As one of the world’s oldest watchmakers, Vacheron Constantin has a long tradition of marking anniversaries with commemorative watches.
This year the house is celebrating the 270th anniversary of its 1755 founding with a series of new watches, the first being a stainless steel version of its Historiques 222. And that model was a contemporary reinterpretation of a design called the 222, unveiled in 1977 to mark another birthday, the brand’s 222nd.
The original 222 collection was created by the German-born designer Jörg Hysek. It debuted in the same era as Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak (1972) and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus (1976), joining the lineup of sports watches with integrated metal bracelets today considered hallmarks of 1970s watchmaking, but the timepiece was discontinued in 1985.
In 2022, the Historiques 222 debuted in yellow gold ($69,000) at the Watches and Wonders Geneva trade show.
“Since the relaunch of the 222 in the Historiques collection in yellow gold, there has been quite a lot of expectation for a stainless-steel version,” Christian Selmoni, Vacheron’s style and heritage director, wrote in an email.
And stainless steel was used for the newest watch, which has a 37-millimeter case in an echo of the original 37-millimeter 222 model, nicknamed the Jumbo.
(On the secondary market, the original 222 Jumbos have seen their auction prices rise to six figures in recent years. A steel model from 1977, for example, sold for 189,000 Swiss francs (now $208,208) in May 2022 at a Phillips auction in Geneva.)
The new model retains much of the look of that original, with the same monobloc tonneau-shape case, grooved bezel and integrated bracelet, along with a yellow gold Maltese cross at 5 o’clock (to create contrast with the steel), but it also has several enhancements. The case now has a slim profile of 3.6 millimeters, down from 7 millimeters, and the open caseback showcases the redesigned automatic caliber 2455/2 that replaces the original caliber 1121.
The indexes on the blue dial have a lime green SuperLuminova coating, making them visible in the dark. And the integrated bracelet now has a triple-blade clasp for improved security.
This year’s Historiques 222 in steel is $32,000. While not a limited edition, its production will remain small, Mr. Selmoni wrote.
When Matthieu Ferry, the brand’s general manager for France, Benelux and Iberia, introduced the steel watch to the French press in January, he said that more anniversary models would be presented at Watches and Wonders Geneva in April, and the company would pay homage to its high-end watchmaking workshop that specializes in high complications, Les Cabinotiers, on Sept. 17, its actual anniversary date.
Also, the brand is completing the expansion of its flagship store at 2 Rue de la Paix in Paris. “This will be a big year for Vacheron Constantin,” Mr. Ferry said.
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