WATCH-INK: Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Day Date

The story of a journey, from past to present. From 1956 To Our Day.

A journey at the heart of the new Fiftysix collection by Vacheron Constantin, starting  from the Day-Date and Mattia Trivella – tattoist and lover of the ‘Old School’ style.

Tradition and contemporaneity meet and blend together into an iconic timepiece with a strong personality and a “retro-contemporary” style. An elegant men’s watch with a modern appeal, the result of a state-of-the-art reinterpretation of the iconic reference 6073, launched in 1956. Its modern and essential nature is up-to-date and casual: FiftysixDay-Date is the perfect watch for Mattia Trivella, tattooist with an important story behind him: a career shaped thanks to an exceptional Master, Gian Maurizio Fercioni. “The tattoo world has always fascinated me,” he says. “I landed at Fercioni’s studio-museum because I liked to browse through his catalogues, I liked to search through the drawings, to note the different styles, the details’ shades. I started to work for him as an assistant; for the first two years I limited myself to observation.” Today, Mattia has his own studio and, after years of practice in which he learned the technique and developed his own philosophy, he still remains loyal to the typical Old School tattoo tradition to which he is very attached.

An almost spontaneous parallel can be made between the importance and respect dedicated to tradition by the artist and Vacheron Constantin’s dedication, as with the Fiftysix collection the brand adopted the same rule.

By combining the essence of modern elegance and casual sophistication, four models embodying a cosmopolitan style inspired by history were created. An important moment in the Maison’s history which gave birth to an original watch collection instilled with the energy of modernity, thus making the world of Haute-Horologerie accessible to all aficionados – even the younger ones: today’s connoisseurs.

Mattia Trivella seems to perfectly represent the day-date’s style and manner: a tattooist passionate with vintage, clean lines, essential shapes and elegance. A glimpse is enough to tell, even looking only at his clothes: a tattooist wearing shirts and vests who loves to surround himself with beautiful objects, collector’s items – sometimes almost impossible to find – and who cares about respecting his clients’ tastes without ever betraying his own respect for the tradition closely tied to his own style.

“Old School is my style, the drawings are striking and they don’t need many explanations. They’re simple signs, carrying great strength and expressiveness at the same time. This is what I love and what moves my passion as well. Vintage elements always tell stories, and I like to be surrounded by it. It’s the same for watches: I like essential and clean lines, without frills.”

The originality of the reference 6073 – and of every Vacheron Constatin model made in the 50s – also stands in the contrast between the classic dial and the daring case. A watch designed for the future while respecting traditions. The 50s, the golden age of rounded timepieces, represent the utmost of aesthetic sophistication, and they still remain today an interesting territory to explore. By inspiration and by essence, there is a great affinity between the 6073 model introduced in 1956 and the 2018 Fiftysix – which reinterprets many typical features of the 50s watches in a modern way. Fiftysix Day-Date with power reserve, one of the collection’s 4 models, comes in two versions: 40-mm stainless steel or pink gold case. It features the self-winding calibre 2475 SC/2. Aligned with the collection’s look, this version has a monochrome dial with double opaline and sunburst effect, contrasting with the light blue of the two subdials. The Arabic numerals, indexes, and minutes and hours hands of the Fiftysix are made of gold; the strap is made of alligator skin with deployant stainless steel or Ardillion buckle –depending on the version– shaped as a half Maltese cross.

The Haute-Horologerie and tattoo worlds are apparently very distant one from another, but  as Mattia confirms they are indeed very close and similar: “We have lots in common. First, precision – essential in both fields. Then, attention to detail. The Haute-Horologerie world is actually very close to my work. Nothing is left to chance, and only with love and dedication can you achieve high-level results.”

By Valentina Dalla Costa