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 Ice Quartz
Reference 27769OR.40
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Vacheron Constantin
- Collection
- Historiques
- Model
- Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Ice Quartz
- Reference number
- 27769OR.40
- Year / era
- 1976 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 4F — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1976 – 1992
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 42 mm Ice Quartz sits within Vacheron Constantin's Historiques line, introduced in 1976. It carries the house codes established since 1755 — quartz tpt case, ice blue dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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 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 42 mm Blue Sapphire
Ref. 12888OR.55
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 44 mm Black 18k
Ref. 80519OR.52