The Watch: The Malte collection takes its name from the Maltese cross, the eight-pointed emblem Vacheron Constantin adopted in the nineteenth century from the shape of a component used to regulate mainspring tension. The cross became the brand's logo, and the Malte line was built around the tonneau case shape that frames it, a barrel form that Vacheron has returned to throughout its history. The Malte is the dress watch that sits closest to the brand's pre-Overseas identity, when Vacheron was understood purely as a maker of refined complicated watches for people who already knew what they were looking at.
Reference 42015 is the Malte Big Date, also catalogued as the Large Calendar, and it is one of the highlights of the early 2000s collection. The complication is the oversized date, displayed through a double aperture at 6 o'clock that renders the date large and legible in a way a standard single window cannot. Building a big date adds real mechanical complexity, since it requires two separate discs working in concert, and Vacheron executed it within the caliber 1204, a 29-jewel automatic movement with a gold rotor, adjusted to five positions and visible through the sapphire display back secured by six screws.
The case is 18k yellow gold in the tonneau form, 38mm, with the fluted lugs that define the Malte line. The cream dial carries Arabic numerals, a center seconds hand, and the double date aperture at 6.
This example comes with undated papers and the Vacheron Constantin travel box and pouch.
Condition: Very good condition with light wear to the case and buckle.
Includes: Undated papers, Vacheron Constantin travel box, and pouch.
