Independent watchmaker Louis Moinet certainly has demonstrated a fair dosage of creativity over the year, with impressively complex and playful watches, but discretion and compactness were not the first words to come to mind when looking at these watches. Most Louis Moinet models were polarizing, to say the least. Well, until recently, as the brand has decided to take a new direction, with sharper...
It has been quiet regarding the work of independent master watchmaker Thomas Prescher, but things are about to kick into a higher gear. Following the news Thomas Prescher will be attending the Festival of Time event in Waterford, Ireland, we learned there's a new unique piece to be presented there for the first time. One that took three years to complete, primarily due to the Covid-19 pandemic but...
Jaeger-LeCoultre is mostly famous for its elegant, discreetly luxurious watches. The Reverso and Master Control collections are gathering some of the most distinctive watches done by the Grande Maison. Still, sports models have also been a topic of interest for JLC, whether in the past or in recent years. If you're into dive watches, the name Polaris should be familiar, specifically when?the 1968 ...
The A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus is a surprising watch on many levels. Dubbed the ALS you can wear on a daily basis, it’s a rather Germanic take on the luxury sports watch, with a different approach to the concept than, for instance, the Royal Oak, Nautilus or Overseas. More complex, less integrated, not that thin… far less Genta-esque, in fact. It truly has its own personality and, e...
Throughout my years of working for MONOCHROME watches, I have seen architects, computer engineers, pharmacists and many others make a switch into watchmaking. People do this for varying reasons but one thing that always seems to be the case is sheer unbridled passion. Passion for traditional craftsmanship, passion for creating something out of nothing. This leads to the occasional discovery of new...
ChronotempVs, the private Spanish watch collector's club with an international following unveils a new collector's edition made with reputed Swiss manufacturer Zeitwinkel. Attracted by the brand's traditional approach of hand assembling and adjusting its automatic movements, ChronotempVs introduces the 126 watch. Equipped with Zeintwinkel's in-house automatic ZW0102 movement, the design of the di...
Temperatures are rising, the sun is out earlier and brighter every day, birds are chirping their merry songs again, and people are getting into a more relaxed state of mind. Yes, summer is fast approaching! It's only May, and we have a bit of time to kill before we can enjoy a much-deserved summer holiday, so plenty of time for some watch shopping. Today we're looking at some of the best watches f...
We've often talked about parallels between watchmaking and other industries. One to regularly be mentioned is the obvious connection to cars. Both are mechanical items at heart and can rely on an enormous following from across the world. The prime reason for this link is the fact that motorsports (and subsequently cars in general) have a lot to do with timing. Acceleration, top speed, lap times, a...
Touted by Anthony de Haas, director of product development at A. Lange & Sohne, as the “absolute technical highlight” of Watches & Wonders 2022, the Richard Lange Minute Repeater is a case study in classicism and understatement. A far cry from the extravagance of Lange's Grand Complication of 2013 with its profusion of complications and from the 2015 Zeitwerk (decimal) Minute R...
As you are undoubtedly aware, this year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important watches ever created, the most emblematic watch of Audemars Piguet and the most famous creation of genius designer Gerald Genta: the Royal Oak. Although the brand has already released its commemorative collection, including a new flagship watch (the 16202 Jumbo), auction houses are also keen to ride the...
We’ve talked multiple times about the connections between the world of cars and watches, and this couldn’t truer when it comes to motorsport and, specifically, F1. As we’ve seen here, all teams are partnering with a watch brand for the 2022 season. IWC has long been the partner of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One, having created multiple watches inspired by the world of Formula ...
Despite the fact a carefully crafted full dial can be extremely satisfying to look at, there's something magical about seeing the inner mechanism of a watch. I remember when I first got into watches seeing a mechanical movement through a transparent caseback at least as rewarding as the front side of the watch. As my experience, and subsequent passion, grew bigger and bigger, the more I got intrig...
If you think of an ultra-classic, almost conservative but also emblematic watch of Patek Philippe (and don’t mention the Nautilus… today we’re talking high-end watchmaking), it would certainly take the shape of a Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. Born in 1941 with the reference 1518, this combination of complications is clearly a hallmark of the brand and the current version of thi...
The 1st of May 1994 will forever be remembered as one of the darkest days in Formula 1 racing. A day in a racing weekend that was already looking pretty grim, as the sport lost not one but two drivers. Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger both fatally crashed at the (in)famous Imola race track. With Ayrton Senna's status as one of the greatest drivers ever to grace a racetrack, it's only natural t...
During the past year or so, fans of Grand Seiko have been well treated. The many new and superbly executed watches forming the Evolution 9 collection have provoked some discussions and certainly some sales too. And the two White Birch models, either the Hi-Beat Automatic SLGH005 or the Spring Drive SLGA009, have been some of the most coveted watches in the recent history of the brand. Yet, not eve...
