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The Swiss watch industry experienced an important revolution in the 1970s with the introduction of an entirely new category of watches: the stainless steel luxury sports watch with integrated bracelet. The Gerald Genta designed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak that was released in 1972 was the progenitor of them all. Patek and IWC followed in 1976 with the Nautilus and the Ingenieur SL, both designed by Genta as well. Vacheron Constantin followed suit in 1977 with the introduction of the ‘222’ to celebrate the company’s 222nd birthday.Unlike the earlier three brands, Vacheron skipped Gerald Genta and turned to Jörg Hysek, an up and coming designer, to design this new watch. Hysek employed the same basic design language: an ultra-thin cushion shaped steel case with broad shoulders and an integrated flat-link bracelet with large geometric center links. The distinctive serrated screw-down bezel and stamped Maltese cross on the lower-right corner of the case, however, clearly set the design apart from its Genta-designed older cousins.The 222 came out in two sizes (37mm and 34mm) and was produced for a mere seven years. It is estimated that only 500 were produced in steel, 100 in gold, and 120 in gold and steel. This watch dates back to 1981. It comes in the smaller 34mm size and is executed in stainless steel and 18k yellow gold.The watch is in excellent condition, with an exceptionally tight bracelet and the original bevelled edges still present on the case. The minimalist silvered dial perfectly matches the color of the steel, while injecting a little luxury with the inclusion of yellow-gold markers, hands, Maltese cross logo, and date window border.Internally, the 222 sports the same ultra-thin Jaeger-Lecoultre automatic movement as the original Nautilus and Royal Oak. Of course, it is in perfect running order thanks to a recent service at Vacheron Constantin and comes with the service papers and an extract from the archives.Despite its exceptional rarity (we’ve never been able to offer one before), the 222 is still surprisingly affordable. But we don’t expect this trend to continue for long, so don’t hesitate and pull the trigger before it’s gone!