Brad Pitt wasn’t just making movie magic at the 2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix, but he was also rocking a rather magical Vacheron Constantin watch that we reckon would have made him the envy of the paddock… You know, if he wasn’t already.
Earlier this year, Formula 1 interviewed a bunch of their drivers and asked them who they’d want to play them in a movie. A majority of them said Brad Pitt. However, it’s Brad Pitt who’d actually rather be an F1 driver – and the Hollywood legend got to live out that dream at the British Grand Prix over the weekend.
Pitt was at Silverstone filming his as-of-yet untitled Formula 1 movie, which stars him alongside Damson Idris and is being produced by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Indeed, the film is closely collaborating with the Mercedes F1 Team, with Pitt and his crew allowed to set up a stunt garage for the race weekend and even join the grid with the real-life teams and drivers.
The attention to detail Pitt’s had for his fictional F1 team, which is called APXGP, is remarkable: they’ve even got a bunch of Mercedes sponsors, including watch brand IWC Schaffhausen, emblazoned over the APXGP car and kit. But when Pitt wasn’t suited up for filming, he was wearing a very different watch: a Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 (ref. 4200H/222J-B935) worth a solid $200,000 AUD.
For those not in the know, the 222 was Vacheron’s contribution to the 70s luxury sports watch craze; a peer of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. It’s the grandfather of the Overseas, which debuted in the 90s.
This modern revival of the 222 is remarkably faithful to the 70s original, right down to that awesome integrated bracelet and its absurdly heavy weight on the wrist. Crafted from 18ct yellow gold, it’s a heavy boy: I got to try one on at Watches & Wonders 2022, and it’s easily the heaviest watch I’ve ever worn, despite the fact that it’s only 37mm in diameter. It’s that chunky bracelet that adds all that weight.
However, the modern 222 has a few key improvements over the original, the chief of which is that it has a sapphire caseback, which lets you admire its beautifully finished Calibre 2455/2 movement and its ‘222’ engraved rotor.
WATCH our guide to some of the lavish watches F1 drivers wear when they’re ‘off-duty’ below.
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas is a pretty hard watch to get, but it’s never been quite as hyped as its ‘Holy Trinity’ rivals, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. However, the 222 has proven to be even harder to get than your average Royal Oak or Nautilus. It’s not a limited edition, but it may as well be – they’re very hard to come by, so to see one in the wild on Brad’s wrist is a rare sight.
However, we have it on good authority that Brad slipped on an IWC when he was actually filming: a much more practical choice, all things considered.