Zenith’s Defy family is represented by seven sub-collections, including the recent Defy Skyline range. The name of the collection dates to Zenith’s 1902 line of robust pocket watches bearing the name ‘Defi’ only to pop up again in 1969 to distinguish the toughest member of the first El Primero references. For the Defy Skyline collection, Zenith borrowed specific design cues...
The brainchild of Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, known for his high-end tourbillons or chronographs, Kurono Tokyo is the man’s vision of a more accessible brand. Still driven by an almost obsessive attention to detail, which somehow explains the low availability of these watches, Asaoka is here focussing on design more than watchmaking. Following the 2022 series of Art Deco w...
Lorca is a new microbrand with an inaugural piece offering GMT functionality, which is always nice to welcome to the market. Its Canadian founder (with both Swiss and Canadian roots) now resides in New York, but the watch has a positively European style and Swiss-made designation. The movement is also a step above your typical Sellita offering. There's a retro vibe with two dial colours available ...
Trends come and go, and we see the same happening in the watchmaking industry. Retro is still very much hot, so it’s only natural multiple brands dive into their archives and see what can be brought back to life one way or another. Other brands might rather take a prised baby into new directions by pairing together new materials and colours. With these ebb and flow movements of the industry,...
We’re only weeks away from the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season, as all the teams have presented their new cars (mainly liveries) over the past fortnight or so. But this time around, it wasn’t the new cars that were the talk of the town, but rather the shock announcement that Lewis Hamilton has signed with Ferrari for the 2025 season! Although that is still a year away, and he will l...
Discovering new brands is always a lot of fun, especially when the result is quite surprising and even impressive. Such is the case with one of our latest discoveries, coming straight from the Big Apple. Launching on Kickstarter today, upstart watchmaking company Foliot Watches is determined to make some waves with its second and latest collection, the Scubanaut. Available as both a dive-only Scub...
One of the oldest collections in Omega’s history, the Constellation has been around since 1952 (only surpassed in longevity by the Seamaster). First a classic, elegant chronometer-rated watch, the Omega Constellation drastically changed in the 1980s with the introduction of the Constellation Manhattan distinguished by its integrated design and hallmark claws. Revived in 2019 with a feminine ...
A still relatively young brand that has always infused vintage flair in its watches, Baltic and its founder, Etienne Malec, have a keen eye for design and retro charm. Whether it’s a classic dive watch, a pair of sector dial watches with stepped bezels, a chronograph for classic car racing or a Calatrava-styled watch that caused a stir, there’s undeniable desirability in what are still...
Tissot has just released a new version of its successful sporty-chic watch, the PRX, which?resembles last year’s gold PVD-coated PRX Powermatic 80 with its bold design and colour scheme. However, what sets this edition apart is the intricate details that weave a narrative reflecting Damian Lillard’s journey and character. One of NBA’s most talented players, Lillard was already on...
In today’s day and age, it’s easy to forget that the wrist-worn timekeeping devices we love so much come from a long history of clockmaking. After all, clockmaking precedes watchmaking by several centuries, as the first mechanical clocks date back to the 13th century. But even before that, people were fascinated by the passing of time and tried making sense of it through sundials, wate...
Qualifying as Omega’s perfect everyday watch, the Seamaster Aqua Terra collection has long represented an elegant take on the aquatic watch or, conversely, a dress watch with a sportier vibe – take your pick. Over the years, we’ve seen countless editions of this watch, specifically following its facelift in 2017. It’s also been a testing ground for colours, as we saw with t...
A few days ago, the MONOCHROME team delivered our yearly forecast of potential launches for the 2024 Collection. As always, we try our best to guess what the Crown will be presenting at the watch industry’s largest fair, Watches and Wonders. While trying to imagine and design these potential models, we also started to think about its sister brand, Tudor. This year, we’ve had intrig...
First released in 2005 as a more powerful version of the Omega Seamaster, the Planet Ocean 600m has now become an entire collection with various complications, sizes and colours/materials?– without even mentioning its bigger brother, the mighty PO 6000m. Discreetly released by Omega, six new references join the collection – three time-and-date 43.5mm and three chronographs 45.5mm ̵...
The Moon, our beloved neighbouring satellite, has a huge influence on life on Earth; it slows down the rotational speed of our planet, affects the tides of our oceans and forms the foundation of our convention of time. As the Moon is an ever-present celestial body, completing one cycle around our planet in approximately 29.5 days, it’s not surprising that it turns up in many watches, whether...
A couple of days ago, we received the news that Tudor, a brand owned by and focused on military, diving and aquatic activities, was back in motorsport. To be more precise, the brand announced joining the brand-new Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team as an official partner. Yesterday, the Red Bull-owned team unveiled the livery of its 2024 cars and official images of its drivers, Daniel Ricciardo a...
