There are few luxury timepieces in existence manufactured by a company with the same pedigree as Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin. The Patrimony Bi Retrograde represents the culmination of more than 250 years of Vacheron Constantin's unsurpassed horological engineering and design experience.
Available in 42.4-millimeter cases of brilliant white gold, lustrous, 18k rose gold and luxurious platinum, the Patrimony Bi Retrograde features slate grey and silver dials. Hours and minutes hands fashioned of the same material as the case sweep over long, slender indexes that denote each hour, with smaller subindexes marking the minutes in between. What makes this timepiece particularly unique are the two arcs of additional markings on the dial. Just beneath its center is an arc of text displaying the days of the week, along with an arrow hand that points to the corresponding day. Along the outside of the upper dial's upper half are the numbers one through 31, which represent days of the month. Another arrow hand points to the correct date. Each of these subdials features a highly complex retrograde action. Instead of traveling around the dial in a circle, when the indicator hand reaches the end of the arc, it retraces its motion, traveling backward to the beginning of the arc, hence the "Retrograde" in this watch line's name. This is also known as a flyback motion.
Driving the Patrimony Bi Retrograde's incredibly involved complications is the Vacheron Constantin designed and manufactured 2460 R31R7 automatic movement. With 27 friction-reducing rubies positioned at critical mechanical interfaces, this luxury timepiece will last for generations, making it a true heirloom. There is no denying that Vacheron Constantin watches are masterpieces; the Patrimony Bi Retrograde is a clear testament to that.