A Watch Story from L.A., Hands-On with the Vacheron 222, and 2025 Watch Events
Plus, vintage Rolex, Swatch, and Cartier in the Watchlist.
In this week’s paid issue: a watch story from Los Angeles, thoughts on the steel Vacheron 222 and the leak, a vintage Rolex Watchlist from Palm Beach (and about that email!) plus Cartier and Swatch, and a calendar of 2025 watch events. But first:
I don’t want this newsletter to feel overly reactive to the week’s news. It’s more like offering timely insights on timeless topics—if that didn’t sound so d*mn corny. As I finished this issue on Friday morning, I received Tudor’s press release about the new Black Bay Chrono “Flamingo Blue.” The Black Bay Chrono isn’t it for me (though the 5-link bracelet helps), but it’s a cool, turquoise dial! What else is there to say?
Watch of the Week: Los Angeles
Our Watch of the Week comes from Daniel Miller, an L.A. Times reporter who’s done some excellent reporting on the L.A. fires over the past few weeks.
“I’ve interviewed many victims of the fires,” Daniel told me. “It’s kind of uncanny, almost every person has talked about how quickly they had to evacuate and how quickly the fires spread. People grabbed birth certificates, passports, pets, and pet food. I didn’t hear many people saying they went to the safe to grab a watch, take a painting off the wall, or find other possessions.”
Daniel went on to tell me about his friend who lost his home in the Altadena fire.
“He literally has 12 possessions to his name now, and one of them is this watch.”
It’s an old Britix manual wind watch. Daniel says it hasn’t been working for a while and his friend had previously asked if he could help him get it fixed, but they never got around to it. For some reason he can’t explain, his friend grabbed it as his family evacuated.
“In the context of watch collectors, this isn’t some hype watch,” Daniel said. “It’s chrome-plated, something you or I would scroll past on eBay and not think twice about.”
As far as I can tell, Britix made all kinds of affordable mechanical watches through the 20th century.1
“But this watch is so meaningful now,” Daniel said. Now, Daniel’s friend has entrusted him to get his little Britix fixed.
He also sent along a video that captures the emotion objects can hold. A woman is walking on the rubble that used to be her home and discovers her safe and everything inside it has survived.
“These aren’t things you necessarily grab first, but they are meaningful,” Daniel said. “Especially when you’re grasping for some sense of normalcy after a disaster.
Recent newsletters you might’ve missed:
The Great Big Watch Calendar 2025
Thanks to everyone who asked great questions in last week’s Q&A (200+ comments!). I got a few questions about the biggest watch events, shows, and gatherings to look out for each year. So here’s a calendar.
Since 2023, Watches & Wonders has occurred every April in Geneva. It’s the biggest week of the year. 50+ brands, led by Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier, release watches in a vacuum-sealed convention center, and hundreds more exhibit in the city.
For vintage collectors, the twice-annual auction seasons in Geneva and New York (and Hong Kong) also serve as meetups. Over a long weekend, the three major auction houses host live sales, offering the chance to see hundreds of watches.
Here’s the full calendar—let me know what I missed:
The Great Big Watch Calendar 2025
In last week’s Q&A, I got a few questions about the biggest watch events, shows, and gatherings to look out for each year.
7 Thoughts on the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 in Steel
I spent some time with the new Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 in stainless steel. A few thoughts:
It’s very good.
Of the major integrated bracelet sports watches, the 222 might work on the widest range of wrist sizes. It’s 37mm and looks great on my 6.5-inch wrist, but probably fits any wrist from (at least) 6–8 inches.
A little lighter than expected, likely because the case and bracelet are impressively thin. Now, for the biggest pro and con.
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