As fine watchmaking continues to reach a wider audience worldwide, the creation of custom-designed limited edition timepieces for various communities have become quite a prevalent and vital practice for brands to authentically engage with their audience, explore new design directions that reflect diverse cultural influences, and tap into the creative energy of these communities. But the latest collaboration between Singapore Watch Club (SWC) and Vacheron Constantin is a new take on such partnerships. Rather than creating an all-new limited edition to mark their eighth anniversary, SWC has chosen instead to restore and rework fifteen Historiques Chronograph ref. 47101 already owned by its club members.

SWC was founded by Tom Chng in 2015 and is rooted in the ethos of passion, sincerity, and humility. While passion generally abounds in watch circles, virtues such as sincerity and humility can be harder to come by in the rough and tumble of social media watch enthusiasm today. SWC was designed from the beginning to make it possible to have earnest and respectful conversations about watches even if tastes and sizes of collection might differ.

But as it happens, 15 members shared a love for the neo-vintage Vacheron Constantin Historiques ref. 47101, a 37mm manual-winding chronograph characterised by wing-shaped lugs and the legendary Lemania movement within. It was an homage to the iconic ref. 4178 and was, until recent years, largely undervalued. The ref. 47101 was produced from 1991 to 1999, during which it was made in yellow gold and platinum with silver, salmon or black dial. It was equipped with the calibre 1140, which is the Lemania 2320, the 21-jewel, swan-neck-regulator version of the Lemania 2310. While Omega used the 17-jewel 2310 as the caliber 321, both Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin employed the higher end Lemania 2320, albeit with distinct finishes and varying degrees of modification. Interestingly, towards the end of the ref. 47101’s production run, the U-shaped chronograph bridge in Vacheron Constantin’s 1140 was replaced by a V-shaped one.

The ref. 47101 was later succeeded by the ref. 47111 in 1999, which replaced the snapped case back with a screwed case back. The movement also underwent minor updates to become to the calibre 1141. Both references were highly undervalued; platinum examples were going for as low as CHF 15,000 in 2017 before doubling or tripling, depending on configuration and completeness, gradually over the last few years.

The 15 ref. 47101 chronographs owned by club members, comprising two platinum and 13 yellow gold examples, underwent a delicate restoration process at the manufacture in Geneva. The movement received a thorough overhaul, and a special gold commemorative bridge was added for the chronograph coupling wheel. This bridge was hand-engraved with the SWC initials by the Métiers d’Art studio. In addition, the tip of the chronograph seconds hand is now coloured in red, a national colour of Singapore, symbolising universal brotherhood and equality of man. Archival documentation of each watch was further updated to reflect these modifications, safeguarding the integrity of their history.

In a time when the pursuit of flashy or superficial collaborations has become commonplace, breathing new life into cherished timepieces rather than creating new ones is a thoughtful approach that respects the brand’s heritage while offering a fresh perspective. It’s a decision that ultimately also reflects the values of passion, humility and sincerity that have guided the club over the past eight years.