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 · Overseas
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 38 mm Salmon 18k
Reference 68403OR.15
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Vacheron Constantin
- Collection
- Overseas
- Model
- Vacheron Constantin Overseas 38 mm Salmon 18k
- Reference number
- 68403OR.15
- Year / era
- 1981 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 36B — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1981 – 1985
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Vincent Kaufmann
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 Overseas 38 mm Salmon 18k sits within Vacheron Constantin's Overseas line, introduced in 1981. It carries the house codes established since 1755 — 18k yellow gold case, salmon 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 bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
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 Overseas
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 41 mm Slate Platinum
Ref. 43038OR.49
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 39 mm Skeletonised Platinum
Ref. 98419OR.46
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 36 mm Skeletonised Carbon
Ref. 50018OR.81
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 39 mm Salmon Ceramic
Ref. 96349OR.96
Vacheron Constantin Overseas 39 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
Ref. 41689OR.55