47 Vacheron Constantin An impressively rare, special and outstanding, Cioccolatone, automatic wristwatch in yellow gold, with sapphire-set indexes and Extract from the Archives, reference 4737.

Estimate: € 60.000 –⁠ 120.000

• Model Cioccolatone
• Year 1953
• Reference 4737
• Case Material 18K yellow gold
• Case Number 342'106
• Bracelet Material 18K yellow gold bracelet, approximate length 180mm
• Movement Automatic, cal. 477/1, 17 jewels
• Movement Number 501'863
• Dimension 35mm width x 32.5mm length
• Signed Case, dial and movement
• Accessories Accompanied by Vacheron Constantin Extract from the Archives confirming the production of the present timepiece in 1953 and email confirming the sappires set dial.

Often referred to as the “Cioccolatone” for its sensual, inviting proportions, this Vacheron Constantin reference 4737 is a statement of intent from one of the most conservative maisons at a moment when design briefly took the upper hand over convention. Produced in the 1950s, the reference 4737 belongs to a small family of boldly shaped Vacheron Constantin watches whose generous, softly squared cases captured the optimism and modernity of the post-war era. The curved, stepped architecture of the case, large for its time and unmistakably sculptural, places it firmly among the most charismatic expressions of mid-century Geneva watchmaking. Even by Cioccolatone standards, the presence is exceptional, further amplified by the survival of a beautifully executed bracelet, an element so often lost and today of enormous importance to collectors. What elevates this example into an altogether different category, however, is its dial. At the quarter hours, the applied indexes are executed not in metal, but in sapphires, a detail of extraordinary rarity and quiet audacity. This is not a documented series, nor a known variation; it is a singular configuration, confirmed by the archives of Vacheron Constantin and, to the best of our knowledge, the only example of its kind ever to appear at public auction. In a collecting landscape where nuance defines greatness, such a deviation from the norm is nothing short of monumental. In an era when Vacheron Constantin rarely strayed from classical restraint, this watch dares to do exactly that, bold in form, precious in detail, and breathtakingly rare in execution. A true connoisseur’s Cioccolatone, not only scarce by reference, but unique by configuration, and emblematic of a maison momentarily liberated by design.