Vacheron Constantin Puts the Fiftysix Back in Steel With Two-Tone Grey Dials

The Fiftysix is Vacheron Constantin’s casual line, a round watch based on a 1956 reference. It's classy and elegant, with lugs inspired by the brand’s Maltese cross logo. It launched in 2018 as the most affordable entry into Vacheron, but with gold cases, these weren't cheap watches. The two new steel references, a three-hand date and a complete calendar with moon phase, are still not cheap watches, but they are quite nicely priced. And they look very nice with the steel case and two-tone grey dials.

Both cases are 40mm wide. The Self-Winding is 9.6mm thick, and the Complete Calendar is 11.6mm thick, which is very nice. The shape hasn’t changed, but the finishing has. The lugs and flanks are now vertically brushed, the lugs have polished bevels, and the bezel and crown are polished. The calendar’s correctors are polished too. A box shaped sapphire crystal covers the dial, and there’s a sapphire caseback. Water resistance is 30 meters, which could be a bit better for a steel watch meant for daily wear.

The dials are so nice. On the Self-Winding, the light grey opaline centre darkens in a gradient toward the chapter ring, and a snailed light grey minute track runs around the edge. The Arabic numerals and long rectangular markers are applied white gold, and the baton hands and markers are filled with blue Super-LumiNova. The date at 3 o’clock cuts into the railway track, and I’d rather it didn’t. As in, didn't exist at all. The Complete Calendar reverses the scheme, with a dark grey gradient centre, a light grey sunburst chapter ring and a dark snailed outer ring for the date. A white gold arrow-tipped hand points to the date on that outer ring. Day and month sit in two windows below 12, with the moon phase at 6.

The Self-Winding uses the calibre 1326, which Richemont’s ValFleurier manufacture builds on a Cartier base. It beats at 4Hz with 48 hours of power reserve. Through the back you can see Côtes de Genève and an openworked rotor in 22k pink gold, cut in the shape of the Maltese cross. The Complete Calendar gets Vacheron’s in-house calibre 2460 QCL/1, which has 308 parts, beats at 4Hz, has the Hallmark of Geneva and 40 hours of reserve. Both of those power reserves could use a bit of a beefing up. Both come on grey nubuck calfskin with ecru stitching and a folding clasp in steel.

The Fiftysix Self-Winding (ref. 4600E/000A-H177) is priced at CHF 12,600, and the Fiftysix Complete Calendar (ref. 4000E/000A-H178) is CHF 29,500. See more on the Vacheron Constantin website.