Calibre 22 — classic column-wheel chronograph

In brief

Prestige houses built their dress chronographs on this one. The 22 belongs to Valjoux's classic column-wheel family, and the firms that bought it were happy to make a supplied ébauche the foundation of a watch sold under their own name.

Short history

Valjoux delivered the 22 unsigned, as it did the rest of its ébauches, leaving the buying manufacture to finish and decorate it before fitting it under a name of its own. That a house like Patek Philippe went to a Valjoux base for certain vintage models says plenty about how sound this column-wheel architecture was in its day.

Watches that used it

• Patek Philippe (vintage chronographs)
• Universal Genève