A grown-up’s 39mm white gold dress watch with a couple of twists

You may congratulate me on finally becoming an adult. I always thought things like getting married and buying a house were signs of adulthood. I was wrong. You’re only really a grown-up if you own a dress watch. The problem was that my mind and taste hadn’t matured enough to look for one. Once I felt the urge, my quest for a dress watch that matched my style and character took many years. At one point, I was ready to call it quits because my somewhat forced, reluctant search — Peter Pan syndrome really is a thing — was fruitless. That was until I came across the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Winding ref. 1410U/000G-H017.

It wasn’t the first time I’d laid eyes on the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Winding. I first encountered this 39mm white gold watch, with its soft, shimmering dial and somewhat odd green strap, at Watches and Wonders 2024. Two years later, our paths crossed again. And the rest is history, as they say.…