Vacheron Constantin

Historiques 222 (Yellow Gold)

Name: Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 (Yellow Gold)
Brand: Vacheron Constantin
SKU: 4200H/222J-B935
Availability: InStock

Ref. 4200H/222J-B935

On request

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Case37mm 18k yellow gold

DialGold-toned

MovementAutomatic 2455/2

Bracelet18k yellow gold

ConditionPre-owned, inspected

The original 222 was Vacheron's answer to the Royal Oak and the Nautilus in 1977, and the 2022 reissue is a faithful one: solid yellow gold, integrated bracelet, the Maltese cross tucked at four o'clock. Allocation only since the day it launched.

Vacheron Constantin's Historiques 222, reference 4200H/222J-B935, 37mm in 18k yellow gold with an integrated gold bracelet.

The 222 Jumbo, returned in yellow gold

Reference4200H/222J-B935

Case37mm 18 carat yellow gold, 7.95mm thick, integrated bracelet

MovementCalibre 2455/2 automatic, 4Hz, around 40 hours

Introduced2022, non-limited, current production

Why this one matters

The original 222 was launched in 1977 for the company's 222nd year, credited to Jörg Hysek, then 24, and it belongs to the same short period that produced the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. The 37mm version is the one collectors call the Jumbo, and it was made in steel, in steel and gold, and in 18 carat yellow gold, the last in the smallest numbers.

Vacheron returned to it in 2022 under the Historiques banner, in gold, as the rarest of the 1977 Jumbos were, with the Maltese cross at the lower right of the bezel and the bracelet growing straight out of the soft tonneau case. 37mm as before, 7.95mm against the original's 7.2mm, and 50m water resistance where the original was rated to 120m. A steel version with a blue dial, reference 4200H/222A-B934, has since joined the line.

The movement

Calibre 2455/2 is a thin automatic from Vacheron's 2450 family, running at 4Hz with a 22 carat gold rotor and around 40 hours of reserve. Hours, minutes and date, and that is appropriate: the 222 was never a technical watch, and the reissue follows the original in keeping the dial uncluttered. It is the thicker calibre of the two, 3.6mm against the 2.45mm of the 1121 in the 1977 watch, with parts availability and routine servicing in its favour.

On the wrist

37mm and just under 8mm tall, so it wears small by current standards and correctly for what it is. Gold gives it a weight the steel version does not have, and the integrated bracelet has to be sized properly or the head will roll. Short lug to lug, flat back, and it passes under any cuff. The short integrated bracelet and small case suit smaller to medium wrists.

Questions we are asked about this reference

How does it differ from the 1977 original?

Same 37mm case and layout, and gold was one of the original metals, though it was the rarest of them. This one uses the modern 2455/2 in place of the 1121, stands 7.95mm against 7.2mm, and is rated to 50m rather than 120m. Bracelet tolerances and case finishing are current production, which shows in how it sits.

Does 37mm wear small?

By today's habits, yes. The wide bezel and integrated bracelet make it read a little larger than the number, but this is a small watch by design and that is much of its appeal.

How does it compare with a Royal Oak Jumbo or a Nautilus?

Same period and the same design idea. At 7.95mm the 222 is fractionally thinner than a Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin, and the movement is simpler. The comparison is really about lineage, and against gold examples of either, the 222 is the more accessible entry.

Historiques

Models revisited from the house archive rather than newly drawn designs

Historiques is where Vacheron Constantin revisits watches from its own archive rather than designing something new. The American 1921 follows a cushion cased driver's watch made for the American market in the early 1920s, its dial set on the diagonal with the crown at 1 o'clock so the time could be read without taking a hand off the wheel. The 222 goes back to 1977 and Jorg Hysek's sports watch, with a notched bezel, an integrated bracelet and a Maltese cross set into the case at 5 o'clock. These are reinterpretations rather than copies, built on current Vacheron Constantin calibres and shown through sapphire backs.

case shapes taken from the archive

American 1921 dial set on the diagonal

222 notched bezel, cross at 5 o'clock

sapphire backs over current calibres

Sizes in the family

36.5 to 40 mm on current models, the 222 at 37 mm

Who it suits

Suits a buyer who is after one particular historic design rather than a house style, and wants it built to current standards.

See every Historiques we have