Latest Review
Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest watch brand in continuous operation, and they celebrate a big anniversary this year: 270 years. That’s an incredibly long time for a company to exist, and simply by virtue of its age, Vacheron has survived virtually every kind of calamity that can befall the human beings who, at the end of the day, are responsible for keeping the thing going. Wars, disease, more wars, Instagram hype – Vacheron has seen it all. It’s certainly a milestone worth celebrating, and as brands tend to do when these big numbers crop up, they’re doing it with a watch (probably a bunch of watches, to be fair – it’s only January). In any case, to begin their big anniversary year, Vacheron Constantin has introduced a new version of their 222 in steel, a watch that has been anticipated and speculated about since its most immediate predecessor was introduced just shy of three years ago.
Just in case anyone needs a refresher, the 222 was Vacheron Constantin’s original entry in the integrated bracelet sports watch sweepstakes in 1977, the brand’s 222nd anniversary year (this is an anniversary watch to its core). It came after their counterparts in the so-called Holy Trilogy of Swiss watch brands released their own takes on this style (the Audermars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, both designed by Gerald Genta) and was not continuously produced, so it didn’t attain the household name status of those watches. The 222 was always more of a collector’s favorite and a bit of an insider’s secret, even as interest in integrated bracelet sports watches was rising over the last decade. Besides, Vacheron had the Overseas, their modern and more overtly sporty take on the genre to directly compete with the Royal Oak and Nautilus.
Three years ago, at Watches & Wonders 2022, Vacheron debuted a new 222 in solid yellow gold, which for many was not only a highlight of the show, but one of the top releases of the year. Essentially a 1:1 recreation of the original 222 in its proportions, this yellow gold Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques 222 had an initial retail price just a bit over $60,000 and was apparently produced in very limited quantities, available only from Vacheron boutiques. Unsurprisingly, as soon as it was released, there were calls for a steel version, and the community began speculating about what a new 222 collection might look like.
I have to admit, I’m kind of glad that Vacheron didn’t immediately begin churning out variants on the 222 theme. It made that reintroduction feel special, and the fact that you simply don’t see these watches turn up on the pre-owned market (at least not with the frequency of Royal Oaks and various Nautili) has me thinking that they really did keep production down and get these watches into the hands of serious Vacheron collectors. If you had asked me a week ago if Vacheron should introduce a steel version of the 222 I’d have said “no way, keep it gold, only make a handful of them a year, and maintain some of the mystique.” Now that they’ve made a steel version, I’m not exactly eating my hypothetical words (the watch looks great, after all, and I’ll never begrudge another beautifully made object entering the world) but it has me wondering what Vacheron’s real plans are here.
The new steel 222 is, for all intents and purposes, the same watch that we saw in 2022 but with a change in case material and a new dial color. Part of the appeal of the gold version was that the dial was also gold, which gave the whole package an impossibly opulent and over the top look. Rather than try to recreate that aesthetic with the steel 222 by going with a dial in a gray or silver tone to complement the color of the case metal, we get a dark blue dial instead. In these VC supplied images it looks…fine. Maybe a little plain or generic for my taste, but it’s a nice shade of blue that should be plenty versatile for those who are able to obtain one of these and actually intend to wear it. The case still measures 37mm and is 7.95mm tall. That’s just a bit thicker than the original 222 released in the 70s, but nevertheless leads to a great wearing experience that, as you’d expect, evokes putting on a genuine vintage piece in the best way possible. It stands to reason given that this watch and bracelet are made in steel that the new version will be quite a bit lighter than the gold 222, which ought to make it even more wearable.
The release of this watch begs the question: what is the 222 to Vacheron Constantin? It seems safe to assume that the steel version of this watch will be every bit as tough to get as the gold – the response so far on social media and in comment sections is basically rapturous. It makes me wonder if more dial variants are in the pipeline, or a larger size, or even complications. That would be a move right out of the Richemont playbook (look at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s strategy with the Reverso, for instance, or even Cartier with their collection privé releases), but I’d hope that Vacheron would elect to keep the 222 as something a little more limited and collector focused. You hate to see a 270 year old brand chasing hype, after all, particularly when it seems like interest in integrated bracelet sports watches is cooling a bit.
The new Historiques 222 is not a limited edition, but like the previous gold version, it will only be available in Vacheron boutiques. The price is $32,000, a figure that is both eye watering and, somehow, not exactly surprising given the luxury watch climate. It might seem to many like the market for high end watches is down, but Vacheron Constantin is apparently choosing not to recognize that in their anniversary year, and I imagine their clients who have access to the steel 222 will be happy to look the other way as well. Vacheron Constantin
