The Reason
An example of a mid 20th century Cottier system World Time pocket watch. In 1946 Vacheron Constantin assigned reference 4414 to this world time model with a dial comprising of 41 cities and places.
Functions
Minute & hours, with 41 cities/places, world time indication.
Explanation of the world time function.
The central dial and hands are set to the time in Oslo/Geneva/Roma CET, Central European Time.
The 24 hours ring (that turns anti-clockwise when the watch runs), between the central dial and the outer chapter ring with places, is set to the correct time of day in the 24 hour cycle, i.e. or midnight or midday 2am or 2pm.
Once set, the time in all cities and places can be read by reading the 24 hours ring next to the desired name. (Today the reading is approximate to the hour in certain countries such as London and Paris when at the time of production they were sharing the same time zone, and the concept does not compensate for the variation between countries for day light saving).
If the user travelled to another time zone, eg, Saigon, the position of the 24 hours ring gives the hour and the central minute hand still indicates the minutes. This applies to all time tones with full hour time zone differences.
12 o’clock mid-day
12 o’clock mid-night
Technical Specifications
18K yellow gold case, diameter 49mm, thickness of watch, including glass 8mm. Manual wound, 19 jewels. 40 hour power reserve. 3-piece dial assembly.
Profile showing the outer and inner dials on the same level and the lower 24 hours turning hour ring.
The case back removed (using a case knife), revealing the movement.
The inner case back showing the hallmarks and branding plus unique serial number linked to the Vacheron Constantin archives. The case back is clipped onto the centre of the case.
The movement bridges and main-plate are made from German silver with no plating added after decoration.
The small central screw when loosened, allows the stem to be removed.
One of two casing screws that lock the movement in place inside the case.
The ratchet wheel screwed onto the barrel arbour with three screws.
The steel pieces are either flat (mirror finish) polished or as with the ratchet wheel (above) partly circular grained.
The balance pivots are set into fixed jewels, the calibre was made prior to shock protection.
The bezel removed from the case centre. Removed, as with the case back with a case knife.
Virtually all pocket watches were clipped together and never used seals, as a result they were not water resistant.
The movement removed from the case and the stem returned into the movement.
Recto-verso of the movement removed from the case.
The outer dial removed.
All of the black detail on the dials is enamelled into the metal.
The outer dial is clipped onto the movement by a short skirt, found around the side of the larger diameter of the dial.
The minute and hour hands are made from gold.
The two circular beads on the 24 hours ring as well as the Arabic numbers, stars and quarter markers are also gold.
The central dial removed, revealing the yellow hour wheel.
The underside of the central dial in view. The large ‘boss’ in the centre of the small dial pushes onto the central steel ring and is held in place by a tight friction fit.
The central 24 hours ring removed.
The 24 hours ring is held in place by the steel central ring located by 3 steel pins and held tight in place by two screws.
The underside of the 24 hours ring driven by the large steel wheel screwed onto it from the face side.
The three screws hold in place three sharp ‘V’ shaped discs that that slide into the ‘V’ shaped cut out in the steel inner wheel. The result is a smooth rotation of the 24 hours wheel, consuming no energy from the mainspring.
The balance wheel and cock removed.
The balance is a split bi-metallic style (for temperature compensation) with blued steel balance spring.
The balance assembly, escapement and escape wheel and cock removed.
The hardened steel Swiss anchor and its cock. All angled and mirror finished.
The steel escape wheel and its cock with steel end-piece.
The main train bridge covering the centre, 3rd and 4th wheels removed.
Recto-verso of the main train bridge. The engraving was executed by machine, the surface plated and then the plating removed leaving the letters, numbers and logo decorated with yellow gold.
The -800- stamp is found on each bridge and cock to avoid the pieces being mixed with other movements parts during assembly when multiple movements were being built. each would have a different reference.
The jewels, instead of being friction fitted were held in place by a skirt of material around the jewel being rubbed over it, effectively riveting it in place.
