The year 2022 has brought great changes in the world around us and in our daily living. As we do every year, around December, we look back on the days, the months that have passed and try to draw the sums of an entire year. We pause to reflect on our choices, our actions, what was done or could have been done, trying to understand what we did wrong and how we can improve.
December is also the month of Christmas, the ultimate holiday. The frenzy of searching for the perfect gift, the approaching dinners with friends and colleagues, the carols and Christmas decorations. All surrounded by the “What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?”
We at IWS are here to give you a few moments of lightheartedness, make you unplug from brooding over the months that have just passed and give space, even at the end of the year to the passion that has accompanied us so far.
On the way to the initial premise, we decided to tell you what we think are the 10 most iconic watches of this 2022. I have to be honest with you and tell you that compiling this list was not easy. The entire IWS team debated and in the end we chose ten models that in our opinion have earned the top spot in watchmaking this year.
On the way to the initial premise, we decided to tell you what we think are the 10 most iconic watches of this 2022. I have to be honest with you and tell you that compiling this list was not easy. The entire IWS team debated and in the end we chose ten models that in our opinion have earned the top spot in watchmaking this year.
Patek Philippe 5373P
Il Patek Philippe 5373P è stato presentato insieme ad altri quattro segnatempo durante la grande presentazione della famiglia Nautilus.
This Rattrapante Monopusher Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar rightfully takes a place in our top ten for one simple reason: it is the first left-handed chronograph in Patek Philippe’s modern history. Just think that the last right-handed wrist piece produced, under a customer’s commission, was in 1927.
Parmigiani Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
An icon of simplicity and elegance from Watches & Wonders 2022, this watch is on this list in recognition of the excellent work the parent company has been doing over the past two years. The real innovation of this timepiece is hidden and waiting to show itself. The idea of concealing the second hour hand under the main one, as well as not including complications such as the date, makes this GMT Rattrapante the forerunner of simplicity and cleanliness in travel times.
MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential EVO
Dear IWS friends, after winning this year’s Aiguille d’Or and completely bewitching everyone on the team, this watch could not be missed.
It encapsulates within it the 20th caliber produced by MB&F in just 17 years! But why is it so special? First of all, it is the first chronograph ever produced by the Maison. Of course, when we talk about MB&F we cannot expect a conventional chronograph, as Büsser himself had expressed on the subject. Inside we find not one but two column-wheel chronographs and a revolutionary “Twinverter” binary switch, so the Sequential EVO can be used as a simple chronograph or as a split-second chronograph.
Actually, the operation is much more complicated than that, so we invite you to read our dedicated article.
Grand Seiko Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon
Grand Seiko presented its Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon at Watches & Wonders 2022. This timepiece combines technical innovation with aesthetic innovation at its best, which is why, in true Japanese style, it compelled us to include it on our list.
For the first time, we were confronted with a skeleton produced by the House of the Rising Sun. In addition to this stylistic choice, which literally blows my mind, we can observe the T0 Constant Force Tourbillon, which combines a tourbillon, to combat the effects of gravity, with a remontoir to ensure a constant force delivery. As if that were not enough, it is the highest frequency tourbillon and constant force mechanism movement ever made (4 Hz).
Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur
Hermès with Arceau Le Temps Voyageur enters the world of “travel” watches thanks to the GMT complication allowing you to always have at your disposal the departure time zone and the current time zone thanks to the “Le temps voyageur” complication that encompasses all 24 time zones of the world The dial of this timepiece reproduces a planet imagined by Jérôme Colliard for the silk yoke “Planisphère d’un monde équestre,” elevating the concept of travel timers to another plane never reached so far.
We can undoubtedly call it one of the watches of the year also because thanks to this model, Hermès, at the GPHG, won two awards in two different categories with the same watch. A feat until now probably never happened.
Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime
Ladies and gentlemen… The Omega Speedmaster Chrono Chime could not but be included in this list. There are two kinds of people in the world: those who longed for but never expected such a complication from Omega, and those who lie. In a move that left everyone stunned, Omega brings to the plate the most complicated movement ever produced in the history of the Maison. I think that’s all there is to it!
For more information here is the link to the dedicated article.
Zenith X Kari Voutilainen X Phillips
In addition to its uniqueness, this timepiece encapsulates the first collaboration between Zenith and independent brand Kari Voultilainen to work on ten 135-O calibres. The award-winning 135-Os were completely disassembled, overhauled, and reassembled with the personal touch of master Voultilainen and finally encased in a 38 mm platinum case with a sapphire case back and a dial unique to each piece.
Here is the link to the full article.
Cartier Masse Mystérieuse
The Cartier Masse Mystérieuse undoubtedly earns the 2022 crown in the mystery watches category. It took as much as eight years of work to reach this milestone, well spent I dare say. In this spectacular Cartier specimen, beauty is mixed with mechanical magic, for this timepiece truly seems to be animated by some strange witchcraft.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222
The year 2022 saw the return of a myth to Vacheron Constantin’s catalogs. The Maison did what we felt needed to be done: re-invent a historic watch while keeping its original lines but improving it technically by adapting it to new technologies. The new 222 uses a new caliber: the 2455/2, it guarantees a much higher frequency and a power reserve of more than 40 hours.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra
Let me tell you, Bulgari has literally cracked 2022, and I am not just talking about the seven previous world records or the 60 international awards, but about the Octo Finissimo Ultra, the one that for a few months before the arrival of the RM UP-01 was the thinnest watch in the world.
The reason we included this and not the Richard Mille? Find out in our dedicated article: Clash of the Titans: Finissimo Ultra vs RM UP-01.
In conclusion
As the year draws to a close, we cannot help but reflect on the wonderful months we have spent on this journey into the world of watchmaking. We are grateful to you for following us during this very special and important year, and we hope to continue to have you with us to share our passion together and to reveal all the projects we have in store.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments and if you think we’ve forgotten any watches to include on the list!
Follow us on Instagram not to miss any real-time updates on the world of watchmaking.
