The Odysseus disembarked at A. Lange & Sohne in 2019, the Saxon brand's interpretation of a luxury steel sports watch with a personality all its own. Not only was it the first steel model for the brand, but it was also the first model with 120m water-resistance, the first model with a metallic integrated bracelet, and it was equipped with a bespoke movement. The Odysseus is back in resplendent...
The name of A. Lange & Sohne‘s 1815 watch family refers to the year Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born, the founder of precision watchmaking in Glashutte, Germany. Inspired by F.A. Lange's pocket watches, all 1815 models are hand-wound and feature classical details like the peripheral railway-track minutes scale. One of the most traditional, understated yet refined references is the 1815 ti...
Turning twenty this year, Hublot‘s Big Bang exploded on the watch scene with its bold fusion of state-of-the-materials and extroverted design. Hublot's first in-house flyback chronograph movement, the Unico, materialised in 2010 and was deployed inside the specially designed Big Bang Unico, with its mechanism visible on the dial. As a brand that has played with materials since day one, the B...
Louis Cartier's Tank watch, introduced in 1917, marked a before and after in men's wristwatches. Breaking with the taste for ornately decorated cases, the Tank Normale's geometric case, inspired by an aerial view of armoured Renault tanks deployed in WW1, was a precursor of the clean minimalist lines of Art Deco. Thanks to its well-executed and disarmingly simple design, the Tank Normale proved in...
The latest Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF by Chopard comes in a ceramicised titanium case and bezel, staying true to the collection’s signature aesthetic while enhancing durability and lightness. Its core specifications remain unchanged: a 41mm diameter with a 9.75mm thickness, a screw-down crown adorned with a compass rose, and crown guards for protection. A sapphire crystal caseback, marked with...
The ultra-thin, 3.7mm Calibre 98.01-L, certified by both the Poin?on de Geneve and COSC, was the second developed by the Chopard manufacture and followed the groundbreaking Calibre L.U.C 96.01-L, which was created in collaboration with Michel Parmigiani and laid the foundation for future movement development. The manually wound 98.01-L featured Chopard’s so-called Quattro technology: a four-...
Launched in 2023, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 pays tribute to the bold design of the Ingenieur SL Ref. 1832, created by Gerald Genta in the 1970s. While staying true to its iconic aesthetic, the re-engineered model offers improved ergonomics and refined finishing. As gold was also used to make the 1970s Ingenieur SL Ref. 9232, it's only fitting that IWC introduces a new Ingenieur Automatic 40 craft...
Switzerland might be landlocked, but Ulysse Nardin, a young watchmaker from Le Locle, consolidated his reputation by producing precision marine chronometers. By the 1870s, the manufacture supplied more than 50 navies and merchant marine companies with chronometers to calculate longitude at sea. These days, Ulysse Nardin plays on its marine heritage with its classical Marine collection and contempo...
The Tribute Duoface Small Seconds stands out as one of the finest modern expressions of the timeless Reverso by Jaeger-LeCoultre. First presented in 1994, the Duoface concept does not offer caseback engraving options. Instead, it compensates with the added functionality of a second time zone display on the reverse side, making full use of its flipping case. This year, two new stainless steel versi...
Introduced in 2018, the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere series brought a unique world-time complication to the forefront, featuring two rotating globes depicting the northern and southern hemispheres. Designed with a distinctive vintage tool-watch aesthetic, it was Montblanc's answer to the ultimate explorer's timepiece – a rugged and reliable companion for mountaineering and outdoor adventures. Si...
Since TAG Heuer announced its return as the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 earlier this year, we’ve already seen an updated Formula 1 Chronograph collection. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph – powered by the cutting-edge TH81-00 movement introduced last year – joined the F1-inspired lineup. What remained a mystery, however, was...
Not all of Vacheron Constantin's 270th-anniversary pieces are steeped in classicism. The three Traditionnelle Openface models are refreshingly contemporary, offering a view of the modern architecture of their calibres. While the complications differ from model to model, the new trilogy shares openworked dials, a special guilloche pattern designed to mark the anniversary and luxurious platinum case...
IWC staged the much-anticipated return of its Ingenieur in 2023, an iconic reference designed by the late Gerald Genta. Recovering genetic traits of Genta's famous 1976 Ingenieur SL Jumbo reference 1832, the current collection was rekindled with a handsome, fully integrated 40mm Automatic in steel and titanium. The latest Ingenieur Automatic is slightly larger and dressed in black ceramic from hea...
When talking about vintage Grand Seiko watches, some references or acronyms have a lot of meaning. For instance, 44GS refers to one of the most important models ever, the watch that initiated the Grammar of Design and the shape of all subsequent creations. The acronym VFA also has its importance. Standing for Very Fine Adjusted and first used in 1969, this designation defined a Grand Seiko watch t...
Deploying its full arsenal for Watches and Wonders 2025, the Saxon powerhouse A. Lange & Sohne unveils the Minute Repeater Perpetual, a potent horological cocktail combining a minute repeater with a perpetual calendar. A rare and ambitious mix, the imposing platinum Minute Repeater Perpetual with a black enamel dial is powered by a newly developed manual-winding movement.?Lange has ample exper...
