The Best in Show From Watches & Wonders 2022

To us, it seemed that a lot of brands have overcome the global pandemic that has been causing havoc over the past two-plus years, and have an air of rejuvenated creativity about them. We saw intriguing new complications, the return of an icon, very well-made travel watches, and lots, lots more. Picking Best in Show is never easy, but a few stood out from the get-go. With that in mind, let’s go through our selection of the best new watches presented at Watches & Wonders 2022.

Tudor Black Bay Pro

You should have known upfront Tudor would be releasing a new Black Bay variation. The collection, introduced in 2012, has been a major success for the brand and it remains a popular choice for many. New for 2022 is the Black Bay Pro, which moves the collection more towards the tool-like spectrum of things. The 39mm case has a fixed steel bezel with a 24-hour scale, sort of like the original Explorer II had. The black dial has monobloc ceramic indices, which is a nice change from the applied indices we knew before. The in-house made MT5652 movement gives you a true GMT indication, with the yellow snowflake-style hand indicating home time on a 24-hour scale. The central hour and minute hands indicate local time, with the hour hand being adjustable in one-hour increments, in both directions, through the crown. Considering what you’re getting, it’s quite excellent value for money at EUR 3,480 (on either of the straps) or EUR 3,770 (on bracelet).

For more information, please visit TudorWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 14.6mm – stainless steel case, brushed and polished – fixed steel bezel with 24h scale – box sapphire crystal – screw-down crown – 200m water-resistant – domed black dial – beige monobloc ceramic indices – Black Bay type handset – yellow GMT hand – MT6452, manufacture calibre – automatic winding – 28 jewels – 28,800vph – 70h power reserve – non-magnetic silicon hairspring – hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, date – fabric, hybrid rubber/fabric strap or stainless steel bracelet – EUR 3,480 or EUR 3,770

Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222

Quite honestly, the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 was the watch that we heard the most people buzzing about during the fair. The almost spot on, one-to-one recreation of the 1977 Gerald Genta-designed original is absolutely fascinating. Sure, it’s not groundbreakingly new, but it completes the holy trinity of Genta-penned integrated watches. It comes in full yellow gold and measures a compact 37mm in diameter and just 7.95mm in height. The matte gold-toned dial looks exquisite, with only a central hour and minute hands to indicate time, accompanied by a date window. The sapphire crystal caseback, the biggest change compared to the original, reveals the ultra-thin manufacture calibre 2455/2. It’s presented as a non-limited boutique exclusive with a retail price of EUR 62,000.

For more information, please visit Vacheron-Constantin.com.

Quick Facts – 37mm x 7.95mm – full 18k yellow gold case – sapphire crystal front and back – 30m water-resistant – matte gold-toned dial with applied indices – central hour and minute hands – framed date window – calibre 2455/2, in-house – ultra-thin movement with automatic winding – 26.2mm x 3.6mm – 194 components – 28,800vph – 40h power reserve – integrated full 18k yellow gold bracelet – non-limited boutique exclusive – EUR 62,000

Chopard L.U.C. striking trilogy

As we turn to Chopard, we look at not one but three watches. All three are part of the fabulous L.U.C. line and feature a striking mechanism. The brand has been pushing its repeater watchmaking capabilities in recent years with groundbreaking innovation as a result. The Full Strike, for instance, fused the gongs and sapphire crystal into one integral, monobloc construction for a clearer, louder sound. This year we see the introduction of the L.U.C. Strike One, which chimes at every full hour, a completely transparent case for the L.U.C. Full Strike Sapphire, and the inclusion of a tourbillon escapement for the L.U.C. Full Strike Tourbillon. Each one ups the complexity of existing models and is exquisitely finished as always. The price for the L.U.C. Strike One is CHF 63,000, with the other two having a price on request. Since we’re talking about a trilogy of watches here, below are the links to each individual article for more details, specs and images.

For more information, please visit Chopard.com.

Details on the Chopard L.U.C. Strike One can be found here, the L.U.C. Full Strike Tourbillon here, and the L.U.C. Full Strike Sapphire here.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante

Parmigiani Fleurier introduced a rather fetching and ingenious complication at Watches & Wonders, with the new Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. The shaped case measures 40mm by 10.7mm and comes in stainless steel with a knurled platinum bezel. The teardrop lugs hold a pusher on the bottom left-hand corner, which combined with the pusher in the crown activates the GMT Rattrapante complication. The pusher in the lug adjusts the gold-toned GMT hand in one-hour increments, and if you don’t need to display a second time zone, simply push the button in the crown. This hides the GMT hand back underneath the central hour hand. Brilliant, right? It comes with the in-house made PF051 calibre, which can be seen through the back. It retails for CHF 26,000.

For more information, please visit Parmigiani.com.

Quick Facts – 40mm x 10.7mm – stainless steel case, brushed and polished – knurled platinum bezel – teardrop lugs – crown with integrated rattrapante pusher – sapphire crystal on both sides – blue dial with grain d’orge guilloché decoration – central local hour and minute hands – gold-toned rattrapante home time hand – applied 18k gold rhodium-plated indices – calibre PF051, in-house – automatic winding with micro-rotor – 207 components – 21,600vph – 48h power reserve – local hours and minutes, home time hours through flyback hand – integrated stainless steel bracelet – CHF 26,000

A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Titanium

When A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Odysseus, first in steel and then in white gold, it took us all by surprise. Here was a brand renowned for refinement and complexity, launching a luxury sports watch. But, in all fairness, it was still a Lange through and through. New for this year is the introduction of the Odysseus Titanium Limited Edition. As the name suggests this comes in titanium, another first for the A. Lange & Söhne. The stunning looking watch has a combination of brushed, polished and sand-blasted surfaces which completely changes the look of the watch. This is paired with a unique, blueish-grey dial. Time is indicated by white gold indices and hands, with the Odysseus’ signature outsize day and date indications on the left and right side of the dial. Round the back, the superbly executed calibre L155.1 Datomatic can be fully admired. It is quite pricey though, at EUR 55,000, and it is limited to 250 pieces only.

For more information, please visit A.Lange-Soehne.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x 11.1mm – Grade 5 titanium case, brushed, polished & sand-blasted – sapphire crystal front and  back – screw-down crown – buttons for day and date correction – 120m water-resistant – ice blue dial with wave-like and matte patterns – white gold indices and hands – big day and date display – calibre L155.1 Datomatic, in-house – automatic winding – 312 components – cam-poised balance with four poising screws – in-house balance spring – 28,800vph – 50h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), outsize day & date – integrated grade 5 titanium bracelet – limited to 250 pieces – EUR 55,000