With the 2023 Watches & Wonders and Geneva Watch Days fast approaching, let's take a look back at the best watches of 2022 and get excited for the rush of new releases that is finally about to begin. Editors of the German edition of Chronos and the US edition of WatchTime personally held and highly praised the 10 "Best Watches" of 2022.
Best Watches of 2022 Selected by Roger Ruegger, Editor-in-Chief of WatchTime
In my opinion, the best watch of 2022 was the MoonSwatch, a courageous collaboration between Swatch and Omega, featuring a bioceramic case. No other watch in 2022 achieved such a feat in the watch industry. Very few products of this kind have thousands of people waiting overnight in front of specialty stores. I applaud the realization of this watch line, and I thank Omega for reminding people of all ages how much fun it is to wear a watch.
Quartz chronograph. Bioceramics (diameter 42mm, thickness 13.25mm). 30m water resistant. 36,300 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) Omega Customer Service Center Tel. 03-5952-4400
While there are many opinions about the best watch (we'll save the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep for Martina Richter, who will be featured later), I'd also like to pick the MB&F Legacy Machine Sequential Evo. It's the brand's 20th movement, and it's the kind of watch you can wear for hours and still lose track of time. It's mechanical poetry, that's the point.
Manual winding. 59 jewels. 21,600 vph. Power reserve approximately 72 hours. Zirconium case (44mm diameter, 18.2mm thick). Water resistant to 80m. Rubber strap. Estimated retail price: 160,000 euros.
The best watches of 2022 chosen by Kronos Germany editor-in-chief Rudiger Bucher
Our passion for luxury watches is fuelled by some incredible achievements. Over 60 years ago, Rolex became the first brand to reach both the highest peak and the deepest point on Earth: Mount Everest and the Mariana Trench. Furthermore, we salute Rolex for bringing the Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge, an evolution of the prototype developed for James Cameron's 2012 Mariana Trench dive.
Furthermore, this model, with a diameter of 50mm and a thickness of 23mm, uses a titanium case to reduce the overall weight and make it very comfortable to wear. It is entirely possible that one of the reasons why Rolex caused a stir in the watch industry with this record-breaking model at the end of 2022 was the rekindling of rivalry with the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep, which will be discussed later.
Automatic winding (Cal. 3230). 31 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 70 hours. RLX titanium case (50mm diameter). Water resistant to 11,000m.
In 2022, a completely different watch brought a smile to my face: the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. Many details in this model are perfectly harmonized, resulting in a truly elegant finish. This brand is still relatively unknown in Germany, and I'm eager to contribute to it.
The most distinctive feature of this model is its delicate guilloched dial, which is given a clean impression by the transparent hands, short indexes, and subtle brand logo. It also features an additional ingenious detail: the second local time hour hand is instantly synchronized with the other by pressing the pusher at 8 o'clock, making it disappear. Every aspect of this complication is an innovation that demonstrates how the brand has thought out the big picture.
Automatic winding (Cal. PF051). 31 jewels. 21,600 vibrations per hour. Power reserve approximately 48 hours. SS x Pt case (diameter 40 mm, thickness 10.7 mm). 60m water resistant. 4,499,000 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) Parmigiani Fleurier pfd.japan@parmigiani.com
Best Watches of 2022 Selected by Martina Richter, Editor-in-Chief of watchtime.net
I have watched with great respect the development of Omega's models for many years, from the first Co-Axial escapement to the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep, which is saturation diving capable and Master Chronometer certified. The Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep, water resistant to 6000m, is a watch that appeals to a wide range of customers thanks to its comfortable everyday wearability, and there are several patents currently pending for its technology, structure, and materials. I'm also attracted by the special pressure-resistant materials and the stability of its Master Chronometer-certified movement. Omega has truly made a great development.
Automatic movement (Cal. 8912). 39 jewels. 25,200 vph. Power reserve approximately 60 hours. Grade 5 titanium case (45.5mm diameter, 18.12mm thick). Water resistant to 6000m. Price: 2,156,000 yen (tax included).
Annual calendars, while more practical than perpetual calendars, are rare and always amaze me. Glashütte Original has added an annual calendar to its lineup with the PanoMatic Calendar. The new automatic caliber 92-09 was developed for this purpose.
Of course, it's based on established structures such as the Panorama Date and double swan-neck regulator, but it also features new features such as a month-changing wheel to realize an annual calendar. The exterior maintains a distinctive design with a large date display and off-center placement of the hour, minute, and second displays. The month display is discreetly placed on the outer edge of the dial, and the moon phase is surrounded by a shining golden star. It's a highly refined arrangement.
Automatic winding (Cal. 92-09). 28,800 vibrations per hour. Power reserve approximately 100 hours. 18KRG case (diameter 42mm, thickness 12.4mm). Water resistant to 50m. 3,795,000 yen (tax included). (Inquiries) Glashütte Original Boutique Ginza Tel. 03-6254-7266
