The dial of this 222-RR is referred to by RGM as a “Ferguson Style Dial”. It’s modeled after a specific type of aftermarket dial first produced in 1908 by the O’Hara Dial Company in Waltham, MA for L. B. Ferguson of Monroe, LA, who held a patent on the dial. It’s characterized by an inner 12 hour track in bright red, and outer minute track with large numerals at five minute intervals. The hour hand is a matching red and shorter than hour hands used for other dials as it’s designed to meet the edge of the inner sector precisely. The dial is large enough that all numerals can be effectively oversized, and it’s extremely legible. The Ferguson dial is grand feu enamel and has a rich depth and fantastic contrast between the white surface and red and black text.
As you can see clearly in our photos, the dial and crown are offset to the right. RGM explains that they chose to build the watch in this way to keep the orientation of the crown consistent with the 12:00 position as well as the subsidiary seconds register at 6:00. They also claim to take design inspiration from WWI era trench watches, which had a similar configuration and were often built from converted pendant watches made for women. RGM insists that the 222-RR is not inspired by the Vacheron Constantin 1921, nor is it conceived as a “driver’s watch.” Rather, it’s part of a tradition of wrist watches with offset dials from the early part of the 20th century – a design characteristic that was actually quite a bit more common than many might realize.
Wearing a watch configured in such a way takes some getting used to, but honestly not as much as you might think. This configuration is designed to be worn on the left wrist, but as a lefty I always wear my watches on my right wrist, including the 222-RR sample. It took me no more than a few hours to adjust to reading the time from a slightly askew angle, and while I don’t think there’s an inherent benefit to the offset dial in terms of reading the time, it’s not something that would be a dealbreaker for me either if I loved everything else about the watch (this watch, or any other watch with a similar layout). The clear contrast between the red hour track and the black minute track on the dial’s perimeter also helps draw the eye where it needs to be to get the time at a quick glance.
Another factor that might mitigate any difficulty in time telling due to dial configuration is the case itself, which measures 41mm in diameter, 12mm tall, and 52mm from lug to lug. That lug to span is really the measurement, as is the lug width of 22mm, both of which contribute to a watch with a ton of what we in the trade like to call “wrist presence.” This watch wears larger than the dimensions would indicate, and represents the somewhat rare case where that’s actually a good thing, as it highlights the incredibly high quality of every component. The case is beautifully machined with a mirror polish, and as you’d expect it’s sized to perfectly fit the vintage movement, which takes up the entirety of the caseback. There’s also something fun about wearing a watch made from something old that is unapologetically contemporary in its size.
The retail price of the 222-RR “Ferguson” is $8,950 with a 921 movement, or $9,950 with a rarer and higher jewel count 923 movement. That is, of course, an expensive watch by any measure, and I’m not here to tell anyone that this represents a great value proposition, or anything like that. But I will say that I don’t feel like the watch is overpriced, given the quality of the dial, the case, and the meticulous rehabilitation of the vintage movement, which likely looks better today than it did when it came out of the Hamilton factory. You’re paying a premium as well for decades of experience that Roland Murphy imbues into every watch coming out of RGM, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a certain kind of collector, perhaps one who is particularly focused on American watchmaking and its history, would be willing to pay a premium to be connected to that history in a fairly direct way by an important American watchmaker. RGM
Zach Kazan
2025-09-16 17:00:00