Watches And Wonders 2022 - Wrap-Up And Highlights

April 01, 2022

Its over, ladies and gentlemen. A whole seven days of Watches And Wonders in an unseasonably cold and snowy Geneva. And as unexpected as the sub-zero temperatures and frozen precipitation were, there were plenty of surprises taking place within the beige-cloth-lined plywood walls of Palexpo. Especially in the not-so-plywood comfort of the booth. But its not all about . Around 38 brands shared their latest creations with us these past few days. And though we were not able to cross the full 38 off our list, we certainly gave it our best shot. As we settle back into a more sustainable rhythm, its very therapeutic to reflect on what we saw - the things we liked, those that surprised us, and those that didnt quite live up to expectations. Admittedly though, items in that last category were few and far between.Youve probably already followed along with our coverage of the event. If you havent, shame on you! Repent immediately by visiting our WAW2022 landing page here, and catching up with everything youve missed. All done? Great! Lets continue on to check out some highlights of what we saw at the fair. For the purpose of keeping this article somewhat brief, I wont go into the non-horological highlights. Chopards best-in-show bergamot-scented disinfectant gel, Oriss excellent barista who nailed the off-menu cortado, and IWCs incredible evening with Hans Zimmer. None of that will make the cut here. This summary is all about the watches, not about the wonders.Watches And Wonders 2022 - CartierThe first brand we visited this year was Cartier. The first thing we noticed when approaching the Cartier booth was not only the fact that it was the biggest in the whole fair but also just the bustle of excitement surrounding the area outside the booth. The new watches included technically impressive pieces like the Masse Mysterieuse and flexible-cased Coussin. Classic pieces were also brought back in a new way with the Cartier Prive Tank Chinoise and black-dialed Tank Louis Cartier and Must models. The Metiers dArt models were also extremely impressive. An enameled and diamond-studded Cartier Crash was the highlight of this collection. Overall, Cartier managed to pull not just one or two impressive models out of the bag for the show, but a whole collection full of pieces Ill be lusting after for quite some time. In the case of the Chinoise (particularly the yellow gold model) indefinitely, due to its limited production numbers. However, I could see myself being tempted by one of the black-enamel-dialed Tank Musts. One of those would be a perfect complement to my Roman-numeral Tank Solo. Its plain to see that Cartier has tapped into something special. And whether its the favorable wind of zeitgeist filling its sails, or a precisely engineered plan for success, I was happy to see all of these impressive pieces before anything else.Watches And Wonders 2022 - and Tudor (but mostly Tudor)Where to begin with and Tudor? Well, Ill go with Tudor, I think. This sentence does summarize my feelings for the 2022 releases from both of these brands. However, I have to say there are pluses and minuses on both sides. Ultimately it was the more youthful and adventurous tone adopted by Tudor that makes it much more appealing to me. I dont have the hook-up when it comes to . All I personally want from The Crown is a vintage 16570 - nothing more. Perhaps its something Ill grow into, but for now, I cant help but remain slightly cynical about the whole availability/waiting lists nonsense. If I want to buy a Tudor (which could well be the case someday), I can do it. There is no greater power that can say otherwise.And judging by the brands targeting of a younger audience, Id say Tudor would probably be happy about it!Wow- Things got philosophical fast. What about the watches? Well, for me, the two main releases were the Black Bay Pro and the Black Bay GMT S&G. Personally, I gravitate towards the 39mm Black Bay Pro. I mentioned that Im ever on the hunt for a 16570 (or more like, ever saving up), so GMTs are certainly on my radar. And, chalk it up to my relative youth, but I dont mind the fact that this watch takes (a lot) of inspiration from the 1655. I love that watch. But Im not going to be in a position to pay $30k for one any time soon.But $3,800 for a Black Bay Pro (what a name!), is something I d only have to think about it for a little bit. And with some luck, Ill be doing just that when we get one in for a proper hands-on review. I did also like the Black Bay S&G, but the Zenith Chronomaster Sport ending up stealing my heart in the two-tone category., finally!Things took a turn toward Tudor in that last section. And I promised myself to keep things brief- Anyway! What?! A crown on the left-hand side? I tried to make sense of the aptly nicknamed (by Mike Stockton) Green Lantern for quite some time. In the end, I take a slightly less enthusiastic version of Kristian Haagens opinion: Its weird! -And I love it. Though I wouldnt be so bold as to order one for myself (not like Id even get on a waiting list), I think sometimes its worth not overthinking things - kind of like with the MoonSwatch. The GMT-Master II (126720VTNR) is a watch that I appreciate as an oddball move on s part. That said, Im still not sure I actually get it completely. 