Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix in steel with blue two-zone dial, applied Arabic numerals, date at 3 and steel bracelet on a dark background

Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix 4600E vs Quai de l'Ile 4500S vs Traditionnelle 87172

by Honeyrock Luxury Editorial on Oct 22 2026

On 24 September 2026, Vacheron Constantin marked thirty years of the Overseas with the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Ref. 4300V/220G-H119: 200 pieces in white gold at $132,000. Even the brand's standard steel Overseas now retails above $25,000, which is why many collectors look at Vacheron's other three-hand automatics on the pre-owned market. This page compares three of them, the Fiftysix Self-Winding Ref. 4600E/110A-B487, the Quai de l'Ile Ref. 4500S/000A-B364 and the Traditionnelle Ref. 87172/000G-9301, on case, calibre, history and current asking prices. The short answer: the Fiftysix is the everyday steel watch, the Quai de l'Ile is the steel watch with a Hallmark of Geneva movement, and the 87172 is the classical dress watch in 18K white gold.

Key facts

Vacheron Constantin released the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Ref. 4300V/220G-H119 on 24 September 2026: 41.5mm white gold, 8.1mm thick, calibre 1120 QP/1, 200 pieces, $132,000.
The Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Self-Winding Ref. 4600E/110A-B487 is a 40mm, 9.6mm steel watch on a steel bracelet with calibre 1326 (4Hz, about 48 hours of power reserve).
The Fiftysix steel bracelet Ref. 4600E/110A-B487 retails for approximately $17,700, according to Bob's Watches in July 2026.
The Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'Ile Ref. 4500S/000A-B364 is a 41mm, 11.75mm steel watch with calibre 5100 (4Hz, 60 hours, twin barrels) bearing the Hallmark of Geneva; it launched in 2017 at $14,900.
The Vacheron Constantin Ref. 87172/000G-9301 belongs to the Traditionnelle collection: 38mm, 8.02mm, 18K white gold, calibre 2455 with small seconds at 9 o'clock and date at 3 o'clock, 40 hours of power reserve.
Chrono24 showed 37 listings of the Ref. 87172/000G-9301 on 5 October 2026, with asking prices from $10,645 to $19,821 and a median of $12,613.
The WatchCharts Vacheron Constantin index stood at 45,929 as of 30 September 2026: up 8.9% over one year and down 14.1% over three years.
Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts placed Vacheron Constantin's Q2 2026 secondary prices 37.2% below retail.
Vacheron Constantin first published its Maltese cross emblem on 10 January 1880, based on a cross-shaped part that limited mainspring tension.

The Overseas at 30 and the price of entry

Vacheron Constantin introduced the Overseas as its sports line in 1996, building on the 222 of 1977. For the thirtieth anniversary, the brand chose a calendar rather than a steel time-only watch. WatchTime reported the Ref. 4300V/220G-H119 on 24 September 2026: a 41.5mm, 8.1mm white gold case around the 4.05mm calibre 1120 QP/1, running at 2.75Hz with about 40 hours of reserve, Geneva Seal certified, 200 pieces, $132,000.

"The slim watch combines an 18-karat white-gold case with a new, lighter shade of azure blue and the manufacture's ultra-thin Caliber 1120 QP/1."
WatchTime, 24 September 2026

The entry point is not low either. Bob's Watches wrote in July 2026 that "the standard steel automatic time-and-date Overseas (Ref. 4500V) retails above $25,000." Our Overseas Chronograph 49150 guide covers the sports line in depth. For a buyer who wants Vacheron Constantin finishing, a Maltese cross on the dial and a three-hand automatic under $16,000 pre-owned, the Fiftysix, the Quai de l'Ile and the Traditionnelle are the realistic set.

The three references, defined

The Fiftysix Self-Winding Ref. 4600E/110A-B487 is Vacheron Constantin's 40mm steel automatic with a blue dial and steel bracelet, drawn from a 1956 design. Bob's Watches notes that "the Fiftysix collection launched in 2018 and takes its case design from Reference 6073, a Vacheron Constantin automatic watch from 1956." The blue dial arrived at SIHH 2019. Monochrome Watches described the case as "a slim 9.6mm" and the dials as having "an opaline centre with contrasting sunburst exterior and raised applied 18k white gold Arabic numerals and markers." Calibre 1326 runs at 4Hz with about 48 hours of reserve. The 110A in the reference denotes the bracelet version; the leather strap sibling is the 4600E/000A-B487.

