Vacheron Constantin Ref. 4178, Steel Chronograph with Two-Tone Salmon Dial & Pulsation Scale

In continuous production since 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the world's oldest watch manufacture still in operation. Among all the chronographs bearing its name, the Reference 4178, produced between 1940 and 1964, holds a place of absolute privilege: it is the model collectors instinctively identify as the quintessential Vacheron chronograph, the one that best embodies the Genevan balance between sportiness and refinement. This example, in stainless steel with a two-tone salmon dial and pulsation scale, represents one of the most desirable configurations in which the reference can be found.

Key Specifications

Collector's Note

The steel case is, counterintuitively, rarer than gold for chronographs of this era: gold was the default choice for Vacheron's clientele, and steel examples were produced in smaller numbers for a more sport-oriented market. The salmon dial with uniform tropical patina is the result of decades of natural ageing of the original lacquer, a process that cannot be replicated and that serves as one of the most reliable indicators of an unrestored watch. The pulsation scale, graduated for 30 pulsations and used by physicians to measure heart rate, is a particularly rare and sought-after configuration for this reference, found on far fewer examples than the tachymeter or telemeter variants.

The teardrop lugs are the unmistakable aesthetic signature of the 4178, widely regarded as among the most beautifully proportioned lugs ever crafted on a twentieth-century wrist chronograph. On this example, they are fully intact, with sharp edges and no evidence of polishing, confirming that the case has never been refinished.

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