Watch Spotting: Brad Pitt And Chris Paul Wearing The Vacheron Constantin 222 On Opposite Sides Of The Globe (On The Same Day)
This weekend was all about the gold as Brad Pitt and Chris Paul stepped out into the limelight on opposite sides of the planet wearing one of the toughest watches to find on said planet: The Vacheron Constantin 222.
The 222 is a relic of the ’70s Vacheron past (produced at the tail end of the decade for only about eight years) with its specific integrated bracelet design and unique VC logo placement on the case itself. It’s a watch that has garnered considerable attention on the vintage market over the years for its rarity, but we are here today to talk about the newest variation of the model. That would be the pseudo-re-edition released at Watches & Wonders 2022 in yellow gold.
The Vacheron Constantin 222.
Where Rolex normally dominates the conversation in such trade show atmospheres, VC had us all buzzing over this watch. Its heavy gold construction and fateful throwback design have made this a watch that continues to stay in the spotlight, as we’re seeing today.
Just yesterday, Pitt was out and about at the Silverstone Circuit, waving hello to a crowd thinking they were on hand to witness Max Verstappen take home his sixth straight F1 victory at the British Grand Prix – when they were instead greeted by the most recognizable movie star on the planet. And as much as we love Brad Pitt here at Hodinkee, our eyes were naturally drawn to his wrist. And while we can only see the underside of the watch, it’s clear what’s going on there.
Image: courtesy of Getty
While known for being a Breitling ambassador on the brand’s Cinema Squad, the A-lister stepped out in public with the aforementioned Vacheron 222 in yellow gold. Pitt wasn’t just there to take in the race. He is in the middle of production on a yet-to-be-named F1-related film directed by Joseph Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame. The film is being shot on location at several Grand Prix races this season, so keep your eyes peeled for Pitt in full racing regalia.
In fact, Kosinski appeared to be wearing an IWC Top Gun Chronograph while directing Pitt on the ground in Great Britain yesterday – no doubt a souvenir from his time at the helm of last year’s biggest blockbuster.
Image: courtesy of Getty
Flying back stateside, we found NBA All-Star Chris Paul in Las Vegas for two reasons: catching a little Summer League basketball and being introduced as the newest member of the Golden State Warriors. Paul was notably traded twice this off season; first to the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal and then to the Warriors for Jordan Poole. During this mayhem, Paul was also on a book tour, doing the daytime talk show circuit, where he was seen wearing his 222.
It seems that it’s the watch of the summer for Paul, who had it on-wrist when taking his first photo with his new Warriors threads and while sitting court-side with his wife Jada Crawley (herself wearing a two-tone Rolex Datejust) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for Summer League hoops.
Image: courtesy of Getty
Maybe Paul and Pitt are onto something, maybe the Vacheron Constantin 222 is the watch of the Summer (if you can get your hands on one, that is). We’ll keep our eyes on these two for the next couple of months to be sure.
Lead image of Brad Pitt courtesy of Getty; lead image of Chris Paul courtesy of the Golden State Warriors Twitter account
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