The underside of the floating barrel. The small cut-out in the barrel cap reveals a small part of the mainspring. Modern mainsprings have been for many years white/steel in colour and made from special alloys. This one is blue, suggesting it is blued steel and either the original mainspring or one made from the period of the watch.
The ‘V’ shaped nick in the barrel wall at 1 o'clock, that is aligned with the barrel cap assures that when the barrel is dismantled, cleaned and reassembled the barrel cap and barrel are located in exactly the same position.
The two small pinions under the triangular shaped bridge are intermediate setting pinions. They mesh with the sliding clutch (that sits on the winding stem) when the winding crown is pulled out the time is adjusted and the minute wheel that in turn meshes with the canon pinion, upon which the minute hand sits, turns.
The final wheel in view at 4 o’clock, meshes with the minute wheel and drives the 24 hours disc.
The setting mechanism.
There are three levers, the central one is the setting lever that enters the stem. When the stem is pulled into the hand setting position, this lever pushes onto the return-bar/spring that is below it, which in turn moves the sliding clutch down, meshing with the intermediate pinion that then allows the user to set the time. The lever to the right is the setting lever spring, indexing the setting lever and holding it in either setting or winding position.
All of the parts in view that are hidden under the dial were decorated manually.
The barrel bridge removed, revealing the stem assembly with the sliding clutch near to the steel triangular plate which is meshing with the winding pinion, in winding mode.
Sliding clutch - Winding pinion - Stem
The sliding clutch has a square hole running through it that associates to the square on the stem. The winding pinion sits on the circular section of the stem and has a round hole drilled through it.
Recto-verso of the main-plate with the majority of the components removed.
The barrel bridge with the barrel still in place, as well as the upper crown wheel to the left.
To reduce the thickness of the movement the barrel is held by the ratchet wheel sandwiching the barrel bridge. This results in an economy of space and the barrel sits flush with the outer surface of the main plate.
Summary
This Vacheron Constantin World Time pocket watch is recorded in their archives as being made in 1949. The watch has been well used but remains in good functional condition, original throughout with the exception of the winding crown, the part of a manual winding watch that is often replaced during its life.
Throughout the pocket watch, there are signs of a timepiece that was born seventy plus years ago and has led a busy life of use. The dial is tarnished and the movement's bridges are slightly marked as a result of a lifetime of services. All of the steelwork is in good condition and has been re-polished in recent years.
It remains a well designed and made example of vintage Vacheron Constantin watchmaking and history.
Reproduced courtesy of Vacheron Constantin
In 1932, the Vacheron Constantin first World time pocket watch displayed the (Louis) Cottier system capable of showing the times of the 24 time zones on the same dial, rotating with the movement. A collaboration which allowed Vacheron Constantin to be the 1st Manufacture to integrate the World Time complication – a symbol of the modern businessman way of life.
Vacheron assigns model ref 3372 to this new watch. Watches indicating 24 time-zones were named “Universal time”, “international time” (i.e. Vacheron Constantin archives) and then “World time” for most contemporary watches.
In 1936 seeking to show that the complication was worth perfecting, Vacheron Constantin presented two new versions of its international time model whose dial featured 31 international cities for reference 3650. In 1946 Vacheron Constantin assigned reference 4414 to the world time model with a dial comprising of 41 cities.
The first wristwatch with world time automatic movement calibre 12’’ 1019 was ordered in 1957 (by an Egyptian dignitary) and was manufactured under reference 6213. A 24-hour display in Arabic numerals that turns with the movement to indicate day and night time. The outer part of the dial showed 42 major cities world time on a mobile dial which was one of the innovations of the piece. Another particularity was the possibility to adjust the cities disc by pushing the push-piece for improved precision and practicality. In 1960, Louis Cottier developed a new world time pocket watch system able to adjust the external dial by pressing push-piece at 12 o’clock. This new world time reference indicates 37 cities and is known under reference 6382.
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