The Quai de l'Ile Ref. 4500S/000A-B364 is a 41mm steel automatic with a blue dial and the Hallmark of Geneva calibre 5100. Steel versions with white and black dials arrived in April 2016, and the blue dial joined in May 2017 at US$14,900, per Monochrome. Calibre 5100 uses twin barrels for 60 hours of reserve at 4Hz, with 172 components, 37 jewels and a tungsten rotor. The watch shipped with a blue alligator strap on a folding clasp and a second blue rubber strap. Monochrome summarized its position plainly: "The Steel Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'Ile was a superb access point to the 262 year old Maison."

The Ref. 87172/000G-9301 is a Traditionnelle Self-Winding: a 38mm, 8.02mm 18K white gold dress watch with a silver dial, small seconds at 9 o'clock and date at 3 o'clock. On Vacheron Constantin's own page for the pink gold sibling, Ref. 87172/000R-9302, the brand lists calibre 2455/1 at 26.2mm by 3.6mm, 27 jewels, 194 parts, 4Hz, 40 hours of power reserve and the Hallmark of Geneva, with a 22K gold rotor "inspired by the Maltese cross." The white gold Ref. 87172/000G-9301 no longer has its own product page on the brand's US site; that URL now resolves to the Traditionnelle collection page.

Side by side: specifications and market data

Specification	Fiftysix 4600E/110A-B487	Quai de l'Ile 4500S/000A-B364	Traditionnelle 87172/000G-9301
Case diameter	40mm	41mm	38mm
Thickness	9.6mm	11.75mm	8.02mm
Material	Stainless steel	Stainless steel	18K white gold
Dial	Blue, opaline center, sunburst outer ring	Blue, graded tones	Silver
Bracelet or strap	Steel bracelet	Blue alligator plus blue rubber	Alligator leather
Calibre	1326, self-winding	5100, self-winding, twin barrels	2455, self-winding
Frequency	4Hz	4Hz	4Hz
Power reserve	About 48 hours	60 hours	40 hours
Hallmark of Geneva	Not claimed by sources consulted	Yes	Yes (calibre 2455/1, brand page)
Water resistance	30m	30m	30m
Display	Hours, minutes, central seconds, date at 3	Hours, minutes, seconds, date	Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9, date at 3
Collection launch	2018 (blue dial 2019)	Steel 2016 (blue dial 2017)	2007
Retail reference	About $17,700 (Bob's Watches, July 2026)	$14,900 at launch (2017)	Not verified
Chrono24 asking, 5 Oct 2026	Not sampled	Not sampled	37 listings, $10,645 to $19,821, median $12,613
Honeyrock listing	2022, $14,365	2019, $15,950	2015, $13,750

The 87172 is the thinnest and smallest and the only one in gold. The Quai de l'Ile has the longest reserve and the Hallmark of Geneva in steel, at the cost of an 11.75mm case. The Fiftysix sits between them and is the only one of the three on a bracelet. All three are rated to 30m: our water resistance guide explains what that rating does and does not cover.

Why the 87172 is a Traditionnelle, not a Patrimony

Dealers, marketplaces and auction catalogs often list the Ref. 87172 as a "Patrimony," and the Chrono24 reference page for 87172/000G-9301 itself carries the title "Patrimony Traditionelle Automatic." The confusion has a real origin. Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony line launched in 2005, per Sotheby's, and Traditionnelle models were once sold under the compound name "Patrimony Traditionnelle." Sotheby's explains that the Traditionnelle "began as part of the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony line, splitting off in the early 2010s." WorldTempus dates the Traditionnelle collection itself to 2007 and describes its inspiration as the watches of the 1920s and 1930s, against the Patrimony's thin 1950s lines.

The 87172 dial follows that 1920s and 1930s brief: dauphine hands, applied hour markers, a railway minute track, small seconds at 9 and a date window at 3, as Vacheron Constantin describes the pink gold Ref. 87172/000R-9302. Vacheron Constantin's current catalog files the 87172 family under Traditionnelle, and that is the name a buyer should search, insure and compare against.

The Maltese cross on all three

All three dials carry the applied Maltese cross above the Vacheron Constantin name. The emblem began as a movement part. In a WorldTempus interview published 6 April 2026, Vacheron Constantin's Christian Selmoni explained its origin:

"It was a kind of limitation device for the mainspring, which was shaped like a Maltese cross."
Christian Selmoni, Vacheron Constantin, to Victoria Gomelsky, WorldTempus

Selmoni added that the emblem was first published on 10 January 1880 and served not only as a logo but as a seal to protect the brand, at a time when European countries were beginning to establish trademark protection. Wikipedia describes the same component as part of the barrel, "used for limiting the tension within the mainspring." On the 87172 family the motif appears twice: on the dial and, per Vacheron Constantin, in the 22K gold rotor seen through the caseback.

