Vacheron Constantin 222 Ladies Yellow Gold

For the watch industry, the 1970s was a decade of great upheaval, and even Vacheron Constantin, stalwart member of the Holy Trinity, wasn’t immune to the challenges of the era. The 1969 introduction of the Seiko Astron, the world’s first commercially available quartz wristwatch, sent tremors throughout the industry. Both visually and internally, the Astron was something the industry hadn’t seen before, with a distinctive case shape housing a movement that kept better time than the finest Swiss mechanical calibres - at a fraction of the price. Attempts by big Swiss manufacturers to release a quartz watch of their own — the Beta 21 — weren't a commercial success. As sales of Swiss timepieces dipped and as a looming oil crisis gripped the worldwide economy, Swiss manufactures realized that they had to develop something truly unique if they wished to stay afloat. Thus, Audemars Piguet tapped the brilliant mind of Gérald Genta to design the Royal Oak in 1972, creating a new category of 'Spo