====== Vacheron Constantin 222 ======
**222** was a limited-edition [[sports watch]] produced by [[Vacheron Constantin]] in [[1977]] and the predecessor to today's [[Vacheron Constantin Overseas|Overseas]] model.

===== History =====
In [[1972]], [[Audemars Piguet]] shook the watch world by introducing the [[Audemars Piguet Royal Oak|Royal Oak]], a premium-priced steel [[sports watch]] with an integrated bracelet and "porthole" styling. Designed by [[Genta, Gerald|Gerald Genta]], the Royal Oak provided a template for other Swiss luxury watch makers to follow. He went on to design similar watches for [[Patek Philippe]] (the [[Patek Philippe Nautilus|Nautilus]]) and [[IWC]] (the [[IWC Ingenieur SL 1832|"Jumbo" Ingenieur SL]]).

Vacheron Constantin followed the same basic template for their "project 222", introduced in [[1977]]. Young designer [[Hysek, Jörg|Jörg Hysek]] created a very similar design, complete with screws from the caseback to the bezel "sandwiching" the case for water and shock resistance and an integrated bracelet of flat links. The Vacheron model aped the Royal Oak with an extremely flat case thanks to the [[ultra-thin]] [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]]-derived [[VC 1120|Cal. 1120]], the same basic movement also used by Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. The [[Vacheron Constantin 222|Ref. 222]] featured a scalloped bezel, a plain dial with baton markers, and the distinctive [[Maltese Cross]] at lower right on the case. It was available in 37 mm, 34 mm, and 25 mm (quartz) versions (as well as a square-case variant) through the mid-1980s.

An octagonal [[Vacheron Constantin 333|Ref. 333]] model followed in the 1980s, along with the [[Vacheron Constantin Phidias|Phidias]] from the 1990s, before Vacheron Constantin returned to the style of the 222 with the [[1996]] **Overseas**.

===== Literature =====
  * [[https://monochrome-watches.com/history-vacheron-constantin-overseas-1970s-icon/|The History of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas -- The Other 1970s Icon]], Monochrome Watches, 2016


{{tag>Watch_models Vacheron_Constantin_models}}