The Swiss luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin’s Quai de l’Île product line becomes more affordable and sporty with its latest stainless steel version, the Ref. 4500S.
It was back in 2008 when Vacheron Constantin introduced the Quai de l’Île timepiece which sported a fairly complex case featuring a 10 part design that could be customized with each component in a different metal. Additionally the multi-layer dial was made of sapphire crystal featuring metal appliqués and cutting edge technology spec security features adopted from passport printing techniques including micro-printing and invisible ink. In order to boost the unique appearance Vacheron Constantin put a paper passport in the box set which is used as a warranty booklet.
Besides the Haute Horlogerie features and the charming presence the Quai de l’Île was a complex design with an innovative approach that did not appeal to all.
Now Vacheron Constantin changed the game and purified the Quai de l’Île by taking out its puzzling but also a bit excessive features which also helped the watch to be more affordable. Don’t get me wrong here, the new stainless steel Quai de l’Île is still have the unique design features of the original version.
The 41 mm case sports the same cushion form, but it offers smoother and simpler lines mainly with the lugs designed as attached to the case instead of separate, screwed-on components. The dial features the same Arabic numbers that was also present in the original version with streamlined form which improves its legibility. Despite the exposed date disc on the original, the new steel Quai de l’Île has a fixed date disc made of clear mineral crystal instead of sapphire featuring a triangular pointer that rotates around the dial.
The new Quai de l’Île is powered by the automatic Calibre 5100/1 which has a 60-hour power reserve. The movement is marked with the Geneva Seal as expected.
Available with a silver (ref. 4500S/000A-B195) or black dial (ref. 4500S/000A-B196), the new Quai de l’Île in stainless steel is priced at Euro 16.100 ( For Turkey) which makes it quite affordable considering the fact that they are retailed about half the price of the lowest model within the earlier Quai de l’Île product group.
