Nonmagnetic horology: a constant concern for Vacheron Constantin

Designed to the finest and latest standards of functional performance, every version of the new Overseas design incorporates efficient protection against magnetic hazards. Whether its movement is mechanical or quartz electronic, an Overseas will thus retain its exceptional precision unaffected by the numerous magnetic fields found everywhere today.

Every version of the new Overseas is totally encapsulated with a three-part, soft-iron antimagnetic screen. The magnetic protection standard adopted by Vacheron Constantin ranks among watchmaking’s most stringent, providing a dependable shield against potential magnetic perturbations and ensuring in this way that it maintains a reliably regular operating rate.

The exceptional protection against magnetic fields built into the new Overseas generation has its roots in the Vacheron Constantin company’s longstanding interest in protecting timepieces against such hazards, as befits the world’s oldest full-fledged watch manufacturer in uninterrupted operation since its foundation in 1755.

In 1846, the Geneva-based company was the first to devise a watch impervious to magnetic influence by fitting it with a balance spring, balance wheel and lever crafted in a special bronze alloy. Its watchmakers tested palladium balance springs in 1862, the year that saw Vacheron Constantin join the Association for Research into Nonmagnetic Materials.

In 1885, Vacheron Constantin built the first watch bearing its name that incorporated a complete lever assortment designed to withstand magnetic fields: its balance wheel, balance spring and lever shaft were made of palladium while the lever arms were fashioned in bronze and the escape wheel in gold.

Vacheron Constantin’s interest in the design of watches capable of resisting magnetic fields continued throughout the 20th century. Building on its reputation, its watchmakers designed and, from 1954 to 1959, built a chronometer so resistant to magnetic fields that it was the wrist instrument of choice for many knowledgeable engineers in electrotechnics. Fitted inside a round case with screwed-in back and watertight pushpieces, its 13-line movement beating at 18,800 v.p.h. was protected by a soft-iron hood shielding it from magnetic fields.