Though its condition could mislead you, this is not a new 222. This is the original, vintage ref. 44018 222 'Jumbo' in steel. Vacheron Constantin's answer to the Royal Oak and Nautilus came in 1977 with the 222, a celebration of the brand's 222nd anniversary. The third and last of the 'holy trinity', it was not designed by Genta but rather a young Jörg Hysek, who embraced a hexagonal, serrated theme. It was a clear deviation from the classically inspired dress watches Vacheron Constantin had been refining for decades and a clear deviation from porthole-inspired Genta influence. In every way, the 222 was Vacheron's first brave step into the unknown. Fewer than 500 examples of the 44018 Jumbo in steel were made, with fewer surviving today.
The core of the 222 collection spanned two case sizes, this 37.5mm ref. 44018 'Jumbo' and a 34.5mm mid-size ref. 46003. Due to slow sales, production of the 222 stopped in 1984 after eight short years. In this time, fewer than 500 examples were made in steel alone, fewer than 150 in gold, and fewer than 100 bimetallic. Of the original 3 sports watches, this is by some margin the rarest.
The steel 222 Jumbo was largely made with this cold grey-blue dial, though other variants exist. The tone can range from mid-grey to a dark blue and is very reactive to lighting conditions. It is lightly grained and tritium, signed Swiss alone. Unlike the mid-sized, there is no seconds hand on the Jumbo. All feature monobloc construction with a Maltese cross stamped below 5 and serrated bezel. The clasp and bracelet of the 222 was made at Gay Frères. The design was both more aggressive and bold than Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, not referencing anything but itself for inspiration. The retro font chosen for the caseback '222' is a well-loved, defining hallmark of the original examples.
The 44018 is a remarkable 7.2mm thin, accomplished via calibre 1121, a JLC 920 ébauche also used by Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet on exclusive contract with JLC. The rotor uses ceramic ball bearings on a beryllium rail with a 21k rotor weight to reduce friction, and features a Gyromax balance. It remains an extremely refined and technically accomplished calibre even today.
The 222 is a daring design that stemmed from the wake of the quartz crisis, one of very few times Vacheron Constantin went for revolution over evolution. Despite Vacheron revisiting this design recently, the original watches are genuinely scarce and a markedly different experience. It is also at minimum 10 times rarer than the 5402 Royal Oak or 3700 Nautilus by volume. Its industrial, harsh case design feels today more avante-garde than even much of Genta, which can polarize. The 222 didn't just mark an anniversary, but the high-water mark of experimental daring from the notoriously reserved Vacheron Constantin. History is only now starting to appreciate it as such. That daring has landed on a design that looks incredibly innovative even today, nearly 5 decades later. It is the collector's Vacheron Constantin, as far as vintage is concerned.
