While impertinent new world watches such as the Ladoire Mr. Green Black Widow and the HD3 Slyde will deservedly rock the house at GTE, quietly yet confidently, this new addition to the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Collection, the Aronde 1954, could well be the most elegant star at SIHH 2011.

It plays to Vacheron Constantin’s undoubted strengths which is to create eye catching watches blessed with the clean, elegant good looks in vogue over half a century ago. With its original rectangular case, it’s inspired by a model created during the energetic post-war years. Its guilloché dial is a tribute to the Métiers d’Art – the artistic crafts inseparable from the field of haute horlogerie – that are consistently cultivated by Vacheron Constantin.

Like all models in the collection, the Historiques Aronde 1954 watch will be produced in limited numbers. As the name suggests, the idea behind the Historiques collection is to revive models that capture the spirit and know-how of the brand through contemporary reinterpretations of some of its legendary models.

The Historiques Aronde 1954 features a rectangular case that is unique within the current range produced by the Manufacture. Its pink gold 31.2 x 44. 55 mm case features alternating polished and brushed surfaces. The name ‘Aronde’, – an Old French word for a swallow’s wings – refers to the double-rounded curve unfurling almost like wings along the case flanks, and accentuated by a strongly cambered sapphire.

The mechanical hand-wound movement is a Calibre 1400 AS, developed and manufactured in-house by Vacheron Constantin. It oscillates at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), with a 40-hour power reserve. The Vacheron Constantin movement bears the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva and shows the hours, the minute, as well as small seconds in a rectangular counter at 6 o’clock.

The Historiques Aronde 1954; our tip to cause a gentle stir at SIHH 2011.