Monochrome
Manuel Emch, the head of Louis Erard, is on a mission to democratise watchmaking. By inviting watchmakers, designers and artists to collaborate on different projects and offering traditional métiers d’art dials to a broader audience at accessible prices, Louis Erard fills a big gap in the watchmaking scene. Once again, the brand’s versatile Regulator watch […]
Monochrome
A high-tech, rugged, all-terrain sports watch made of an innovative carbon fibre composite material, the Norqain Wild One (launched in 2022) was an important step in the development of the young, independent, family-owned watchmaking brand. Its elaborate design presents ample opportunity for personalization. Norqain now introduces a fully customizable iteration of this model, incorporating gold […]
Monochrome
Some of the standout highlights of the 2024 Watch Week in Geneva undoubtedly revolved around ultra-thin watches. Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC now reigns as the world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch, boasting an astonishing 1.70mm profile. Meanwhile, Piaget clinched the record for the thinnest tourbillon ever with its Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, measuring a mere 2mm! […]
Monochrome
Released in 2021, the Chronoscope was a surprising take on the classic Speedmaster, combining a large case, a two-counter dial (usually found in larger versions and racing-oriented models) with a vintage-inspired dial bearing no fewer than three snailed-shaped tracks. Untouched since its presentation, which included steel and bronze-gold versions, the Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope collection now […]
Monochrome
Tutima, a German brand tracing its origins back to the 1920s, is renowned for its rich heritage in aviation and sports timepieces, a legacy proudly carried forward by the Grand Flieger and M2 collections. Yet, the brand’s repertoire extends beyond, and today, we talk about Tutima’s Saxon One collection, which channels Tutima’s expertise into a […]
Monochrome
While today Citizen is mostly known for its accessible (yet compelling) watches, it should be reminded that the Japanese brand has been one of the pioneers of the use of titanium in watchmaking. In 1970, Citizen was the first company to commercialize a watch made of titanium. Still relying on this expertise, which you’d certainly […]
Monochrome
In 2022, Audemars Piguet unveiled a plethora of new Royal Oak models to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this iconic line. Among these releases stood the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm reference 26240, adorned, like other anniversary automatic editions, with a special rotor sporting a prominent 50 logo. However, by 2023, these gave way to regular models […]
Monochrome
With a more than consolidated reputation for producing well-built, fully equipped watches at competitive prices, Tissot is Swatch Group’s entry-level gateway to mechanical watches. The latest release, a customised 40mm Seastar model, marks a three-way collaboration between the Swiss brand, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). With the WNBA draft […]
Monochrome
Modern watchmaking is a form of romantic mechanical art for the most part. It serves no real purpose any longer in terms of precision, but rather, it is something that captures the imagination and creative expression of many. And in a world where things continue to be digitalised, it’s often a welcome escape to fiddle […]
Monochrome
It’s done, it’s over and it has been another wild ride: Watches & Wonders 2024. Quite literally the biggest watch fair of the year, it’s the social gathering where watchmakers bring their A-game. Brands high and low have presented countless new watches, setting records in the process. Records for ultra-thinness, for instance, or out-of-this-world accuracy. […]
Monochrome
Creativity lies at the core of Louis Moinet, evident in every timepiece released by the brand since its inception in 2004. Drawing inspiration from various sources, including space-age exploration and Jules Verne’s imaginative Voyages Extraordinaires, the team at Atelier Louis Moinet in Saint-Blaise has continually thrilled enthusiasts with emotionally evocative and artistically crafted horological wonders. […]
Monochrome
Incarnating Vacheron Constantin’s sophisticated vision of a luxury sports watch, the Overseas has its roots in the 222, a 1977 model designed to celebrate the brand’s 222nd anniversary. Following a major overhaul in 2016, the brand released the third generation Overseas with a host of complications and a versatile interchangeable strap and bracelet system. The […]
Monochrome
This year, the Hublot Big Bang Unico is out to please a wider demographic. Issued in a bright orange ceramic case (and a slightly less eye-catching but no less unusual green ceramic variant), the counterpart of this extravagant model is the Big Bang Unico Ice Bang, which looks back over its shoulder to the first […]
Monochrome
Accessible luxury has always been a byword at Frederique Constant, and the brand’s aptly named Classic collection is home to a variety of classic complications in classically styled cases. One of the cornerstones in the collection, displaying a date function in a subsidiary dial, has been refreshed for 2024 with a more compact case size, […]
Monochrome
Just unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva, the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Orbis in Machina places the tourbillon at its core, evoking a design reminiscent of the 2022 Knights of the Round Table Monotourbillon DBEX1025. With knights in shining armour gone searching for a different place, this timepiece presents a fresh aesthetic, featuring contrasting concentric […]
