'The big three,' 'the holy trinity of watches' or 'the holy trinity of Swiss watchmaking,' regardless of the name, there's a mutual agreement that Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet occupy the podium of watchmaking excellence. Well, that was certainly the case at this concept's inception during the 1970s (today there are plenty of other watchmakers who can challenge this trio), an era of tumultuous unease for mechanical watchmaking. Quartz was taking over, many legacy brands were shifting their attention to other business opportunities, while others simply were forced to shut up shop. But the trio at the top maintained their operation and thus prestige, and as watch collecting surged in the 1990s, each seemingly went from strength to strength.

One of the more nuanced and less discussed of the three is Vacheron Constantin. It's seen as the thinking collector's choice, and right on the cusp of the nineties, they called upon the Lemania 2310 – an ébauche calibre famed for its widespread adoption by many top manufacturers – to power their latest creation, the Les Historiques ref. 47101. As its series name suggests, the Historiques collection was established to honour noteworthy pieces from their archive. In the case of the 47101, Vacheron recalled the 1940s and the 4178, wildly regarded as one of the most stunning chronographs, full stop. Tear-drop lugs, metal hands, a tachymeter scale, rectangular pushers, and a mix of baton/Arabic numerals make this twin register mid-sized chronograph the supreme expression of classically inspired grace. The series includes the 47101 and the 47111, which share most attributes, only carrying minor adjustments. During its lifespan, yellow gold was the most prevalent metal, yet there was also a small run of platinum-cased examples. Dials were produced in a variety of colours, from off-white, black, and the coverted salmon. It is thought only 300 platinum watches were assembled, with the majority fitted with silver dials, around 60 for the salmon and just 25 for a limited edition run of black dials aimed at the Japanese market.