Our 2022 watch round-up: Which watches made a big impact this year?
2022 has definitely been an eventful year in terms of new watch releases, with new watches being made left right and centre. As we’re approaching the new year, we thought it would be nice to reminisce on some of the more exciting watch releases this year so, let’s get straight into it.
The Swatch X Omega Moonswatch
Kicking us off is the Swatch and Omega collab which dropped in March. The collab included 11 watches which were each based on the bodies within our solar system, including: the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
This drop definitely took the world by storm. When they were released, the watches were only available in select stores in London and just one store in Edinburgh (fun fact, we waited for like 6 hours in the Edinburgh queue). The queues for these watches were ridiculously long, people even camped outside the stores.
Each watch has its own unique look themed around its planet, and are made from Swatch’s BIOCERAMIC. The watches are a combination of Swatch’s playful designs and the classic Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch look. These watches retail for £218 but even now they are still hard to get a hold of so they are reselling for around double their original price.
The colourful Omega Aqua Terra
Another collection which has caused quite a bit of noise is the new Aqua Terra collection from Omega, which features 10 watches which all have a gorgeous coloured dial. The official colours include: Saffron, Terracotta, Sandstone, Atlantic Blue, Bay Green, Sea Blue, Lagoon Green, Sandstone, Shell Pink, Lavender.
These watches haven’t actually been officially released yet, and there’s no release date been given yet either despite the watches being announced in March this year! There was some controversy around these watches as they look suspiciously similar to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual but I’m sure this won’t stop them from flying off the shelves.
This collection includes 5 34mm models and 5 38mm models which are both classed as unisex. The colours chosen for the dials are meant to represent colours of the Earth to reflect the meaning of the Aqua Terra name (Aqua = water, Terra = land). The case and bracelet is made from stainless steel, however the 34mm models feature 18K white gold hands, logo, date window, and indexes which isn’t seen on the 38mm models. These watches will retail for £5,700, however because they aren’t yet released I’d suggest to pre-order which an authorized watch dealer as these beauties will be gone in seconds.
The Omega Planet Ocean Ultra Deep
Early in the year Omega also released the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep. There are 7 watches in this collection – 3 watches have a rubber strap, 3 have a steel bracelet, and 1 has a NATO strap.
These watches were first used in 2019 when Victor Vescovo reached the deepest place on Earth – the Mariana Trench. 2 of the watches were attached to his submergence vehicle and were as good as new when he resurfaced 12 hours later. After the World record dive, Omega decided to release these watches to the public this year.
The watches really capture the theme of the deep ocean. They have gorgeous gradient dials, a chunky diving bezel, and either a rubber strap or a new O-MEGASTEEL bracelet. However, the stand-out piece in this collection is the titanium model, which has a black and cyan colour scheme along with a NATO strap. These watches are water-resistant to a whopping 6,000 meters. This impressive kit comes with a price tag of £10,600 for the rubber strap model, £10,900 for the steel bracelet model, £11,600 for the titanium model.
Rolex GMT Master II Left Hand Sprite
Next up we have the Rolex GMT Master II Left Hand Sprite, which has definitely split watch fans and caused some controversy. This watch is part of Rolex’s GMT Master II collection which showcases the iconic rotating GMT bezel in a gorgeous black and green.
Why is this watch controversial, you may ask. Well, it’s because this watch is the first left-handed piece that Rolex has ever released. The date window and the crown have been placed on the opposite side to where they would usually be, making it more convenient to use when the watch is worn on the right wrist. This move was very unexpected considering only around 10% of the world’s population is left-handed meaning Rolex has quite a limited target audience for this watch. Despite this, the watch has had no problem flying off the shelves and is currently quite hard to get a hold of.
As mentioned, the bezel is half black and half green which looks incredible against the black dial which has a contrasting green 24-hour hand. This watch has all of the other standard Rolex features, and comes with either an oyster bracelet or a jubilee bracelet, both made from steel. This watch retails at £9,250 but due to such high demand they are re-selling for around £25,000 already.
Tudor Pelagos 39
It’s safe to say that divers were very happy when this watch was announced in September. The new Tudor Pelagos 39 is a part of the loved Pelagos family, which are a family of diving watches.
This very stylish watch was described by Tudor as being “a versatile watch at the crossroads between the world of technical diving and urban sophistication”. The reason this piece has got people talking is because, as you may tell from the name, it’s 39mm in diameter. Previous models of the Pelagos have only been available in 42mm, however not everyone enjoys a large chunky watch. Okay, I know diving watches are known for being on the chunkier side but as Tudor said themselves, I really think this watch is the perfect mix of an excellent diving watch and a modern everyday watch.
The Pelagos 39 features a satin finish titanium case with a black sunray satin finish bezel and dial. This gorgeous matte look really makes this watch look really current and sleek. The dial is contrasted with the luminescent hour markers and indices. The watch comes with a matching satin finish titanium bracelet, as well as a complimentary black rubber strap. This watch retails for £3,500 and are pretty easy to get a hold of.
Tag Heuer X Mario Kart
Last but definitely not least is the limited edition Tag Heuer Formula 1 X Mario Kart collection which was released on October 20th. This collab features 2 outstanding watches: the 44mm automatic chronograph version (limited to 3000 pieces), and the 45mm chronograph tourbillon version (limited to just 250 pieces).
These watches were of course inspired by the Nintendo game, Mario Kart. I don’t know about you, but for my family this game was a massive part of our childhood so I’m particularly fond of this collection. I think many people can relate to this and/or just love the playfulness of the watches which is why this collection sold out extremely quickly.
Both watches feature unique nods to the game, too many to go over all, but let’s look at the main features. The automatic chronograph version includes: a racing inspired chequered dial, Mario within the 9 o’clock seconds dial, famous Mario Kart items in the date window, the Mario Kart logo engraved in the case back. The chronograph tourbillon version includes: tourbillion cage which shows characters moving in rhythm with the complication, a clear case back featuring characters in their karts, and a gorgeous intricate dial design with a bright red outline. There are many more small details on both watches that we haven’t covered so check that out for yourself if your interested. The automatic chronograph version retails at £3,550, and the chronograph tourbillon version retails for £21,250.
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So, we've reached the end of our 2022 round-up. This year has definitely been exciting for the world of watches and now all that's left to do is look forward to 2023! We hope you've enjoyed, and thanks to everyone who's joined our watch family this year. Hope you've had a great Christmas and have a brilliant New Year :)
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