Monochrome
In response to the rising trend of integrated bracelet stainless steel sports watches, Bell & Ross introduced the BR05 series in 2019. The collection ingeniously blended the iconic square-case design inspired by fighter jet instrument panels with a nod to the sports watches of the 1970s. The year 2020 witnessed an evolution in the BR05 […]
Monochrome
In 2020, Speake-Marin expanded its One&Two; Openworked series by introducing a mesmerizing 60-second flying tourbillon model. Since its debut, the brand has continually unveiled new iterations, each crafted in limited numbers. These timepieces, sporting the hallmark eccentric layout, showcase the flying tourbillon complication positioned at 1:30. Among these, the latest addition, the Openworked Tourbillon Ultra-Violet, […]
Monochrome
In the previous year, Grand Seiko introduced the Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC253, showcasing a bold case design and distinctive dial texture, thus enhancing the brand’s Sport collection with the permanent addition. This followed the anticipation stirred by limited edition models SBGC230 and SGBC231 in 2019, along with the red gold cased SGBC238, launched in […]
Monochrome
Last year, TAG Heuer launched the Skipper, a watch design inspired by one of the brand’s historic designs. Heuer created the original Skipper after the yacht Intrepid’s victory in the 1967 America’s Cup, where the crew used Heuer’s yachting timers and Aquastar wristwatches. The new Skipper, made of stainless steel, paid tribute to this heritage. […]
Monochrome
Yves G. Piaget, the fourth generation of the Piaget watchmaking and jewellery dynasty, launched the sporty-chic Polo watch in 1979. With its ultra-thin gold case and sleek bracelet decorated with horizontal gadroons, the Polo captured the era’s zeitgeist to become a massive hit. In 2016, Piaget gave the Polo a complete makeover, transforming it into […]
Monochrome
The Big Bang exploded on the watch scene in 2005, converting Hublot into a major-league player. Even bigger news for the brand came in 2009 with the launch of Hublot’s first manufacture movement. Known as the Unico, this in-house flyback chronograph movement was first used for the King Power collection and then inside a new […]
Monochrome
Grand Seiko and the lion symbol go back a long way. United on the first Grand Seiko watch of 1960 featuring the emblem of a proud lion on its caseback, the feline has inspired the case architecture and dial of the “Tokyo Lion” series. Just two years after Grand Seiko was granted independence from Seiko […]
Monochrome
First introduced in 2016, the handsome Monsieur de Chanel collection stands out by the refined, geometric layout of its dial with from top to bottom the retrograde minutes, the seconds, and the jump hour window. Originally offered in precious metals, the watch was later released in different high-tech, still retaining the elegance you would expect […]
Monochrome
Once upon a time, Alpina clearly demarcated between its Alpiner collection geared for land adventures and its Seastrong models designed for underwater exploration. In 2022, Alpina beefed up its Alpiner sports watch with a powerful 200m water-resistant Extreme case with new embossed dial textures. Today, the brand fuses the distinctive Extreme cushion-shaped case with the […]
Monochrome
The Portugieser is one of IWC‘s oldest ambassadors, and the collection hosts more haute horlogerie models than any other family in the lineup. What unites all these manifestations, from the simplest to the most complex, is the distinctive look of the Portugieser with its clean, well-organised, legible dials and large dimensions. Tourbillons are no strangers […]
Monochrome
As the world’s oldest watch manufacturer in continuous production since 1755, Vacheron Constantin can be proud of its distinguished heritage. With a rich archive at its disposition, the brand can dip into over two and a half centuries for inspiration. The Patrimony collection made its debut in 2004 and turned its gaze back to the […]
Monochrome
IWC Schaffhausen has undertaken a comprehensive reworking and refinement of one of its most iconic models, the Portugieser collection. At Watches and Wonders this week in Geneva, four new versions are unveiled: two in white gold with blue and sand-coloured dials and two in Armor Gold with black and silver dials. And there’s more to […]
Monochrome
Denis Flageollet, the founder of De Bethune, is renowned as a master watchmaker who has steered his reverence for ancestral horological craftsmanship into radically contemporary settings. Perhaps his credentials should also include ‘master alchemist’ because when Flageollet starts playing with fire in his workshop (which includes a blacksmith), the results are out-of-this-world spectacular. The latest […]
Monochrome
Two years ago, Speak Marin added Ripples, a luxury sports watch, to its repertoire. Although it marks a departure from the brand’s models housed in the distinctive and regal Piccadilly case, some elements of the design language associated with Speake Marin have prevailed. Offered initially with monochromatic dials, Speake Marin’s chic sports watch welcomes a […]
Monochrome
The definition of an icon is someone or something that is a representative symbol. In watchmaking, we often tout specific models as being iconic, and the term fits perfectly well most of the time. It’s often referred to as a poster-type watch for an entire brand, a specific style of design, or a genre of […]
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.
Comments
No comments yet, be the first to weigh in.