Arguably the Best Integrated Sports Watch Just Got a New Grail Version

I used to believe I hated iced-out watches.

I’d see celebrities wearing fully diamond-encrusted Royal Oaks and Nautiluses and Day-Dates — almost always the work of a third party — and just think they looked tacky.

But then I tried on the Alpine Eagle Frozen Summit, Chopard’s completely blinged-out version of its flagship sports watch. Suddenly, I could see the appeal of an iced-out watch when it was designed to look that way by the brand that made it. It’s just another rung on the high-level watchmaking ladder, and while iced-out watches still aren’t really my thing — not that I have the budget for one, anyway — my general feelings about them have changed.

That brings me to Vacheron Constantin, a brand that does everything watchmaking-related at the highest possible level. It has just released an iced-out version of its own flagship sports watch, the Overseas, and I can confidently say that this is how diamond-encrusted watches are meant to be made.

Vacheron Constantin

Over-ice

Vacheron’s new Overseas is the first fully gem-set version of the 35mm automatic version of the watch, and there are actually two of them: one in 18K white gold for a fully iced-out look, and the other in 18K 5N pink gold for more contrast.

These watches show the skill and calculation required to make an iced-out watch truly work. The watches aren’t entirely covered in diamonds. Rather, the gems are applied in such a way that all of the signature lines of the Overseas, arguably the best sports watch on the market, are still clearly visible.

Don’t get me wrong — there are a ton of diamonds here: 1,430, to be exact, in a mix of brilliant and baguette cuts for a grand total of 12.58 carats. Here’s how they’re applied.

Vacheron Constantin

The tops of the lugs and bracelet links are covered in brilliant cut diamonds, with the edges and sides all left unadorned to maintain the Maltese cross pattern of the bracelet. In fact, I think this treatment makes the bracelet’s distinct pattern more obvious than ever, thanks to the contrast between the diamonds and the gold edges.

The dial is snow-set in brilliant-cut stones, with diamond baguettes replacing the regular hour markers. Then there’s the best part: the bezel. Here, only the raised Maltese cross portion of the bezel has been set with diamonds — 60 invisibly set baguettes — which again serves to highlight the pattern, as the lower portion of the bezel is plain gold. This treatment also adds more cohesion with the bracelet and its highlighted Maltese cross pattern.

Vacheron Constantin

Despite the fact that this Overseas has nearly 1,500 diamonds on it, Vacheron didn’t skimp on the sporty aspects of the watch that have made it so beloved.

It still features its excellent push-button strap exchange system and includes two additional straps when you want to tone down the bling: one white rubber and one alligator leather (blue for white gold and fuchsia for pink). The bracelet also maintains its hidden microadjustment system in the clasp.

The water resistance has dropped from its usual 150m, but it’s a still-swimmable 50m. The watch remains anti-magnetic. The gold hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova. And the movement is the in-house Calibre 1088/1, a 4Hz automatic with a 40-hour power reserve and hacking seconds — a feature missing from the larger 41mm Overseas. It’s visible behind a sapphire caseback, as usual.

Vacheron Constantin

Pricing and availability

Well, if you have to ask…

Look, this is a fully gem-set Vacheron Constantin sports watch. It’s obviously going to be very expensive. But, crazy as it sounds, it actually costs less than I expected.

The Vacheron Constantin Overseas 35mm Self-Winding High Jewellery retails for CHF 264,000, which as of this writing converts to around $331,500.

Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin Overseas 35mm Self-Winding High Jewellery

Vacheron’s first fully gem-set automatic 35mm Overseas is available in pink or white gold and is encrusted with a total of 1,430 diamonds totaling 12.58 carats.

• $331,500 at Vacheron Constantin

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