What the secondary market shows

Vacheron Constantin is recovering, but from a lower base than its Holy Trinity peers. The WatchCharts Vacheron Constantin index stood at 45,929 as of 30 September 2026, up 8.9% over one year and down 14.1% over three years. In the Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts Q2 2026 report covered by WatchPro on 17 July 2026, Vacheron Constantin's secondary prices sat 37.2% below retail, against Patek Philippe at 15.4% above retail and Rolex at 9.8% above.

For buyers, that gap is the practical point: a pre-owned Vacheron Constantin three-hand automatic typically asks well under current retail. Bob's Watches wrote in July 2026 that the pre-owned steel Fiftysix Self-Winding "typically trades between $10,000 and $12,000 on the current pre-owned market, a meaningful discount against its $14,300 retail price," a figure quoted for the strap version. At retail, the bracelet version sits about $3,400 above it, per the same source. The Chrono24 spread on the 87172/000G-9301, $10,645 to $19,821 across 37 listings, shows how much condition, year and set completeness move asking prices on a single reference. These are asking prices. Our summer 2026 market report sets out the wider context, and the Watches and Wonders 2026 coverage details this year's new retail releases.

Choosing between them

Choose the Fiftysix 4600E/110A-B487 if the watch will be worn daily with a mix of clothing. The 40mm case at 9.6mm wears flatter than the Quai de l'Ile, the bracelet removes strap wear from the equation, and the two-zone dial with Arabic numerals reads casual enough for denim and formal enough for a jacket.

Choose the Quai de l'Ile 4500S/000A-B364 if movement finishing matters most and you want steel. It pairs a steel case with a Hallmark of Geneva calibre, and its 60-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist. The supplied rubber strap also makes it the most practical of the three in warm weather.

Choose the Traditionnelle 87172/000G-9301 if you want a precious metal dress watch. At 38mm by 8.02mm it slides under a cuff, and the small seconds layout is the most traditional of the three. Its 40-hour reserve is the shortest, so a winder or a regular wearing schedule helps.

The three pieces at Honeyrock

Honeyrock currently lists one example of each reference. The Fiftysix Self-Winding Blue Dial Ref. 4600E/110A is a 2022 example, listed as mint with full set on the steel bracelet, at $14,365. The Quai de l'Ile Deep Blue Dial 41mm Ref. 4500S/000A is a 2019 example, listed as mint with full set and two straps, at $15,950. The 18K white gold Traditionnelle Ref. 87172/000G-9301 is a 2015 example, listed as mint with set, at $13,750.

Each piece is examined by Honeyrock's physician-led vetting team before listing and is covered by Honeyrock's lifetime Authenticity Guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Vacheron Constantin 87172 a Patrimony or a Traditionnelle?

The Vacheron Constantin Ref. 87172 is a Traditionnelle Self-Winding. It was once marketed under the compound name "Patrimony Traditionnelle," and the Traditionnelle line split from the Patrimony in the early 2010s, which is why many dealers still list the 87172 as a Patrimony.

What movement is in the Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix 4600E?

The Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Self-Winding 4600E uses calibre 1326, a self-winding movement running at 4Hz with about 48 hours of power reserve, housed in a 40mm by 9.6mm case with 30m water resistance.

Does the Quai de l'Ile 4500S have the Geneva Seal?

Yes. The Quai de l'Ile 4500S/000A-B364 uses calibre 5100, which carries the Hallmark of Geneva, runs at 4Hz and stores 60 hours of power reserve in twin barrels.

Which is thinnest: the Fiftysix 4600E, the Quai de l'Ile 4500S or the Traditionnelle 87172?

The Traditionnelle 87172 is the thinnest at 8.02mm, followed by the Fiftysix 4600E at 9.6mm and the Quai de l'Ile 4500S at 11.75mm.

How much is a pre-owned Vacheron Constantin 87172/000G-9301?

On 5 October 2026, Chrono24 showed 37 listings of the Vacheron Constantin 87172/000G-9301 with asking prices from $10,645 to $19,821 and a median of $12,613. These are asking prices, not completed sales.

Why are pre-owned Vacheron Constantin watches below retail?

Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts measured Vacheron Constantin secondary prices 37.2% below retail in Q2 2026, and the WatchCharts Vacheron Constantin index was down 14.1% over three years as of 30 September 2026, although up 8.9% over one year.

Sources

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