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 · Malte
Vacheron Constantin Malte 36 mm Meteorite Quartz
Reference 80857OR.73
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Vacheron Constantin
- Collection
- Malte
- Model
- Vacheron Constantin Malte 36 mm Meteorite Quartz
- Reference number
- 80857OR.73
- Year / era
- 1956 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time and date
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 150 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 150 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 42B — In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Time and date
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1956 – 1962
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
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 Malte 36 mm Meteorite Quartz sits within Vacheron Constantin's Malte line, introduced in 1956. It carries the house codes established since 1755 — quartz tpt case, meteorite dial and in-house manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- 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.
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 Malte
Vacheron Constantin Malte 43 mm Blue Ceramic
Ref. 11729OR.28
Vacheron Constantin Malte 38 mm Silvered Sapphire
Ref. 90388OR.39
Vacheron Constantin Malte 36 mm Meteorite Sapphire
Ref. 95806OR.17
Vacheron Constantin Malte 44 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Ref. 70061ST.73
Vacheron Constantin Malte 39 mm Silvered 18k
Ref. 23694OR.10