In 2019, American alpinist and photographer Cory Richards set out on his third attempt to climb Everest. The objective was an ambitious new route on the mountain’s North-East Ridge, approached from Tibet, with Richards and his climbing partner Esteban “Topo” Mena intending to climb without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support. For the expedition, Richards worked with Vacheron Constantin to create something rather different from the traditional image of the Geneva manufacture: a watch designed specifically to accompany him into one of the harshest environments on earth.
The result was the **Overseas Dual Time Prototype**, a unique watch made for Richards and worn by him throughout the 2019 expedition. Rather than simply adapting an existing Overseas, Vacheron Constantin reworked the watch using materials chosen for lightness and durability, while retaining the dual-time function that allowed Richards to keep track of both local time on Everest and the time back home in the United States.
At its centre is a 41 mm case made from titanium, with tantalum used as reinforcement beneath the bezel and around the crown guards. It was the first Vacheron Constantin watch to combine these two materials in this way. Titanium kept the watch light enough for an expedition where every gram mattered, while the harder tantalum provided additional protection in vulnerable areas.
The dial moves away from the polished formality normally associated with Vacheron Constantin. Its dark blue-grey surface has a granular, almost frosted texture, with larger 18K blackened white-gold markers providing contrast. An orange hand indicates the second time zone, giving the dual-time display an unusually vivid flash of colour and making the additional indication easier to read in difficult conditions.
Turn the watch over and the connection with Everest becomes more personal. The automatic movement is fitted with a custom 22K gold winding rotor engraved with an image of Everest photographed by Richards himself, showing the mountain rising above the plains of Tibet. It turns what might otherwise have been a conventional piece of expedition equipment into a record of the expedition and of the person for whom it was made.
Even the strap was developed specifically for the climb. Richards wore the watch on a grey Ventile cotton strap, a material chosen for its durability in demanding conditions. The prototype was also shown on a bespoke full-titanium Overseas bracelet, which was reportedly particularly challenging to manufacture. Both the bracelet and the expedition strap were unique to this watch, with the Ventile strap being the same one Richards wore on Everest.
The expedition ultimately did not reach the summit. Severe weather and deteriorating conditions forced Richards and Mena to turn back during their attempt on the North-East Ridge. The watch, however, had completed the journey with Richards, making it something considerably more interesting than a watch inspired by mountaineering: it was actually built for, and tested on, an Everest expedition.
There was initially no intention to put the watch into production. It remained a one-of-one prototype, an unusual experiment in what a Vacheron Constantin Overseas could become when the priorities shifted from conventional luxury to weight, durability and legibility in extreme conditions.
Later that year, the prototype was offered by Phillips at its *Game Changers* auction in New York. Reference 7910V/000T-B603, with its titanium and tantalum case, Calibre 5510 movement and expedition-worn Ventile strap, sold for **$106,250**, considerably above its $20,000–40,000 estimate. The proceeds went to the National Geographic Society, supporting its work in education and cultural preservation.
The watch would eventually have an influence beyond its own existence. In 2021, Vacheron Constantin introduced two limited-edition Overseas “Everest” models, drawing directly on the prototype's materials, colours and expedition story. But those watches are something else entirely. The prototype remains the original: a single watch conceived for one climber, one expedition and one particularly demanding idea of what an Overseas could be.