43032 Vacheron Constantin Skeleton Quantième Perpétuel, Platinum

The case could easily be made that the three ‘holy trinity’ neo-vintage perpetual calendars, the storied refs 5548, 43031, and 3940, are the most important complicated serially produced watches of the modern era, particularly the 5548 for bringing the category back. But that’s like saying David Gandy is handsome; duh. Around the time Patek was getting started introducing the 3940, AP and Vacheron were readying their victory laps. And what a celebration they turned out to be, fully skeletonized (or openworked in AP-speak). This 43032 and the AP 25558/25668 might just be the most lovely skeleton QPs the world has seen. Not just for the finishing effort, but their significance, proportions, and that neither brand make anything like this today.

Rarity doesn’t hurt their case either. AP made just 422 across two references and a decade. Vacheron made 10-15 per year, leading estimates also just under 500; they’re comparable. Most estimates put around 150 examples of that production in this platinum, the rest yellow gold. There are also fewer than 20 with blue subdials in platinum for those paying close attention. Production was tiny simply because the level of hand labor required was drastically higher than finishing the normal calibres. Here, the 1120 QP is skeletonized, finished classically, and then engraved entirely by hand, both front side and rear. Compared to the AP, you’ll find this case wears just slightly more masculine thanks to a more angular lug and wider bezel. Plus, you get a lapis moonphase with the VC.

Aesthetics are a matter of opinion, but it’s not arguable that these 1000 some watches across two manufactures are the most watchmaking-intensive celebration of Switzerland’s success returning complicated mechanical watchmaking to rightful supremacy over electrons. That really does merit the level of attention that has been poured into finishing this calibre, they knew they had just done something monumental. In fact, the 43032 was so ahead of its era that it almost feels independent in ethos, imagined from a few luminaries’ sheer enthusiasm and not a desire to fill a product portfolio.

This example is lovely. The case bears nothing more than lightweight surface wear with deep hallmarks. White subs, with its deployant clasp and extract of archive. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer.