Dawn Chorus: How to bag a Vacheron Constantin watch like Brad Pitt’s 222 and why London’s Sloane Street is looking better than ever
Everything you need to know today, including a new version of the watch Brad Pitt made headlines with at Wimbledon, the Harvey Nichols pasta pop-up and Sloane Street’s £40million face lift.


Hetty Lintell
Right on time
Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest continuously operating watch manufacturer, is kicking off its 270th anniversary celebrations in style — with the launch of the Historique 222 in steel.
The new timepiece is in fact not that new at all because it’s derived from a heritage piece released in 1977 to mark Vacheron Constantin’s 222nd birthday. And from the yellow gold 222 which was unveiled at the 2022 iteration of Watches and Wonders with plenty of new technical improvements (Brad Pitt was later spotted wearing a vintage white-gold one at Wimbledon 2023).
Only a handful of the £53,500 (now £71,000) Historique 222 in gold were crafted, which made trying to get your hands, or rather your wrist, on one rather tricky. So, it can only be a good thing that this new version (£30,800) is now available, featuring the same 37mm ‘Jumbo’ case as the gold watch, a blue dial and a steel bracelet. And, if it’s good enough for Brad…
Buon Appetito!
In 2010, Jay Rayner popped along to review a new restaurant in Islington. He described the meal as one ‘that can restore your faith in the often grisly business of getting food cooked for you by other people in return for money’.
It’s now 2025 and the restaurant, which is called Trullo, is celebrating its 15-year anniversary with a three-month residency at Harvey Nichols.
The menus — available for lunch and for dinner — will include firm favourites such as chopped beef fillet with rosemary and anchovy, as well as soon to be firm favourites inspired by the Knightstridge surroundings. Think tagliarini with Beluga caviar and Amalfi lemon tart.
Trullo, in case you hadn’t worked it out by now, is a champion of all things Italian.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
What-is-more, Trullo’s own label Gavi and Chianti wines will be available to purchase from the department store.
Trullo at Harvey Nichols will open on 3rd March for three months. Lunch service is available 12.30pm-2.45pm and supper from 6pm-8pm. A lighter menu will be served between 3pm and 5pm.
Pitch a tent
Three years ago, Alexander Darwall, who owns swathes of land in Dartmoor, made headlines for challenging a widely held interpretation of the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act that the public right to wild camp on the moor.
Two years ago, the High Court found in Darwall’s favour and stipulated that there was no right to wild camp on Dartmoor without the landowner’s permission.
Since then, there’s been plenty of back and forth between Darwall, the Dartmoor National Park Authority, campers and protesters. In 2023, wild camping access was restored; in 2024, Darwall moved for the case to be heard in the Supreme Court.
Are you keeping up?
Last week, we published a piece by Lewis Winks on why the right to wild camp on Dartmoor is vital for us all. If you missed it, you can catch up…right here.
Strike a pose
It only took two years and £40million, but Sloane Street is finally ready for its close-up — as these hot of the press images demonstrate.
The road linking Chelsea and Knightsbridge has been extensively reworked in a 1km-long ‘green boulevard’ — designed to encourage footfall and dwell time.
A part of the Cadogan Estate, the streetscape improvements are the most significant to date since the street was commissioned by the 1st Earl Cadogan in the 18th century.
Shops that line the London shopping street include Bottega Veneta, Chanel and Loro Piana, as well as the Belmond Cadogan and Beaverbrook Townhouse hotels.
Rosie is Country Life's Digital Content Director & Travel Editor. She joined the team in July 2014 — following a brief stint in the art world. In 2022, she edited the magazine's special Queen's Platinum Jubilee issue and coordinated Country Life's own 125 birthday celebrations. She has also been invited to judge a travel media award and chaired live discussions on the London property market, sustainability and luxury travel trends. Rosie studied Art History at university and, beyond Country Life, has written for Mr & Mrs Smith and The Gentleman's Journal, among others. The rest of the office likes to joke that she splits her time between Claridge’s, Devon and the Maldives.
-
Some of the finest landscapes in the North of England with a 12-bedroom home attached
Upper House in Derbyshire shows why the Kinder landscape was worth fighting for.
By James Fisher
-
The Great Gatsby, pugs and the Mitford sisters: Country Life Quiz of the Day, April 16, 2025
Wednesday's quiz tests your knowledge on literature, National Parks and weird body parts.
By Rosie Paterson
-
From Vinted to Velázquez: The younger generations' appetite for antiques and Old Masters
The younger generations’ appetite for everything vintage bodes well for the future, says Huon Mallalieu, at a time when an extraordinary Old Masters collection is about to go under the hammer.
By Huon Mallalieu
-
The five minute guide to 'The Great Gatsby', a century on from its publication
'The Great Gatsby' sold poorly the year it was published, but, in the following century, it went on to become a cornerstone of world literature.
By Carla Passino
-
Shark tanks, crocodile lagoons, laser defences, and a subterranean shooting gallery — nothing is impossible when making the ultimate garage
To collectors, cars are more than just transport — they are works of art. And the buildings used to store them are starting to resemble galleries.
By Adam Hay-Nicholls
-
‘David Hockney 25’ at the Fondation Louis Vuitton: Britain’s most influential contemporary artist pops up in Paris to remind us all of the joys of spring
The biggest-ever David Hockney show has opened inside the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris — in time for the season that the artist has become synonymous with.
By Amy Serafin
-
Under the hammer: A pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings with an intriguing connection to Princess Grace of Monaco
A pair of platinum, pearl and diamond earrings of the same design, maker and period as those commissioned for Grace Kelly’s wedding head to auction.
By Rosie Paterson
-
Why LOEWE decided to reimagine the teapot, 25 great designs over
Loewe has commissioned 25 world-leading artists to design a teapot, in time for Salone del Mobile.
By Amie Elizabeth White
-
The brilliant Bugattis: Sculpture, silverware, furniture and the fastest cars in the world
A new exhibition at this year's Treasure House Fair will shine a light on the many talents of the Bugatti dynasty.
By James Fisher
-
Big, bright and bold: Colourful luggage to inspire your next spring getaway
If RIMOWA's new 'Holiday' campaign is anything to go by, then conservative-coloured luggage is out and eye-catching is in.
By Rosie Paterson