Celebrating its grand 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin's bespoke Les Cabinotiers atelier presents a record-breaking watch with no fewer than 41 complications. Still holding the record for the world's most complex pocket watch, the Berkley, itself beating its own reference 57260, Vacheron now claims the title for the world's most complicated wristwatch, overtaking the Franck Muller Aeternitas...
In the beginning, there was a Big Bang! According to scientists, the Big Bang Theory explains the universe’s origin: a hot dense point that rapidly expanded and stretched over 13.7 billion years ago. No doubt inspired by the impact of the name and its projected expansion over time, Hublot unveiled its Big Bang Chronograph 20 years ago. When it erupted on the scene in 2005, it was the paragon...
The Big Crown Pointer Date, an important piece in the history of Oris since 1938, has lived through various iterations over the years, evolving with the times to introduce changes and improvements but always faithful to the spirit of the original. In 2021, Oris introduced a 38mm Big Crown Pointer Date model powered by calibre 403, an in-house developed automatic movement with solid resistance to m...
We are undoubtedly in a golden age of the ultra-thin watch, with records continuously being shattered and timepieces at a level of thinness that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago At Watches and Wonders 2024, Piaget clinched the record for the thinnest tourbillon ever with its?Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, measuring a mere 2mm. Well, just a year later, Bulgari recapt...
Let’s push on several open doors… One, Cartier, the French jeweller-watchmaker, is the master of shaped watches. Second, Cartier’s most emblematic watch is, undoubtedly, the Tank. Third, there are actually dozens of Tank watches, and the depth of the collection goes far beyond the Tank LC and the Tank Normale. With this in mind, and knowing what Cartier has done recently with its...
For more than twelve years, MONOCHROME has been dedicated to fine watches. Our team of experts is always looking for an opportunity to explain every aspect of Haute Horlogerie - whether manufactured by well-known watch brands that have been in the business for centuries or by artisanal watchmakers. MONOCHROME is one of the most read watch blogs (or online magazines, as we prefer to call it ourselv...
A contemporary reimagining of Chopard's 1980s St. Moritz line, the Alpine Eagle collection debuted in 2019 and swiftly became a cornerstone of the brand's sports watch lineup. Over the years, the series has expanded to include a variety of sizes, materials, and complications, solidifying its place among Chopard's offerings. This year, among its latest releases, Chopard introduces an ultra-thin Alp...
IWC is busy this year rolling out new iterations of its Ingenieur, a collection that underwent a major revamp in 2023 to resurface with its Gerald Genta heritage intact. The watch we're introducing today comes with a fun story involving actor Brad Pitt and the upcoming movie F1. What was initially a prop watch for Pitt's character has inspired the real deal: a special 1,000-piece edition of the In...
IWC's stellar piece for Watches & Wonders is the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar, the first complication to join the family since it was revamped in 2023. What's more, the 41mm Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar is the first stainless steel model at IWC to bear the names of two legends in the world of watchmaking. Evoking the imprint of Gerald Genta's 1976 design for the Ingenieur, the watch is powered...
The new Cubitus collection of sporty-chic watches by Patek Philippe was the most anticipated launch of last year but also the most discussed and commented new release of 2024. Initially released in steel, steel and gold two-tone 45mm by 8.3mm case as Cubitus 5821 time and date reference on a matching metal bracelet and as 5822P with moon phase, instantaneous day of the week and instantaneous big d...
Since its introduction in 1932, many consider the Calatrava reference 96 as the paragon of an elegant dress watch. Although the collection has expanded in different directions, fans of the classical, timeless, time-only, ultra-slim, manual-winding dress watch will be pleased to learn about the latest Calatrava released during Watches & Wonders 2025. With its vintage-inspired rose-gilt opaline ...
Patek Philippe introduces a new and powerful manual-winding calibre for the equally new Calatrava 8 Day Ref. 5328G. As you have gleaned from the name, the new twin barrel movement delivers an impressive 192-hour or 8-day power reserve. While the watch is officially a Calatrava, it shares traits with the more casual aesthetic of the Travel Time 5326 and upholds one of Patek's objectives for 2025 by...
Vintage pilot watches have soared in popularity with remakes of legitimate aviator watches by historical brands and look-alikes by countless others. However, when Patek Philippe introduced its Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524 during Baselworld 2015, it caught everybody off guard. Presented in white gold with a blue dial and pushers on the left, the Travel Time, as its name indicates, is fitte...
Since 1991, Jaeger-LeCoultre has marked each new decade of the Reverso with a special edition, beginning with the Soixantieme, which celebrated the model's 60th anniversary. Introduced in 1931, the Reverso remained a time-only watch until this milestone edition became the first to feature complications. A decade later, the Septantieme showcased the brand's expertise in movement manufacturing and a...
Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso started life in 1931 as a pragmatic solution for British polo players in India who were constantly smashing the glass on their watches. Thanks to its patented swivelling case, players could protect the dial and switch it back in time for a Pimms Cup. A pivotal moment in the life of the Reverso, the famous reversible watch with stylish Art Deco aesthetics, occurred in the...