Posts Tagged ‘222’
2215 Vacheron Constantin Royal Chronometer
This is where the 222 and even Overseas began. This, not the 222, was the first Vacheron Constantin integrated bracelet steel sports watch. It’s called the Royal Chronometer, but better known by ref. 2215. Introduced in 1975, it was replaced by the 222 just (this gets a bit confusing now) 2 years later in 1977.…
Read More44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo, Steel
Perceptions of watches change over time and no watch may have rocketed from total obscurity to the spotlight as quickly as the 222 last year. The 222 was, for some time, the very unobvious, alternative choice. I know this because for a decade until 2022, when someone asked me ‘Royal Oak or Nautilus?’, I’d always…
Read MoreVacheron Constantin Les Historiques 222
For the last few years, I’ve not known what to make of the fact that the 222 is in production again, but I think I’ve just come to terms with it. Prior, when asked if I was a Royal Oak or Nautilus person, I’d answer, ‘I’m a 222 person’. And half the time, the reply…
Read More‘Blank Dial’ 44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo
This 222 is the archetypal double take watch. Glance once, and it’s a bimetal 222 jumbo. Incredible watch, in any dial. But glance twice and your mind begins to process that this is something bizarre. The hands are non-luminous dauphine, solid gold, and not batons. In attention to detail, the dial is signed Swiss alone,…
Read More46003 Vacheron Constantin 222 Midsize
Are you sitting down? I’m about to say three words that don’t get put next to each other often: 222 cream dial. The 1977 222 was made with more dial iterations than people realize today. Most know the slate, which can look a bit navy in certain light, and gold. But, albeit less frequently, you’ll…
Read More44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo Steel
Conor McGregor is quite the hoe for attention but in the stream of nonsense that leaves his mouth, one saying is worth listening to. Just before the José Aldo fight, at the height of his abilities, a reporter asked if the previous victory had effected him. He replied, ‘Loss can make or break a fighter,…
Read More44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo in Steel
Amongst the kind of people that read Hairspring, the original 222 occupies quite a different mindshare compared to the 5402 or 3700. This, because where the Royal Oak and Nautilus have been in continuous production since introduction, the 222 was a blip in Vacheron history, a supernova that dazzled and dissipated quickly. The 222 evolved…
Read More46004 Vacheron Constantin Square 222
Vacheron Constantin are famously reserved and austere about their watchmaking, in philosophy, design, and engineering. But that’s actually a more modern branding construction than anything. VC went full experimental in the 80s, to an unparalleled extent. The square 222 is that genre of watch which will make zero sense to anyone outside the depths of…
Read MoreSaudi Dial 46004 Vacheron Constantin Square 222
The square 222 is that genre of watch which will make zero sense to anyone outside the depths of the horological rabbit hole: unconventional, obscure, shrouded in mystery, and still something of a footnote today. It is rare to come across an original shape 222 in steel, midsized or jumbo. But this unassuming square reference…
Read More44018 Vacheron Constantin 222 Jumbo in YG
I have spilled a great deal of ink already on behalf of my pick from the original ‘holy trinity’. However, in light of the recent Les Historiques reissue, an original 222 is now a different proposition. When a manufacture shines a bright light on the dark, dusty corners of their back catalogue, there are secondary…
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