The horological world’s largest trade show, Watches and Wonders 2022, wrapped this week, and we’re still not over the dazzling display of spectacular timepieces the industry’s biggest names had to offer. Returning physically for the first time since the pandemic, the week-long event in Geneva saw all manner of exciting and innovative timepieces from the likes of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Hublot, to name a few.
From the visually show-stopping to the technically groundbreaking, here are 9 standout men’s watch releases that captured our attention.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222
Vacheron Constantin’s ‘Jumbo’ 222 was a true icon of the 1970s, and one that marked a historic turning point in the Maison’s stylistic evolution into the world of luxury sport watches. The legendary timepiece makes a triumphant return this year in the form of the Historiques 222, a contemporary reinterpretation in 18K 3N yellow gold with a new-generation in-house Calibre 2455/2. Its 37 mm diameter case, bearing a Maltese cross emblem at 5 o’clock, showcases a gold-toned dial with straight hour-markers and baton-style hands that are luminescent in the dark. The calibre, featuring an oscillating weight specially redesigned for this model, is displayed in full view through the open caseback. W vacheron-constantin.com
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time
Patek Philippe unites its patented Annual Calendar and Travel Time features together for the first time in the Annual Calendar Travel Time, demonstrating its expertise in bringing together all facets of watchmaking artistry with seamless elegance. The Annual Calendar function, which only requires adjusting once a year, and the Travel Time system, which allows for a second time zone display, are housed in a Calatrava-style white-gold case adorned with the Maison’s emblematic Clous de Paris guilloched hobnail pattern. The timepiece also features a vintage-looking charcoal grey dial with a granular texture, as well as a new self-winding Calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H. W patek.com
Rolex GMT-Master II Left Handed
Rolex unveiled an array of new models at Watches and Wonders 2022, including an updated Air-King and a Yacht-Master 42 in yellow gold. The biggest surprise drop, however, was a new edition of the GMT-Master II for lefties, which features the crown and crown guard on the left side of the case. The date aperture and Cyclops lens have also defected to the left, appearing at the 9 o’clock position. Equipped with the cutting edge calibre 3285, the watch also flaunts a 24-hour Cerachrom bezel insert in a new green and black colour combination, while the Chromalight display and crystal with anti-reflective coating provide improved legibility in all conditions. W rolex.com
Hublot Big Bang Square Unico
A geometrical first for Hublot, the Big Bang Square Unico presents a novel interpretation of the square watch that’s inspired by the iconic Big Bang. Hublot manages to fit a round movement in square case while maintaining a balanced, harmonious aesthetic, a feat it proudly shows off through the watch’s sapphire dial. The sandwich construction of the dial provides a highly architectural visual effect thanks to the different levels of depths displayed. Powered by the HUB1280 Unico Manufacture movement, the Big Bang Square Unico is available in solid titanium, black ceramic, King Gold, a blend of titanium and black ceramic bezel, or a combination of King Gold and black ceramic bezel. Hublot also unveiled a striking all-black collector’s edition, which will be exclusively limited to only 250 pieces. W hublot.com
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen
Built for the most intrepid of explorers and the most extreme of expeditions, this limited edition 1858 collection Montblanc watch is completely devoid of oxygen to ensure that it is impervious to the harshest mountain environments. The lack of oxygen in the 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen prevents fogging, which occurs with drastic temperature and altitude changes, as well as oxidisation, which affects the performance and precision of the watch over time. Powered by Montblanc’s MB 29.27 Manufacture automatic chronograph movement with the world-time complication, the timepiece features a lightweight 44mm polished titanium case, Montblanc’s blue glacier pattern dial, and a 3D engraving on the caseback. W montblanc.com
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition ‘Woodland’
With the highly anticipated sequel to the 1980s film Top Gun coming out this year, IWC Schaffhausen appears to be seizing the momentum by releasing new additions to the Top Gun timepiece collection in Pantone-certified colours of ‘Woodland’ and ‘Lake Tahoe’. Inspired by the uniforms of Top Gun pilots and the vast forest landscapes they fly over, the deep green ‘Woodland’ hue of the watch is complemented by a dark green dial and black hands with luminescent material in a subdued green. The 44-millimetre ceramic case houses a IWC-manufactured 69380 calibre that’s designed with a focus on robustness, precision, and reliability. W iwc.com
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar
Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces one of its grandest complications, the perpetual calendar, to the sporty Polaris collection, combining practicality, robust capability and aesthetic elegance in one timepiece. On the lacquered deep blue dial, bold indexes and Arabic numerals coated with SLN sit in perfect balance with the four counters displaying perpetual calendar indications. The 42mm case houses the new calibre 868AA, which provides a 70-hour power reserve and a mechanism that takes into account months with 28, 30 or 31 days, as well as leap years. A transparent sapphire crystal caseback and an open-worked winding rotor made of pink gold proudly displays the decorative fine finishes on the artfully crafted movement. W jaeger-lecoultre.com
TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma, Diamant d’Avant-Garde
TAG Heuer makes a splash with the revolutionary TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma, a timepiece that incorporates lab-grown diamonds in avant-garde new ways. Showcasing a masterful grasp of carbon and diamond design as well as cutting-edge light effects, the timepiece features a special polycrystalline diamond dial and diamonds set into its case and embellished indexes. Top it off, its crown at 3 o’clock is entirely made of diamond. Further demonstrating TAG Heuer’s skillful prowess in the use of different materials, the watch is equipped with the Heuer 02 Tourbillon Nanograph movement, which features the ground-breaking carbon hairspring developed by the TAG Heuer Institute. W tagheuer.com
Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro eSteel™ Grigio Roccia
Panerai dives into a new dimension of its Submersible line with the QuarantaQuattro eSteel, which not only boasts a sleek 44mm case. but also conveys the brand’s commitment towards a more sustainable future. The case, caseback, Safety Lock crown protection device, and ceramic anti-clockwise rotating bezel with graduated scale are made with eSteel™, a recycled-based material. In fact, 72g of the watch (about 52% of its total weight) is made out of recycled materials. Powered by the automatic mechanical P.900 calibre, the watch is water-resistant to approximately 300 metres and comes in a number of colours from blue and green to grey and black. W panerai.com