There are watches that make headlines, and there are others that should make headlines. Here, we have a watch from the latter category. Released in 1977, the 222 was the quiet celebration of Vacheron Constantin’s 222nd anniversary. Its designer, Jorg Hysek, had moved to Geneva at a young age and quickly became enamored with watches. Hysek worked for Rolex for a number of years before creating his own design firm, and Vacheron Constantin was one of his very first clients. Debuting one year after the Patek Philippe Nautilus and five after the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the 222 never quite achieved the hype and renown of the former two. That being said, its design is just as interesting as those two vaunted models and is deserving of respect and admiration. In 2022, Vacheron Constantin re-released the 222 as part of the coveted ‘Historiques’ collection. The 37mm yellow gold piece preserved the brilliant design, maintaining the fluted bezel, angular case, unique bracelet, and slim wrist presence in a near one-for-one remake. This news brought with it a surge of interest in the original 222. Speaking of the original 222, feast your eyes on this beauty from the 1980s: A smaller ladies’ model, it measures 34mm in measures 34mm in 18K yellow gold and features a diamond-set bezel, a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, and a matte-gold dial with a diamond-set minute track, a date window at 3 o’clock, and a matching yellow gold dauphine handset. Powered by a self-winding movement, it comes paired to a magnificent integrated yellow gold bracelet with diamond-set center links. Accompanied by an extract from Vacheron Constantin’s archives, this incredible find is not only incredibly beautiful, but highly rare, to boot. One of the world’s first luxury sports watch designs, it holds up beautifully after nearly 50 years, ready to bring a smile to its new owner’s face.
