Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955
The Cornes de Vache 1955 is Vacheron Constantin's modern reissue of one of the most quietly important chronographs the house ever built: reference 6087, launched in 1955 as the brand's first water-resistant chronograph. The name is French for cow horns, and it describes the lugs, which flare outward and curl down toward the wrist in a shape no other manufacture copied and no other watch wears the same way. We sit on 47th Street and see a lot of chronographs cross the counter. This is one of the few where the case shape alone tells a collector what they are looking at from across a room. The reissue arrived in 2015 at 38.5mm, powered by the hand-wound caliber 1142 built on the Lemania 2310 base and finished to Hallmark of Geneva standard. It is a small-batch, high-craft chronograph from one of the three names that actually matter at the top of the market, and it trades accordingly. If you own one and want a real number, or you want us to find you a clean example, bring it to the shop or call us and we will write a check on the spot for the right piece.
Specifications
History
Iconic References
Buying Guide
Pricing & Market Data
Cultural Significance
Collector's Lore
The lore starts with the number 36. That is roughly how many original reference 6087 chronographs Vacheron made in the 1950s, and it is the number Vacheron and Hodinkee deliberately chose for the steel limited edition run, a detail that tells you how seriously the house took the reissue. Collectors also fixate on the movement pedigree: the caliber 1142 sits on the Lemania 2310 base, the same architecture that underpins some of the most respected hand-wound chronographs of the modern era across multiple top houses, so buyers get haute-horlogerie finishing over a proven, serviceable heart. The Maltese cross cut into the column wheel is the kind of hidden detail that only shows through the display back, a signature move for a brand whose logo is a Maltese cross. And the lugs remain the whole conversation. Ask any dealer to name a chronograph you can identify from the lugs alone with no dial visible, and the Cornes de Vache is on the short list. That combination, a rare vintage silhouette, a small modern run, a blue-chip name, and a movement with real horological standing, is why this piece keeps its grip on serious collectors long after the launch buzz faded.
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