As advocates of the whole mechanical watchmaking industry, sharing the passion for watches on a daily basis, even we sometimes discover truly fascinating new people, brands and watches. We've always had a devotion to bringing you the best in the business, and this includes providing a podium to the smallest of the small. We're madly enthusiastic about people dedicating their entire life to painsta...
The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of a very important watch. Presented way back in 1972, the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 was the very first commercially available black-coated watch, and the very first product by Porsche Design as a newly founded company. Headed by Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche, Porsche Design started with and has always evolved around watches. For the ma...
RGM is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the introduction of a couple of new watches, including an updated Model 222-RR. The American watchmaker released this model in 2017 for its 25th anniversary and following an update in 2020 with a Type II Montgomery Railroad Dial, we have this latest variant with a Type I Montgomery dial. The original aesthetic was patented at the start of the 20th centu...
I think most of us can agree that Tissot offers one of the best values for an integrated mechanical sports watch with the PRX Powermatic 80. Less expensive models like the Dumoreau DM01 Automatic and Batavi Architect are intriguing, but the PRX is a mature, well-executed piece from a major Swiss brand. Between this and pricier luxury models like the Bell & Ross BR05 sits the Maurice Lacroix Ai...
For many fans of IWC Schaffhausen, size – big size – is an important issue, so it’s not surprising that the XXL 46mm Big Pilot is considered one of the brand’s flagship models. Realising that not everybody can pull off a 46mm wristwatch, IWC decided to offer the Big Pilot in a smaller 43mm case size last year. In a similar move, IWC revisited its vintage-inspired Portofino ...
Within the ever-growing and successful Black Bay range by Tudor, we’ve now seen watches covering most of the needs for professional, vintage-inspired sports models. From the classic 41mm diver’s watch to the cool and compact Fifty-Eight models, and then all kinds of materials and colours – including the desirable 925 Silver/Taupe model – it’s an almost endless story. ...
The identity kit of the Master Control collection is a mix of technical rigour with stylistic restraint, drawing on inspiration from classic round timepieces made by Jaeger-Le Coultre in the 1950s. Not perhaps the sexiest name for a collection, JLC's Master Control refers to the fact that this collection was the first to undergo the brand's pioneering “1,000 Hour” control certification...
When it comes to the use of colour in watchmaking, the industry has, for decades, led a pretty conservative life. Colours like white, silver, and black will never go out of style, yet some watch buyers are looking for a little more pop on the wrist. And in today's age, that doesn't have to be limited to a dial either. In today's Buying Guide, we take a look at a group of watches presented during t...
Gaurav, alias @HighendTime on Instagram, is a 45-year old banker from Hong Kong. Although he has managed to complete the holy trinity of watches, understand the classic Royal Oak Jumbo, the Patek Nautilus and the Vacheron Overseas, we won't be talking about these ultra-coveted watches. Instead, Gaurav will share something far bolder and quite rare, to say the least. In our latest instalment of The...
With more than 40 years of independent watchmaking experience, it's fair to say Svend Andersen is one of the most seasoned watchmakers and a leading character in the industry. After working at Patek Philippe in the 1970s, he founded Andersen Geneve in 1980 and since has been at the forefront of the indie scene. He's a founding member of the AHCI for instance, in which he has always aimed to share ...
The Captain Cook is certainly one of Rado's most iconic collections – if not its most emblematic current collection. Named after the British explorer, this adventure-ready watch was originally presented in 1962. Since it was relaunched in 2017, the Captain Cook has become one of the pillars of the brand's collections. Among the 2022 novelties, a limited-edition model now joins the line-up wi...
Dazzled by the extravagant high jewellery Limelight Gala watches or the extreme thinness of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, The new Piaget Polo Date Black model was somewhat eclipsed during the latest edition of Watches & Wonders. Piaget's interpretation of the luxury sports watch, the Polo made its debut in 1979 and underwent a radical makeover in 2016. Unlike the ultra-thin gold Polo Skeleto...
The pandemic changed many things in our lives, among these is a decline in formal attire and sartorial standards. Now that we are progressing out of lockdown, it is time to make a case for a return of formal elegance, to get back to some kind of classic, refined style. In watch-related terms, it is time for a comeback of the dress watch If the dress watch may once have been seen as bringing anonym...
In cosmology, the Big Bang marks the beginning of time; in the watchmaking universe, it is associated with Hublot's flagship watch. Launched in 2005, the Big Bang exploded on the scene with its unusual combination of materials and bold design. Today, Hublot presents a watch it claims to be the world's first full-ceramic minute repeater. It is true that ceramic has almost never been used to create ...
The luxury sports watch, preferably with an integrated design, has exploded in recent years. Both in contenders and in sales, as more and more brands enter this hotter-than-hot segment of the market. Regular faces and newcomers all want a piece of the action, and this leads to surprising new options to choose from. Today we're looking at three such watches on the more affordable side of the spectr...