Steel or gold? The Time+Tide community has a clear favourite Vacheron Constantin 222
Zach BlassUndoubtedly the biggest release of the week, and perhaps the year as a whole, has been the unveiling of the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 in stainless steel. Eagerly awaited by fans of the brand and the model, the modern 222’s debut in steel comes nearly three years after the introduction of the solid gold Historiques 222 at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2022. When the gold variant first came out in 2022, many on the ground in Switzerland – as well as the rest of the global watch community tuning in – were in awe of the release, but also largely lamented the fact it was a US$74,000 watch they could never afford. Therefore, many expressed a desire to see a stainless steel version that, proportional to the gold model, would be more price-approachable. With both versions of the watch now on offer, we were curious to see which configuration, steel or gold, our audience would prefer to have – and the results were quite surprising.
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At the time of writing, over 700 of you have cast your vote, and it would appear the landslide victor with 61% of the vote is the gold 222. In the comments, many cited the fact that the gold feels more like a standout. This is not merely because it is a precious metal watch. Many of you expressed that the monochromatic and luxe look of an all-gold aesthetic feels more distinguished and different than a steel watch with a blue dial – which is amongst the most popular and saturated case and dial pairings in the marketplace today. While I am in favour of departing from a dial that matches the case and bracelet to create offerings with a point of difference beyond just steel versus gold, I suspect, amongst other things, the vote would have been closer had Vacheron Constantin opted for a charcoal dial instead of blue.
As always, thank you to everyone who participated in the Instagram poll. Your engagement means the world to us, and allows us to create more engaging content on our end, too. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Zach and the Time+Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: @watchumor is a genius
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We don’t have anything to say other than we are pissed we didn’t think of this concept first. Do not swipe through the carousel with a full bladder…
Wristshot of the week: good enough for polo, good enough for tennis
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As our Australian Editor Jamie Weiss put it to our Instagram audience: “He might be nicknamed ‘Demon’, but Alex de Minaur’s choice of watch for this Australian Open is nothing short of angelic.” Tennis pros often have similar requisite must-haves in their tennis bags – racquets, grips, drinks, and snacks – but these days it would seem all ATP and WTA players feel naked without a go-to tournament watch. The world No. 8 has opted for a Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 fan-favourite: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph in steel. By the end of the tournament, we are curious to see which face of the dual-dialled Reverso we will see more. Does de Minaur prefer the obverse blue dial or the reverse skeletonised chronograph side? Only time will tell.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: echo/neutra Rivanera
One of the stand-out microbrand releases of 2024, the echo/neutra Rivanera is an intriguing dress watch. The juxtaposition between its traditional rectangular form and its brutalist grade 5 titanium case is unlike any other timepiece of its kind on the market – this isn’t your daddy’s dress watch. Feather-light on the wrist, two dial variants are available – a black and a case-matching grey – and each Rivanera comes with both a pebbled calfskin and a Horween shell cordovan strap. So many customers and collectors have been asking us, “when are you going to get the Rivanera in?” Well, wait no longer, we’ve finally managed to get some in-store… But they won’t last long, so get amongst it.
The echo/neutra Rivanera collection will be available for a limited time exclusively in-store at our Time+Tide Discovery Studios in London and Melbourne. Price: A$2,750
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
How spies and soldiers help keep mechanical watches relevant
Despite all the watch brand storytelling, just as few professional divers use mechanical dive watches as their primary dive timers, most spies and soldiers don’t wear mechanical watches these days. Yet, at the same time, the world’s militaries and intelligence services are potentially some of the only professional fields left where there’s a genuine use case for mechanical watches. Jamie goes in-depth on the topic here.
What’s the deal with Must de Cartier? The story behind Cartier’s experiment with affordable watches
With Cartier being irrefutably red-hot at present, it would seem inconceivable that, once upon a time, the Maison was struggling to sell its watches. In an era of MoonSwatches and KITH Heuers, Zach takes a look back at Les Must de Cartier – the brand’s experiment with an affordable sub-line – and how it has shaped the development of the modern Cartier brand.
The dichotomy of Subdial’s 2024 survey results suggests we may be wrong about watch size trends
The second-hand watch trading platform, Subdial, recently published the results of its wide-ranging ‘Big Watch Survey’ that canvassed collectors on their impressions on how 2024 went in watches on several different topics… And it turns out we might all be wrong about watch size trends. Russell digs into the data here.