Vacheron Constantin produces overseas series copy watches
There is a very common misconception that the most recognizable sports copy watches were designed by three leading brands in the 1970s and by the same designer,
Gerald Genta.
But this is not entirely true,
besides them there was another model range-Vacheron Constantin Overseas,
to which this legendary watchmaker had nothing to do.
In this article,
we will try to figure out how and why this collection appeared,
and why Gerald Gente was rumored to have authored the design of the first model in it-the Vacheron Constantin 222 copy watches.
For the Swiss copy watches industry,
1972 turned out to be a very difficult year,
and the Audemars Piguet brand came close to stopping production,
but,
nevertheless,
found the answer to avoid this threat.
Like the completely insane 1975 Lamborghini Countach,
the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was designed with a very simple concept:no references to history,
no complications,
no pre-orders,
just luxury.
It was a time when wealth grew by leaps and bounds,
and what better way to declare your fortune than to show off a copy watches so flashy that it didn’t even need a brand name on the dial?
Seeing how quickly the financial situation of Audemars Piguet changed after the unprecedented success of Royal Oak,
Patek Philippe hurried to follow the example of this brand,
and then IWC.
In both cases,
the talent of Gerald Genta was used to create watches for them according to the same patterns as for Audemars Piguet.
Well,
or almost the same,
so as to still do without litigation.
Remaining the oldest and most conservative brand among all those mentioned above,
Vacheron Constantin held on to the last.
Still,
it was a company 84 years older than Patek Philippe,
120 years older than Audemars Piguet,
and had a reputation for tradition and classic style.
The watchmaking manufactory remained true to itself right up to 1977,
until it resisted the new trends and resigned itself to its fate,
nevertheless releasing its“fashionable”version-the Vacheron Constantin 222.
Vacheron Constantin 222 ceased production in 1985
The styling of the 222 was very similar to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak,
Patek Philippe’s Nautilus and IWC’s Ingenieur SL.
Moreover,
even the movement they used was the same–caliber 920 from Jaeger-LeCoultre.
It would seem that they should also have the same designer-Gerald Genta.
So such an assumption was more likely not a myth,
but a simple extrapolation,
especially since the brand itself chose to neither confirm nor refute such statements.
However,
the obstinate temper of Vacheron Constantin forced the brand to go the other way.
Born in East Berlin,
Jörg Isaac began his journey to become the designer of the 222 at a time when his family avoided being locked up behind the Berlin Wall at the last minute.
They moved to Geneva in 1960.
As a student,
Jörg became interested in sculpture and micromechanics and went to the London Academy of Arts to study them.
Later,
he also became interested in watchmaking,
but the fine arts and design remained his main passion.
When he returned to Geneva in 1975,
he began to look for a suitable job there.
However,
at the time he returned,
the copy watches industry was in serious trouble.
His dreams of designing his own watch were nearly dashed before he even tried to make them come true.
But he had one last chance-the creation of such a significant model that was supposed to save the oldest brand in all of Switzerland.
It was the project”222″.
One can only guess how humiliating it was for Vacheron Constantin to openly admit that the once-unshakable brand succumbed to the fashion trend.
That is why,
most likely,
unlike Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe-younger companies that immediately announced their intentions,
Vacheron Constantin carefully concealed his plans,
hiding behind an unknown name-a young designer Jörg Isaac,
who had just appeared in the industry.
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