Vacheron Constantin launches new Fiftysix day-date Petrol Blue dial model, exclusively at Mr Porter

When Vacheron Constantin wanted to create a watch that epitomised the meeting of modernity and tradition, it’s no surprise that it took as its inspiration a lesser-known reference from its archives – the reference 6073, one of its first watches to be both self-winding and water-resistant.

The watch you see here is a first, however; the first strictly limited member of the Fiftysix family to be produced in a run of just 30 pieces, each individually numbered with an engraving, and exclusive to MR PORTER. It sits with the existing Fiftysix Day-Date references, but with some crucial differences that set it aside. A petrol-blue dial is naturally the most evident and the change of colour alters the watch’s character emphatically. (Vacheron Constantin’s style and heritage director Mr Christian Selmoni is meticulous about the precise shade of blue to be deployed within each family of watches – the Fiftysix’s blue dials are darker and more contemporary than those on the Overseas, for instance.)

Unlike either of the previous Day-Date references, it provides for a high-contrast difference between handset, hour markers and dial, bringing a more dynamic air to the watch. This informal, relaxed approach is mirrored by the choice of strap, which is a matte-finished calfskin leather unique to this watch, with contrast stitching and fastened with a steel folding clasp.