A rare member of the exemplary 1970s luxury sports watches is back in the game.

 

Vacheron Constantin began its 270th anniversary year with the launch of a legend in a steel case. The company was a little late to the party when they launched their first sports watch on an integrated bracelet: Ref. 44018 arrived in 1977 for the company's 222nd anniversary.

 

The trend started with Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak in 1972 and continued with Patek Philippe's Nautilus Ref. 3700 in 1976. Now Vacheron Constantin is revisiting its archives at a time when their competitors have 100% exhausted the theme of watches on integrated bracelets.

 

But the fact is that this year is only getting started, and the steel Historiques 222 is already a contender for the top debuts of 2025. The 222 was originally launched in three versions: steel (approximately 500 pieces), yellow gold (around 150 pieces), and a bimetallic version (less than 100 pieces).

 

The original run of just seven years makes the 222 collector's bait, and the Historiques 222 reissue was a long-awaited premiere. The watchmaker chose yellow gold to kick-start the 222 comeback in 2022. The model enjoyed great success, and journalists see Brad Pitt's cheating on Breitling as a telltale sign of this success, who was caught red-handed wearing the 222.

 

This year's steel 4200H/222A-B934 has the same specs as the previous model, apart from its case material and dial color. The watch with a blue dial has replaced the Jaeger LeCoultre 920 movement that was shared by the original 222, Patek Philippe's Nautilus, and Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak.

 

The new watch houses the automatic 2455/2 194-component movement with a yellow-gold rotor. It runs at a frequency of 4 Hz compared to the original 2.75 Hz, and provides a 40-hour power reserve.

 

The reborn watch has an openworked caseback and a rotor engraved with notches that mirror the notched bezel. The bracelet and clasp have also been reworked, while the hands and markers have been coated with Super-LumiNova. The steel case with a gold Maltese cross at 5 o'clock measures 37 mm × 7.95 mm.