Vacheron Constantin

Most Vacheron Constantin watches use a 18 mm lug width: 21 of the 88 Vacheron Constantin references with a listed width in our database (24%).

Lug widths at Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin collections

The story · Since 1755

The Vacheron Constantin story

  1. 1755 Founded in Geneva, Switzerland by Jean-Marc Vacheron.
  2. 1785 After 30 years at the bench, Jean-Marc Vacheron handed the workshop to the next generation; his son Abraham kept the business going through the upheavals that followed the French Revolution.
  3. 1819 The founder's grandson Jacques Barthélémi Vacheron went into partnership with businessman François Constantin, and the firm became Vacheron et Constantin. Writing from Turin on 5 July 1819, Constantin coined the line that became the house motto: do better if possible, and that is always possible.
  4. 1839 The firm hired engineer Georges-Auguste Leschot, who adapted the pantograph to watchmaking so movement parts could be made to standard sizes and swapped between watches; in 1844 he won Geneva's Prix de la Rive for the work.
  5. 1880 The Maltese cross became the official emblem and was registered with the Swiss federal intellectual property office in Bern; WatchTime reports it was filed in four variants.
  6. 1906 For its 222nd anniversary the house launched the 222, a monobloc case on a fitted bracelet with a porthole-style screwed-down bezel.

Firsts and innovations

1955. For its bicentenary the brand presented Calibre 1003, a hand-wound movement 1.64 mm thick; the brand calls it still one of the world's thinnest and Worldtempus calls it the thinnest in the world. The three 1955 watches built on it set a record for the thinnest watches at 4.54 mm.

2024. Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication, a pocket watch with 63 complications and 2,877 components, was presented as the world's most complicated watch and as carrying the first Chinese perpetual calendar; it beat the Maison's own Ref. 57260 of 2015.

2025. For the 270th anniversary, the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication was presented as the most complicated wristwatch ever made: 41 complications and 1,521 parts in a 45 mm case 14.99 mm thick.

Vacheron Constantin ambassadors over the years

Benjamin ClementineMusicianFrom 2018

Became one of the first faces of the One of Not Many campaign, launched in London in 2018; the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry noted it was the first time the Maison had worked with ambassadors.

Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, Forbes

James BayMusicianFrom 2018

Joined the "One of Not Many" campaign at its 2018 launch.

Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, Forbes, Luxury Daily

Ora ItoDesignerFrom 2018

The French designer, known for his Simplexity concept, was named in the first One of Not Many campaign in 2018.

Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, Luxury Daily

Cory RichardsPhotographer and climberFrom 2018

The National Geographic photographer joined the first One of Not Many campaign in 2018; in 2019 he attempted Everest wearing an Overseas Dual Time prototype in titanium and tantalum developed with the Maison.

Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, Luxury Daily, Esquire Singapore

More Vacheron Constantin references, by line

Lines without a guide page yet: every reference we list for them, with its strap size.

American 1921

  • American 1921 Pink Gold 82035Integrated bracelet

Heures Créatives

  • Heures Créatives Heure Romantique 37640/000G-B03012 mm

Métiers

  • Métiers d'Art Tribute to Great Civilisations - Lion de Darius 7620A/000R-B92620 mm

Phidias

  • Unknown 49001Integrated bracelet

FAQ

What lug width do Vacheron Constantin watches use?

18 mm is the most common (24% of Vacheron Constantin references with a listed width), followed by 20 mm and 22 mm.

Do all Vacheron Constantin watches take the same strap size?

No. Vacheron Constantin uses 6 different lug widths across its collections, so check your exact model or reference.

When was Vacheron Constantin founded?

Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755 in Geneva, Switzerland by Jean-Marc Vacheron.

Who are Vacheron Constantin's ambassadors?

Over the years Vacheron Constantin has partnered with Benjamin Clementine (from 2018), James Bay (from 2018), Ora Ito (from 2018), Cory Richards (from 2018).

Help

What is lug width?

The gap between the two lugs that hold the strap, in millimetres. A new strap must match it exactly: 20 mm lugs take a 20 mm strap.

Measure it in 30 seconds

  1. Take the strap off, or look at the back of it: many straps print their width.
  2. Measure the inside gap between the lugs with a caliper or a millimetre ruler.
  3. Round to the nearest whole millimetre. Most watches use 18, 20 or 22 mm.

Strap, quick release or system?

Most watches use spring bars, so any strap of the right width fits. Many smartwatches use their own band system instead, such as Apple Watch bands or Garmin QuickFit.