Camouflage dials have been a big hit in the past couple of years, and we've covered several combat-ready models. Zenith pushes the camouflage concept to the extreme, giving its Defy Extreme a radical makeover with a reflective mirrored surface. Undoubtedly the boldest take on its high-performance 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph, the latest manifestation blends into its surroundings thanks to its d...
The Andersen Geneve x Benjamin Chee HH Celestial Voyager Supersonic is the latest in a series of classic world timers created by one of the most respected Swiss independent watchmakers and avid Singaporean collectors, Benjamin Chee. These sophisticated, elegant wristwatches transport us to a different era, echoing the artistry of bygone elegance. A prime example, the Celestial Voyager Supersonic c...
Despite being barely existent anymore or now a memory from the past, some brands continue to live within the collecting community, benefitting from a certain aura. One of these brands is Universal Geneve, a once-prominent manufacturer known for its innovative designs (the Polerouter or the Tri-Compax, to name a few) and technically advanced movements (the famed micro-rotor). With the quartz crisis...
With the festive season just around the corner, Vacheron Constantin lights up its Overseas Tourbillon with a blaze of baguette-set diamonds. First introduced to the brand's successful luxury sports Overseas collection in 2019, the Tourbillon model boasts a slim profile thanks to the incorporation of Vacheron Constantin's ultra-thin tourbillon calibre 2160. The latest Overseas Tourbillon marks a fi...
“Put two creative people in a room, and watch the magic happen.” While it might not exactly work like that, a joint project between two designers, artists or brands can lead to wonderful new things. It happens in art, it happens in fashion, and as you’ve guessed it, it happens in watchmaking. Over the years, the ‘collaboration game‘ has spawned some incredibly cool cr...
This year marks the 35th anniversary of Frederique Constant, and there is plenty to celebrate. With 31 in-house calibres under its belt, including complications like the tourbillon, perpetual calendar, flyback chronograph or the advanced Monolithic Oscillator, the brand founded by Dutch couple Aletta and Peter Stas and now in the hands of Citizen Group has stuck to its philosophy of accessible lux...
A brand with a distinctive identity, Rado is widely recognised as a pioneer of innovative materials, starting with the world’s first scratchproof material used on board the DiaStar of 1962 and evolving to become a reference in the production of high-tech ceramic cases. Interestingly, Rado has developed these materials in tandem with the brand’s other facet as a designer of contemporary...
The Alpiner Extreme collection is Alpina's take on the hyper-popular category of sports watches with integrated bracelets. Relaunched in 2022 with a robust cushion-shaped case and a textured dial, the first model took many by surprise with its regulator dial, a throwback to a popular and massive 48mm Alpina model known as the Avalanche Regulator of 2005. Following hard on the heels of the Regulato...
As the Product Creation Executive Director at Bulgari Horlogerie, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani is renowned for his keen focus on design. While our discussions with him at MONOCHROME typically revolve around watches, this exceptionally versatile designer harbours various talents. The announcement of Bulgari's collaboration with cult video game Gran Turismo provided the opportunity to unveil not on...
While the modern side of Roger Dubuis is unmistakably all about bold high horology (what the brand names Hyper Horology), there’s one collection that might even make a greater impact with watches infused with Medieval mythology and, in particular, by the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur. Ever since the first Knights of the Round Table timepiece was unveiled in 2013, this th...
A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine a top luxury watch brand partnering with a video game license. The fact is that the perception of the gaming culture has changed radically over the years. Drastically. Once considered geeky and a teenager's hobby, gaming is now cool and talks to a much wider audience. Thanks to Bulgari and Gran Turismo, you can now display your love for gaming cu...
I’m torn between considering the 2023 season of the Formula 1 World Championship good or bad for the sport. We saw utter dominance, where one team has won all but one race in the season, and specifically one driver declassing the entire field. And this to an extent we have never seen before and are likely never to see again. But what does that mean heading forward? Is it good or bad for F1 a...
IWC goes to town with its Big Pilot's Watch, fitted with a tourbillon and dedicated to the protagonist of Le Petit Prince, the charming prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupery's novella. Flaunting the Petit Prince sub-collection's hallmark blue dial, the latest Big Pilot's Watch belongs to the downsized, more manageable 43mm version introduced in 2021.Since 2013, IWC has enjoyed a unique collaboratio...
Collaborations and watches inspired by pop and street culture are, without a doubt, an important part of Audemars Piguet‘s recent history. No other brand on the haute horlogerie scene has fostered such creative synergies with different universes. Sport, pop culture, art, fashion and entertainment… It looks at things from a different perspective, like it or not. This year, Audemars Pigu...
Ikepod was founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Oliver Ike and influential designer Marc Newson, the name behind three Atmos clocks for Jaeger-LeCoultre and Ikepod’s cult pod-shaped UFO watches that caught the eye of designers, artists and architects worldwide. Although Ikepod had a bumpy financial ride, it was revitalised in 2018 to attract a new generation with great design and aggressive price...
