After spending some time admiring the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionelle Automatic, my thoughts turned to whether that is now my favourite Vacheron Constantin watch of all time.

Hmm. I think it’s a close run thing between that and the Malte Chronograph (below).

I’m not sure which I prefer. The Patrimony Traditionelle Automatic is self-winding, while the Malte Chronograph is manually wound. So that’s more marks to the Malte. That aside, they are two totally different watches, appealing to different parts of me. The Patrimony, with understated elegance, appeals to my calm, ordered nature. The Malte, on the other hand, while not exactly flash, carries with it just a hint of daring. For example, a Malte on a vicar’s wrist, and you might conclude that he preached his sermons with a bit of edge.

So the verdict. Patrimony or Malte, which is it for me? Answer: it depends on the day.