Vacheron put a goat where the hands usually go, and I’m interested

This is the sort of watch that makes the practical part of the discussion feel a little ridiculous. Vacheron Constantin has put a hand-engraved goat into an enamel landscape, and then moved the time and calendar indications into four little windows so the goat can have the dial. I think it looks wonderful.

I am not going to try to make a case that this is the sensible way to find out what time it is. I like watches that take an interesting mechanical approach to something, and I also like the fact that somebody has spent this much attention on a tiny scene that you can wear. Those two things meet quite nicely here.

Two metals, one model

The Year of the Goat edition comes in platinum, reference 86073/000P-H104, and pink gold, reference 86073/000R-H105.

The case is 40 mm across and 12.72 mm thick. The automatic calibre 2460 G4/3 provides the hour, minute, day and date indications, with a listed 40-hour reserve. The dial combines an engraved gold goat with miniature enamel and a colored enamel background. A sapphire back gives a view of the movement and its gold winding rotor.

I like the platinum version's cooler look in particular. The blue strap and the pale metal let the colors on the dial do quite a lot without the whole watch looking warm from edge to edge. The pink-gold version has a different kind of richness, and I can certainly understand choosing it if the case is part of what you want to see.

The display takes a little more attention than a normal pair of hands. That's a compromise I would accept while looking at this, because putting a big set of hands across the scene would change what I like about it. I would still want to try reading those windows in different light before saying it's easy to live with.

Admirable and completely out of my shopping lane

I haven't handled either version, and the photographs can't establish how the engraving looks as the light moves or how the case sits on a wrist. They do show enough for me to get very interested in the dial. I'd want the close-up view of this long before I wanted another discussion of whether a zodiac watch is a good investment.

The official pages show price on request; I haven't verified a US price. The exact first announcement day also remains unresolved, although current October reporting and the live brand pages establish that the watches are real. The 2027 in the name is the zodiac edition, not a claim that delivery has already happened in that year.

This gets 107 out of 120 bezel clicks. I would still gravitate toward a Lange when thinking about my favorite high-horology watches, but I really like how completely Vacheron has committed to this dial. The goat gets a very expensive view.