Zenith captured the attention and resonated strongly with enthusiasts in 2021 by unveiling the Chronomaster Sport collection. Setting itself apart from its predecessors, the series introduced several distinctive elements. Notably, the bezel graduated to 1/10th of a second, a departure from the traditional and arguably redundant tachymeter scale found on many chronographs. Following multiple varian...
In our exploratory trip around the world to uncover some of the most interesting independent watchmaking stories, we make a stop in Denmark this time around. The work of Rune Bakkendorff, a young and upcoming watchmaker from Denmark has recently been brought to our attention through our friends of The Limited Edition. Curious to learn what Rune has been doing so far, and is going to do into the fu...
With its Captain Cook, Rado, a brand part of the Swatch Group, is merging two important sides of its history. First, this watch collection revived one of the brand’s greatest watches of the past, a 1960s dive watch with a rather peculiar yet attractive design. Second, it is used as a vessel to showcase the company’s leading know-how in high-tech materials (the brand labels itself as Th...
Introduced last year as a project, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has to be seen as one of the most interesting recent initiatives in the field of independent and high-end watchmaking. Even though backed up by the world's largest luxury conglomerates, the LV Watch Prize aims to become a biennial prize that celebrates the creative talent, savoir-faire and audacity of the in...
The 2024 Formula 1 season hasn’t started yet. Teams are yet to present their new cars and liveries. And yet, the season seems to already be on a rapid pace. Following the announcement last week of a global partnership between H. Moser & Cie. and Alpine Motorsport, which includes the BWT Alpine F1 Team, it is time for another unexpected announcement on the track… Indeed, Tudor, the ...
When it was relaunched with a modernized and sleeker design in 2016, the Piaget Polo adopted the design cues of luxury sports watches, slightly changing the face of the collection to become a cushion-shaped watch. However, this isn't how the model started its life. This year, Piaget celebrates its 150th anniversary, and to whet our appetite, the brand brings back the unmistakable, opulent, equestr...
Like clockwork, every Sunday, we group together a bunch of watches around a common theme in our Buying Guide. This can revolve around a whole range of topics, such as colours, shapes and materials but also a certain style or even complications. Very rarely do we go deep into the movement to distinguish a series of watches, but today is one of those days. The vast majority of the watches rely on th...
It’s tempting to delve into the detailed backgrounds of the individuals behind this independent creation, the Artime ART01 Tourbillon. Each name, obscure to the general public, speaks volumes to watch professionals and enthusiasts with a deeper knowledge of who’s who. Initially, I felt it imperative to provide profiles for each of them when tasked with writing this story. However, such...
In the upcoming February release, Matthew Vaughn unveils his latest cinematic creation, Argylle, delving into the entertaining and twisted world of espionage and spies. Drawing parallels to Vaughn’s other hit, Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), known for its stylish clandestine intrigue, Argylle promises an equally riveting experience. Vaughn’s ongoing collaboration with the British ...
Ikepod is a preeminent figure in unconventional and often contentious design-focused watchmaking icons. Revered by collectors and enthusiasts alike, the brand, founded in 1994 by designer Marc Newson and entrepreneur Oliver Ike, has left an indelible mark on the watchmaking scene. Despite its global success, Ikepod faced a challenging period, with production coming to a halt in 2012. After a perio...
The connection between watches and motorsport has been around for decades, specifically in Formula 1 where almost every team has signed a partnership with a prestigious watch brand. IWC and Mercedes AMG, Ferrari and Richard Mille, Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux… And all of them bringing to the table dedicated timepieces. As the 2024 Formula 1 season will kick off soon and cars are set to ...
Lab-grown diamonds are used extensively in jewellery but rarely in watchmaking. What takes nature billions of years to achieve and immense effort to mine can be pulled off in a laboratory in a matter of weeks. Embracing the technology and leading the pack, TAG Heuer is the first major Swiss brand to integrate lab-grown diamonds into its watches. With the launch of its third Plasma watch during LVM...
Nearly half a century ago, in 1975, Bulgari embarked on a horological voyage that would forever alter the watch design landscape. With only a few watch creations bearing its name, Bulgari showed opulence by gifting 100 gold digital display watches to its most esteemed clients. This bold yet elegantly simple timepiece christened Bulgari Roma, encapsulated the indomitable spirit of the Ancient City ...
While not many of us can pull off one of Bulgari's spectacular high jewellery watches like those presented in the Garden of Eden collection with opulent gemstone flowers winding up the arm, take heart because there are other women's collections designed for everyday wear. One of these is the best-selling Lucea collection launched by Bulgari in 2014. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Lucea gets a ...
The connection between classic cars and Chopard isn't to be demonstrated anymore. Beyond the brand's co-CEO passion for vintage automobiles, the brand has been associated with the emblematic Mille Miglia race since 1988. In the frame of this partnership, Chopard developed a dedicated collection of racing chronographs, with now 35 years of history under the hood. Now, in the context of one of the l...