Vorque Constantine

One of the brands featured in our last Micro roundup was Vorque Watches, an upcoming brand from Singapore. At that time, I only saw a few pictures and the specs, but I already had the feeling that their debut collection, the Constantine deserves all the attention it can get and more.

When Vorque offered me to try one of the Constantines, I did not hesitate to say yes.

Please note that this review is based on a prototype, the Constantine is not in production yet and it will only take of as a project of Vorque will be successful to raise the necessary funds trough their upcoming Indigogo campaign.

Vorque Constantine at a glance

Vorque Constantine

Case: 40 mm (excluding crown), 316L stainless steel, fully polished, excluding brushed region on the side of the case
Thickness: 10.5 mm
Lug to Lug: 48 mm
Crown: 7 mm Diameter 3mm height, screw down
Dial: Guilloche patterned dial with applied indices
Water resistance: 30 m (Splash Resistant)
Flat Exhibition Caseback with Mineral Crystal
Crystal: 1.8mm thick sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the underside
Movement: Modified Swiss ETA 2824-2 with custom rotor
Strap: Genuine leather, stainless steel butterfly clasp
Price: around $400 (preorder price)

Case and dial

Vorque Constantine on my wrist

40 mm is a perfect size for a dress watch, and the Constantine is undeniably a very elegant dress piece. At 10.5 mm it is not exactly a thin watch, but its thickness never really bothered. If my cuff was a bit tight and it would stick out, well, so be it, the Constantine has nothing to hide. Especially when it comes to the dial that looks gorgeous under the thick sapphire crystal. The crystal serves almost like a magnifying loupe that will reveal all the fine details of the dial.

The white dial is surrounded by a rail track, with minutes, followed by applied indexes at every five minutes. The dial itself is decorated with bold clous de paris guilloche pattern, a series of tiny pyramids that create a three dimensional surface for the light to play on. The pattern is only interrupted by the logo at 12 and the Constantine Automatic inscription at 6 o’clock. I find their proportions right, and they are well positioned on the dial.

The black hands, while they are slender, they create a good contrast with the dial, reading the time is easy.

If there would be anything I could complain about, it is probably the colour choice for the applied indexes. As they are dark grey, they seem to be foreign to the rest of the watch. I’m not sure if this is only because it is a prototype, or if it will be the same with the production models, I think it would have been better to have them black, just as the hands, the inscriptions and the rail track.

A profile view of the Constantine

The case is fully polished, except for the sides that have a horizontal brushed pattern. I welcome this decoration, as it makes the watch more interesting.

Some might consider the crown a bit large compared to the rest of the watch, but personally, I prefer to have a crown that is easy to handle. It’s a screw down crown which will increase the water resistance of the watch, but don’t be fooled, this is not a watch to taken in the pool.

Movement

The back of the Vorque Constantine.

When it comes to to automatic movements, usually, microbrands prefer Japanese movements — Miyota or Seiko. For the Constantine, Vorque preferred to go with a Swiss ETA 2824-2, which I find surprising considering the pre-order price of the watch.

In the specs, I mentioned a custom rotor, but the picture of the back of the prototype shows a stock vanilla rotor. The production model will have a modified rotor. I’m looking forward to see what they will do with it.

Strap

Branded clasp on the Vorque Constantine

The white dial Constantine will come with a black leather strap with a branded butterfly clasp.

Conclusions

Vorque Constantine

If the Constantine is the debut collection of Vorque, I’m curious what will come next from this brand. The founder told me that they are in this business for the long run, and I hope they will find the necessary funds to make this project happen. They will launch their crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo, on the 28^th of November.

Keep you eyes on Vorque, it is a highly promising microbrand!

www.facebook.com/VorqueWatches

The Constantine will come in three models, gold with white dial, steel with white dial and steel with black dial.

A closer look at the dial

Vorque Constantine

Vorque Constantine