126900 Its the slightly awkward and unusual nature of this watch that gets a nod and a from me. Let your destro freak flag fly! If you like it, try and get it. If you dont? There are other options out there. The platinum Day-Dates with the new fluted bezels were lovely. But as I said before, I dont tend to spend much time thinking about watches that Ill never buy and that dont make my (slightly delusional) grail list. Ill be honest when it comes to the Air-King: I agreed with predictions that it would be discontinued. The upgrade makes sense but doesnt put it on a list for me. My favorite release this year? I agree with Mike.Watches And Wonders 2022 - Vacheron ConstantinOh yes! The Vacheron Constantin 222. As I write this, Im having a hard time expressing my own thoughts, as Im in the middle of a heated discussion in the press lounge between two journalists on this very watch. And as tempted as I am to just start transcribing for this section, Ill try and just give you my perfectly uninformed take. I really like it. The start of my journey into the world of watches made me somewhat of a sucker for vintage pieces. So, seeing a watch essentially come back from the dead (almost) exactly as it was is pretty cool indeed. Sure, the date window is in an ever-so-slightly different position. Chalk this up to the day-6 fatigue, but who cares? Its still an absolutely stunning watch.#gallery-3 {margin: auto;}#gallery-3 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;}#gallery-3 img {border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;}#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */The VC 222 has everyone talking, and theres a good reason why: its a brilliantly understated (as understated as a full gold watch can be) integrated sports watch. I think its safe to say that everyone here at Fratello agrees that its a brilliant watch. Another brilliant watch from Vacheron Constantin this year was the salmon-dialed Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. It s just a stunning, beautifully crafted watch with some wonderful subtle details. The matching rose gold Maltese cross at 12 oclock is one of them. And the incredible moonphase disk and white outlines on the dial and sub-dials are two more. It was hard to keep my eyes off the 222, but the Traditionnelle definitely had me turning my head.Watches And Wonders 2022 - A. Lange & S?hneIt would be unfair to say that any of the four watches Lange showed this year werent highlights. But if could pick only one, it would absolutely have to be the titanium Odysseus. The upgrade to the Grand Lange One takes refinement to the next level, from the fractions of a millimeter shaved from the applied numerals to the way in which the hands sit on the pinion. The Richard Lange Minute Repeater is a classic number with a crisp white enamel dial, black Roman numerals, and blued hands. The 39mm platinum case hosts a stunning movement with a clever safety mechanism for the minute repeater. You can read all about it in Daans article here. But back to the best from Lange this year, and the brands very first titanium watch - the Odysseus. The wonderfully textured surfaces are truly stunning in person, deeply contrasted by the hand-polished chamfers. On the wrist, it fits incredibly well, thanks to its Goldilocks proportions - 40.5mm in diameter and 11.1mm thick. I didnt really expect to like this one as much as I did. Plus, you have to give A. Lange & S?hne?some credit for directly answering collectors demand for a holiday watch. And though my holiday watch is usually a G-Shock, I suppose the 250 lucky owners will be pretty happy with this one.Other HighlightsFor the sake of brevity, in this final section, Ill simply list some of the watches we all agreed were highlights from the show. Starting with Grand Seiko and the incredible Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon. Patek Philippe showed off both a youthful side with its Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G and Calatrava Ref. 5226G. The brand also gave us some more classic offerings with the salmon-dialed Chronograph 5172G and Perpetual Calendar 5320G. Speaking of tourbillons, Mosers Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton was truly a sight to behold. Oris introduced a trio of titanium ProPilot X watches. Not only are they perfectly sized at 39mm, but they re also a lot of fun thanks to the three cool dial colors. Another watch which generated a lot of buzz was the Parmigiani Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. Its brilliant execution is only (arguably) hindered by a lack of day/night indicator. I personally enjoyed the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Chronograph 0 Oxygen LE290. Despite its generous proportions, it was a very impressive piece indeed, and one that supports Nimsdai Purja in his quest to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen later this year. The Zenith Chronomaster Open?was a pleasant surprise. Supremely wearable at 39.5mm, its one I had a hard time getting off my wrist. And finally, another unexpected highlight was the Hermes Arceau Le Temps Voyageur Dual Time Zone.Final thoughts on Watches And Wonders 2022Overall, Watches And Wonders 2022 was an excellent show. Not just because it marked a return to the physical watch show, but also because of the almost never-ending stream of brilliant watches released. And this slightly subjective summary of highlights doesnt even cover half of what we saw. If you did miss any of our coverage of the show, do make sure to browse through all the links included in this article. Alternatively, you can visit our Watches And Wonders landing page here. And as always, stay tuned for more coming your way soon as the Fratello Watches team makes its way back to more Dutch climates.Please share your thoughts on these highlights in the comments below. What was your favorite watch of the show? What was your least favorite? Wed love to read your opinions.Follow me on Instagram @ncgwatches