It’s taken just a few short years for Brad Pitt to join the ranks of the horological elite. From his Patek Philippe ref. 2526 to his IWC Ingenieur to his diamond-dial Day-Date and his vast array of Breitlings, this guy’s on top of his game. But it was his vintage stainless steel Vacheron Constantin 222 that really sent watch guys’ heads spinning when he first rocked it at Wimbledon in 2023.
The 222 is a legendary design from Vacheron Constantin. The piece might not have the mass appeal of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus or Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, but it is part of that early wave of luxury sport watch. Like those canonical designs, Vacheron’s 222 was designed as a sporty stainless steel watch with an integrated bracelet but it was only in production for a few years. The brand reintroduced the watch in gold in 2022. Pitt is obviously a huge fan of the design: he owns the modern gold iteration, the vintage steel version, and now the brand-new 222 in steel announced earlier this year.
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Designed by Jörg Hysek and released in 1977, the watch is named in celebration of Vacheron’s 222nd anniversary. (The maison is the world’s oldest watch brand to remain in continuous operation.) The watch distinguishes itself with a tonneau-shaped case featuring a distinctive scalloped bezel, which bears the company’s Maltese Cross logo in the bottom right-hand corner. Its bracelet, designed by Gay Frères—a company later purchased by Rolex—is equally notable, with diamond-shaped central links.
Less well known than either of Genta’s two major designs, the 222 has for years lagged behind them in terms of popularity, auction results, and general desirability. All that changed, however, at Watches and Wonders 2022, when Vacheron Constantin reintroduced the model in 18K yellow gold. The watch world promptly lost its marbles, with collectors, stylists, and celebs like Pitt scrambling to secure one for their (or their clients’) wrists.
However, the crowning achievement in the grand 222 saga came early this year when Vacheron reintroduced a 222 in stainless steel, this time with a handsome blue dial. Measuring 37 mm wide by 7.95 mm tall and powered by the brand’s in-house, automatic cal. 2455/2 movement, the new 222 is a dead-ringer for the ‘70s original in almost every respect. (This one’s got a display caseback to show off its gold winding rotor, however.) At $33,300, it occupies the same five-figure rarefied air as three-hander Royal Oak and Nautilus references, and is just as tough to purchase.
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Chris Evans’s Santos de Cartier
Attending the premiere of his new A24 film Materialists, Chris Evans rocked a Santos de Cartier in steel. Inspired by the watch made for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont at the turn of the 20th century, the Santos de Cartier is today a full-fledged collection of modern, utilitarian everyday timepieces with characteristic exposed screws and square dials. Available in a wide variety of configurations with different movement types, strap/bracelet options, and sizes, the Santos de Cartier is one of Cartier’s most enduring collections—and often makes its way onto red carpets across the globe.
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Omega Aqua Terra
Promoting 28 Years Later at the film’s world premiere in London, Aaron Taylor-Johnson wore an Omega Aqua Terra in the brand’s Moonshine gold. Measuring 38 mm and paired to a matching gold bracelet, it’s a handsome piece and a nice break from the Speedmaster/Seamaster 300 fare more typically seen on Omega brand ambassadors’ wrists. Boasting 150m of water resistance, it’s a serious tool watch through and through, despite its precious metal construction, though at $37,200, it might be a bit too precious to wear in the hotel pool. (It would, however, be perfect for a baccarat scene in Bond 26.)
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Lionel Messi’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked 150th Anniversary
Casual half-milly watch sighting alert: Lionel Messi rocked the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked 150th Anniversary this week before a match. A limited edition of just 150 pieces, it’s like the other game-changing, entirely crown-controlled watches that the brand introduced earlier this year—but this one’s got a beautiful scripted logo in the moonphase display and matching serif typography along the rehaut. Furthermore, said typography (as well as its blue subdials and rehaut background) is derived from a special pocket watch held in AP’s museum in Switzerland.
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Courtesy of IWC
Damson Idris’s IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Ref. IW328702)
I still have a hankering for an IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Ref. IW328702) in 18K 5N yellow gold after seeing it on Damson Idris’s wrist at the F1 premier in NYC this week. Paired with a black three-piece suit, the Genta-designed sports watch looked absolutely killer, while the black grid dial subtly offset the precious metal case and bracelet. Powered by an in-house IWC movement with a five-day power reserve, the redesigned Ingenieur is one of the brand’s coolest modern watches.
