Read our expert's description
Brand :
Vacheron Constantin
Collection :
Historique
Model :
Toledo
Reference :
Vacheron Constantin - 4764
Category :
Wrist Watch
Period :
1950's
Movement :
Mechanical
Caliber :
T
Case material :
Pink gold
Case form :
Square
Reference Detail :
4764 AN
Clasp type :
Folding clasp
Dimensions :
36 mm
Complications :
Calendar, Date, Moonphases, Central second
Description :
Manufacturer: Vacheron Constantin;Year: 1958;Reference No: 4764;Movement No: 480’524;Case No: 361’721;Model Name: ‘Cioccolatone’;Material: 18k pink gold;Calibre: Manual, P495, 17 jewels;Bracelet/Strap: Leather;Clasp/Buckle: Later 18k pink gold Vacheron Constantin;Dimensions: 36mm wide and 43mm length;Accessories: Accompanied by brown leather Vacheron Constantin presentation box, and extract confirming date of manufacture in 1958.;Literature: A yellow gold example of the ‘Cioccolatone’ is illustrated in Treasures of Vacheron Constantin, A legacy of watchmaking since 1755, Hazan, 2011, page 74.;Catalogue Essay;Post World War II exuberance led to a new mid-century artistic design thrust, which focused on clean lines, biomorphic shapes, and emphasized functionality, beauty and comfort. Vacheron Constantin’s response to this new aesthetic was a large, organic square-shaped wristwatch with rounded stepped lugs, and bezel, along with a slightly curved case. The model affectionately known by collectors as “Cioccolatone”, or Italian for square-shaped chocolate, became an iconic example of this new paradigm. Today, the “Cioccolatone” is an icon for its unique, oversized square–shaped case that was inspired by the clean lines of 1950s industrial design. It is avant-garde, and best exemplifies the artistic creativity Vacheron Constantin is known for. Introduced in the early 1950s, Vacheron Constantin produced several references of the “Cioccolatone” with the same case style. They were offered with manual and automatic movements, subsidiary and center seconds, as well as the most complicated and prestigious, a triple calendar wristwatch with moon phase. Production across all of these models was limited to mainly yellow gold examples, with fewer in pink gold, and two known white gold, time-only examples.;Dramatically oversized, and with its sensual and graceful curves, the design was far ahead of its time. Its iconic status was further illustrated when Vacheron Constantin reintroduced the model in 2003, with a modernized triple calendar with moon phase named the “Toledo 1952”. The present “Cioccolatone” is, without a doubt, the finest and best-preserved example of the reference 4764 triple calendar moon phase known to exist,one of less than a handful known in pink gold. It comes to auction having last been seen in public in 2006. In breathtaking original condition, the unpolished, hardly ever worn case retains its original factory finishing throughout as well as its crisp hallmarks on the underside of the lugs. The two-tone silver dial is immaculate and totally original, as delivered by the factory in 1958. This reference 4764 impresses by its sheer presence and unusual organic shape. Featuring Vacheron Constantin’s largest and most extravagant case of the era, cased in the model’s rarest and most prestigious metal –18 karat pink gold, and fitted with the most exclusive version of the model with triple calendar and moon phase, this reference 4764 is certainly one of the most important and desirable Vacheron Constantin wristwatches to be offered at auction in recent memory. It is a must have timepiece for any collector of watches from the golden age of wristwatch design and manufacturing, and a true trophy watch for the world’s finest collections.
