Brand: Vacheron Constantin
Model: Mercator
Reference: 43050 family
Case Material: Platinum
Case Diameter: 36 mm
Movement: Automatic, calibre 1120/2
Functions: Hours, minutes, double retrograde display
Dial: Cartographic Mercator-inspired dial
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Strap: Leather strap
Clasp: Vacheron Constantin deployant clasp
Era: Neo-vintage
Production Period: 1994–2004
Few watches unite art, history, and horology as successfully as the Mercator. Its dial is more than decorative; it is the central idea of the watch, turning the passing of time into a cartographic performance through two retrograde hands shaped like a navigator’s instrument.
The platinum case gives the Mercator an especially discreet authority. Cooler, rarer, and more understated than yellow gold, it allows the intricacy of the dial to take centre stage while reinforcing the model’s collector appeal. The result is a watch that feels both scholarly and elegant — a piece for the connoisseur who values originality as much as pedigree.
At its heart is the automatic calibre 1120/2, the adapted ultra-thin movement that powers the Mercator’s bi-retrograde display. Long admired for its elegance and mechanical pedigree, it underlines the fact that the Mercator is far more than a decorative watch. It is a serious watchmaking proposition with real technical distinction.
For collectors of important neo-vintage watchmaking, the Mercator occupies a category of its own: unusual, beautifully executed, and unmistakably Vacheron Constantin.
Certification & inspection:
Every timepiece we offer are authentic, in hand, inspected by our team of watch specialist and available to view on appointment.
Shipping: We ship internationally using Ferrari Logistics door to door service.
Collector’s Note
The Mercator was produced in very limited numbers over roughly a decade and has become one of the defining collectible Vacheron Constantin references of the 1990s. Its appeal lies not only in rarity, but in the sheer originality of its concept: a high-horology watch built around art, history, and one of the most charming alternative time displays of the period.
With its platinum case, slim profile, and intellectually rich dial design, the Mercator offers a very different proposition from more conventional dress watches of its era. It remains one of the most poetic expressions of Vacheron Constantin’s creativity in the late twentieth century.
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