Horage is a truly unique company within the Swiss watch industry. And this is something you immediately feel when visiting the independent watchmaking brand's facilities in Biel. If the setting is obviously that of a watchmaking company, it also feels like a start-up when you walk across the corridors, workbenches or machines The reason why brands stand out from their competition is often related ...
Mostly known for being the brand of the peripheral technology, Carl F. Bucherer, within its Manero collection, is no stranger to complications. Ranging from petite complications such as a big date or a power reserve to a highly technical Triple Peripheral Minute Repeater, there’s room for multiple iterations. A function that hasn’t been overlooked by the brand is the perpetual calendar...
Just like the phoenix rises from its ashes, something beautiful can emerge from destruction. Or, in this case, almost destruction… What you see here should not have existed. What you see here should have gone straight into the trash, resulting from rejection at quality control and not passing the desired standards. What you see here is a watch that celebrates resilience and redemption. What ...
Introduced to the luxury sports watch scene in 2019, the Alpine Eagle draws inspiration from the original 1980s Chopard St. Moritz, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s inaugural watch creation. Since its debut, the Alpine Eagle has become an essential collection, offering authentic, contemporary, and highly compelling timepieces. For the new and distinctive Alpine Eagle Sunburnt, Chopard partnered wi...
Dubai Watch Week just closed its sixth and largest edition, consolidating its trajectory as a reference and an industry-leading event. The show attracted close to 23,000 visitors and had over 60 brands showcasing their latest timepieces, many exclusively launched at the event. As with previous editions, the educational and experiential dimension was at the heart of the event. Hind Abdul Hamied Sed...
Vacheron Constantin invites us on an exotic journey of discovery with its latest Les Cabinotiers Rectis de Voyages, unique timepieces that trace the international expansion of the Maison. Established in 1755, the founder's grandson, Jacques-Barthelemi Vacheron, and his partner, Fran?ois Constantin, were quick to appreciate global markets leading to commercial ties with Central Europe, South Americ...
With the whole watch world zooming in on Dubai for about a week and a half, it was expected there would be no shortage of captivating and fresh new watches being presented during Dubai Watch Week. And boy, the 2023 edition of what has become one of the most important fairs of the year did not disappoint! With various brands presenting adaptations of existing collections, there were also a fair few...
Readers of The Collector's Series and the Collector's Corner know that I sometimes contribute to the column - writing articles for the series is just one more way for me to get excited about vintage watches. I read a little about a specific watch, go deeper down the rabbit hole, and before I know it, I'm looking for listings on Chrono24. Sometimes, I write weird, off-kilter posts like that time in...
Bremont, Britain's largest manufacturer of luxury watches, recently announced that it has appointed Davide Cerrato as CEO and a member of the Board. During Dubai Watch Week 2023, we had time to sit down with this industry veteran and understand his message to clients, how the company's new growth plan will work and more.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Davide, what brought you to Bremont? How did ...
Rado is synonymous with innovative materials, and the DiaStar, introduced in 1962, paved the way as the world's first scratchproof watch made from an ultra-resilient hard metal in a futuristic oval case. Renowned as the Master of Materials', Rado's competency today lies in high-tech ceramic cases and bracelets. To celebrate the DiaStar's grand 60th birthday, the watch was given a gleaming composit...
The long-standing HydroConquest collection of diving watches by Longines has been a fan favourite for years. Since its introduction in 2007, it gained significant traction with enthusiasts and collectors. It was presented as a more modern diving tool to offset the retro-styled Legend Diver, also (re)launched in 2007. During the course of its life so far, plenty of colour variations have been intro...
Where do we start with a watch that seemingly breaks traditional conventions regarding style and substance? With the visionary individual that created it seems like a good start. Sylvain Berneron, the founder of his eponymous brand, and the former Chief Product Officer of Breitling and, through the support of Breitling CEO Georges Kern, was enabled to set out on his own. In development for a coupl...
Whenever we’re talking about Seiko‘s sports watches, those produced under the Prospex range, my mind quickly pictures a dive watch… There’s no denying the influence of the Japanese watchmaker in this field. It has been instrumental. However, we can’t reduce the history of Seiko’s professional watches only to aquatic models. The brand has had an equally strong in...
Historian, archaeologist, mathematician, philosopher and watchmaker, Ludwig Oechslin is the perfect example of a polymath whose knowledge across different disciplines fuels his innovation and creativity. In the 1980s, his encounter with Rolf W. Schnyder turned Ulysse Nardin into one of the most innovative watch brands around. The presentation of a new Freak at Dubai Watch Week 2023 gave us the per...
Longines teams up with skiing champion Marco Odermatt for a limited edition of its Conquest Chronograph. Registered by Longines in 1954, the Conquest was the first product family of the brand, a serially produced model evolving from the robust waterproof wristwatches designed for French Polar Expeditions with a screw-down caseback. Revisited on its 60th anniversary in the Heritage collection, the ...