron Constantin in Switzerland.
1795
Vacheron Constantin earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Vacheron Constantin to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Vacheron Constantin enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Vacheron Constantin continues to produce Overseas, Patrimony, Traditionnelle and other icons in limited numbers.
More Historiques
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Ice Quartz
Ref. 27769OR.40
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Ref. 19584OR.24
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 37 mm Blue Carbon
Ref. 26965OR.80
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 37 mm Silvered 18k
Ref. 32817OR.86
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 44 mm Black 18k
Ref. 80519OR.52