The end of the year is a time to take a moment to reflect on that year’s achievements or events. In this article, we give you an overview of the most important watch launches of 2022.
We know that lists are somewhat subjective but still, here we try to give our take on some of the leading timepieces that saw the light of day in 2022. Some of them we have already discussed in previous articles but still we like to highlight them in the top 10 below.
Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch
One of the most talked about launches this year was undoubtedly that of the Moonswatch. Never seen queues of miles long in front of the official Swatch stores hours before the launch and this in all major cities of the world.
That this was a home run for Swatch and Omega (together part of the Swatch group) immediately translated into the amount of press attention this release generated.
The playful colors and different variants coupled with a very attractive purchase price of 270 euros made many a Speedmaster fan and novice watch enthusiast immediately want to add one or more versions to his or her collection.
Click here for more info about the MoonSwatch
Casio G-Shock GM-B2100 “CasioOak Metal”
In 1981, Kikuo Ibe, an engineer in CASIO’s R&D department in Tokyo, dropped the watch his father had given him. The watch broke and he decided to make an indestructible watch. He founded the “Project Team Tough” to develop his project. In 1983, two years later, after launching more than 200 prototypes from the top of the building in Tokyo, the G-SHOCK was created.
In the watch modding community, there had been a trend for quite some time to fit the Casio GA2100 with a metal case giving this Casio the luxurious look and feel of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak hence the nickname “Casio Oak.”
This year, Casio thought it would capitalize on this and released their own version with metal case.
It is available in black, silver, rose gold and like all G-Shock models, this timepiece can take a beating and is 200m water resistant.
Click here to watch the G-Shock video
Click here for more info about the Casio G-Shock GM-B2100
Tissot PRX Chronograph
In addition to the already brilliant PRX, Tissot released the PRX Chronograph in June this year. A stylish, beautifully finished chronograph. Combine this with a price of 1,700 euros and we think Tissot has scored a home run with this timepiece. So this one cannot be missing from this list.
Click here to discover our full review of this watch.
Tag Heuer Aquaracer professional 200 Solargraph
Tag Heuer launched several timepieces this year such as the Monaco Dark Lord but what stood out for us was the Aquaracer Solargraph launched in May this year.
For this timepiece, the blueprint of the eco-drive was revisited by the renowned Swiss watchmaker “La Joux-Perret” and resulted in the new Calibre TH50-00, developed exclusively for TAG Heuer.
In the post below, you can re-read our article from May this year and discover more about this exceptional timepiece.
Click here for our full review of this watch
Tudor Black Bay Pro – Pelagos 39
Rolex’s sister company surprised us this year with not one but 2 updates of its popular models. Its hugely popular Black bay series got a Pro edition. And the Pelagos line got a 39mm variant.
We begin with the Black Bay Pro. What distinguishes this timepiece that allows it to bear the name Pro ?
The watch is clearly inspired by its bigger brother the vintage Rolex Explorer II with its fixed bezel with 24-hour display. As its movement, it uses the caliber MT5652, a chronometer certified, 70-hour power reserve, in-house caliber with a GMT function.
In addition to the movement, a new steel watch band was developed with TUDOR “T-fit” clasp. This has a quick adjustment that allows you to adjust the size perfectly without tools. Ideal for those pesky hot, clammy days when your wrist just doesn’t know what size it should be.
Click here to watch the Black Bay Pro video
Click here for more info about the Tudor Black Bay Pro
In addition to this Pro, there was also a remake of the Pelagos but with a 39mm case instead of 42mm. Besides making the diameter smaller, the thickness of the movement was also reduced from 14.3mm to 11.8mm making it very wearable for a smaller wrist. Reducing the size of the movement does come at the expense of the water resistance which drops from 500m to 200m but in practice, as a non deep-sea diver, you won’t notice much of that. The use of the MT5400 movement also means that there is no date function on this watch.
Click here to watch the Pelagos 39 video
Click here for more info about the Tudor Pelagos 39
Jaeger Le-Coultre Polaris Perpetual
With nearly 200 years of history, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a pioneer in the watch industry. This year at Watches & Wonders they launched an addition to the existing Polaris line . Not just any addition but a Perpetual calendar complication. The new inner movement caliber 868AA was developed specifically for the new Polaris Perpetual Calendar and has a gait reserve of 70 hours.
With its diameter of 42mm, thickness of 11.97mm and water resistance to 100m, this is for us one of the ultimate sports watches of 2022.
Click here to watch the Polaris Perpetual video
Click here for more info about the Polaris Perpetual
Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon
In April, Grand Seiko surprised friend and foe alike with the launch of the Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon at the Watches & Wonders event.
We already discussed this timepiece in detail in the article below. So be sure to check this out again to discover all about this masterpiece.
Click here to watch the Grand Seiko Kodo video
Click here for our full review of this watch
Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques 222
Vacheron Constantin, the third member of the Holy Trinity of horology, launched with the 222 a reissue of a timepiece that initially saw the light of day in 1977 (1 year after the Patek Philippe Nautilus and 5 years after the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak).
Only a few hundred copies of the 222 were made at the time-the ideal time, therefore, to release a reissue of this classic.
Since the 1977 version used an automatic movement borrowed from Jaeger-LeCoultre, this time Vacheron’s own caliber 2455/2, an ultra-thin automatic movement just 3.6mm thick, was chosen. Besides the improved inner movement, which we can now admire through a translucent sapphire glass, the new 222 looks almost indistinguishable from the original, including its size of 37mm diameter. The movement is finished in 18-carat yellow gold with an integrated watch strap.
Click here to watch the Vacheron Constantin 222 video
Click here for more info about the Vacheron Contantin 222
Richard Mille Ferrari RM UP-01
That Richard Mille equals innovation in the watchmaking world was already known. This watchmaker regularly unpacks exotic materials, exceptional design and bold designs.
With the release of the RM UP-01 writing, they enter the Guinness Book of records with the world’s thinnest timepiece.
Whereas before this title belonged to Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept and Bulgari’s Octo Finnissimo Ultra, Richard Mille goes a step further here by mounting the entire movement (totaling 1.18 mm thick) inside the case, rather than using the case back as the base plate. The result is nothing short of breathtaking. The movement is made of grade 5 titanium and skeletonized, meaning that all functions are fully visible. That the timepiece is then also 100m water resistant is highly exceptional. A true masterpiece that, at 1,888,000 USD, requires a very full bank account.
Click here to Watch the RM UP-01 video
Click here for more info about the Richard Mille RM UP-01
Tiffany & Co Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-018
The fashion color of 2022 in terms of dials was unmistakably Tiffany blue. Many luxury manufacturers paid up to sometimes 10 – 100 times the retail price for a timepiece in that color..
The timepiece that kept this hype going was the Tiffany & Co Nautilus. The 5711/1A-018 has a beautiful Tiffany blue dial – “double-signed” with Tiffany’s own brand name. The movement has the classic black hands and hour markers. The back of the timepiece is translucent sapphire crystal glass printed with the text ‘Tiffany & Co – Patek Philippe 170th Anniversary 1851 – 2021’.
Only 170 pieces of this timepiece were produced of which rapper Jay Z and basketball player Lebron James are some of the lucky buyers. The timepiece is currently for sale on Chrono24 for the retail price of about 3.2 million euros.
Click here for more info about the Patek Philippe Nautilus
