Baselworld 2019 – Ressence Type 5 Night Blue

Ressence likes to do things like no other in the watchmaking industry… Its approach is both modern, technical and unique, and yet lots of traditional mechanics inside. Already impressive with its in-house orbital display of the time, Ressence decided to even improve the concept with an oiled-filled piece, with the Type 3. And then, benefiting from this distortion-free system, a dive watch was launched. For 2019, the Ressence Type 5 gets updated with a Night blue dial – relevant for a dive watch!

5 years ago

Baselworld 2019 – Zenith Defy Inventor – The Revolutionary Zenith Oscillator now Commercialized (Live Pics & Video)

More than three centuries after the invention of the sprung balance (by Hooke/Huygens), the oscillator is back in the limelight. Exploring new frontier and technological breakthroughs in mechanical watchmaking, the oscillator is considered the crowning glory for the most inventive and skillful watchmakers. Just a few days after the presentation of the Ulysse Nardin Freak […]

5 years ago

Baselworld 2019 – Patek Philippe Chronograph 5172G (Replacing the 5170)

The classic Patek Philippe hand-wound chrono immediately come to mind to any collector thinking about high-end chronographs. The 5070 (based on a Lemania ebauche for Patek Philippe) was presented in 1998. It was replaced by the reference 5170 and its in-house, CH 29-535 hand-wound movement (that was launched the year before in a ladies watch). […]

5 years ago

Video – Understanding the Concept behind the Innovative Armin Strom Resonance

Armin Strom was already known for their fascinating juxtaposition of modern skeletonization and traditional Haute-Horlogerie finishing. Something that here, at MONOCHROME, we’ve always seen as true “watchmaking lesson on the wrist”. Due to their openworked nature, you can see how the movement works. In 2016, Armin Strom introduced a watch that is nothing short of spectacular and that showcases one of the ultimate challenges in chronometry: resonance.

5 years ago

Hands-on – MB&F Legacy Machine Flying T – The First MB&F Dedicated to Women

At long last! We might not be a majority, but there are plenty of women out there who appreciate the micro-mechanical delights of a watch but are unwilling to settle for a men’s watch spruced up with stones. MB&F has broken its 14-year-long tradition of masterminding complex, visually arresting men’s watches and taken its first […]

5 years ago

Hands-on – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Black Ceramic Ref. 26522

In the early 1970s, Audemars Piguet introduced a watch that would forever unite the worlds of luxury and sport. Now, almost 50 years later, the brand continues to find innovative and intriguing ways to reinvent the Royal Oak, ensuring it remains one of the most sought-after watch collections in the world. This year, Audemars Piguet […]

5 years ago

Hands-on – Dijkman Watches Versum, another one-man Dutch brand

We’ve been exploring the Dutch fields of watchmaking recently, with for instance the Van der Gang 20019 chronograph, the 3D-Printed watches of Dutch watchmaker Michiel Holthinrichs or the first watch by De Rijke Watches & Co, the Amalfi Series I. Today we shed light on yet another Dutch creation, driven by one man’s passion for […]

5 years ago

Introducing – Ulysse Nardin Freak NeXt – A New Concept with Revolutionary 3D Flying Oscillator (Live Pics)

As we’ve explained already, compliant mechanisms offer huge innovation potential for mechanical watchmaking. As another proof of this revolution, the latest version of the Ulysse Nardin Freak is packed with innovative applications of flexible parts, including a revolutionary flying oscillator whose tridimensional architecture is based on flexible silicon blades. Meet the latest model in a long lineage of innovative watches, the Ulysse Nardin Freak NeXt. And if it is still a concept watch for now, it might make it into production in a very near future.

5 years ago

Women’s Watch Wednesday – Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Night & Day Jewellery Watch

Earlier this year at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Jaeger-LeCoultre pulled out all the stops for its women’s watches. The brand’s much-coveted Rendez-Vous collection (released seven years ago in 2012 and created just for women) was top on the list when it came to new editions. Of particular note were the high jewellery pieces that flaunted new dials, new moon phase disks and beautiful prong settings.

5 years ago