Hands-on – Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s – a Groovy Trip Down Memory Lane

The 1950s and 1960s have been all the rage on the watchmaking scene of late inspiring models that satisfy our nostalgia for the past beating with contemporary movements. Vintage mania is at all-time high and the 1970s are inching their way onto the style radar with proposals like this groovy Blancpain Bathyscaphe Day Date 70s oozing a cool 1970s vibe. MONOCHROME fell in love with this watch and it made our Top 10 ranking of the best dive watches of Baselworld 2018. Featuring a day and date window like its forebear, the watch is a limited edition of just 500 pieces and will hit the note with vintage hunters – so track down some bell-bottoms and a tie-dye shirt and get ready to hit Studio 54 with a watch straight back from the 1970s.

6 years ago

Hands-on – Claude Meylan Légende 69 (and yes, with a Vintage Valjoux 69 Movement)

A visit at “Les Ateliers” (editor’s note, the place where most independent watchmakers exhibit) at Baselworld 2018 can sometimes bring very nice surprises – especially if you have a love for old-school chronograph watches. The Claude Meylan Légende 69 is a clean, simple, elegant time-stopper. As its name suggests, it is powered by a vintage Valjoux 69 chronograph movement, entirely refurbished and redecorated by Claude Meylan, an independent watchmaker based in the Vallée de Joux, specialized in crafting skeletonized watches.

6 years ago

HANDS-ON: This watch means business – the Cartier Santos in yellow gold 

If you’re a relative newcomer to the whole world of watches, it’s easy to underestimate just how big Cartier is, and how important their impact on modern watchmaking is. Cartier have carved themselves an unimpeachable place as the evergreen masters of the shaped watch, and the Santos is the watch that started it all. While the origins of the Santos date back to the early 20th century, its primary stylistic association lies not with Belle Époque Europe but rather with Wall Street, circa 1980-something, as the modern Santos was launched (on that oh-so-distinctive bracelet) in 1978. The Santos was a key element in the power dresser’s uniform. The ultimate expression of this power watch has to be the full yellow gold version — the epitome of ’80s opulence, excess and awesomeness, all in a convenient, wrist-sized package. And now that the ’80s is sufficiently distant in our rear-view mirror for heartwarming nostalgia to set in, the Santos is back. It was Cartier’s hero at SIHH, with its new movement, redesigned case and exceptionally user-friendly quick change bracelet and link systems — all upgrades that make a very 2018 watch, even if the looks have barely changed in the last 30-odd years.…

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6 years ago

VIDEO: The TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition – an icon on the wrist

There’s more to a watch than how it feels and looks on the wrist. Some watches carry a weight greater than what you can measure in grams — they also bear the weight of decades of heritage and sociocultural significance. The Monaco — a true icon of the industry — is one such watch. It’s even more true when that Monaco has a Gulf dial. Those stripes, on that dial, add up to a double hit of Steve McQueen iconography. The watch he wore in Le Mans, emblazoned with the colours of the car he drove, all in one convenient 39mm package. And while this piece of history gives you a good idea as to who this watch is pitched at, it doesn’t quite capture just how much fun it is on the wrist. The Monaco is fun in and of itself, but the popping strap and striped dial take it to the next level, as you can see. TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition Australian pricing and availability TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition, steel on calf, $7650

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6 years ago

In the shop – Canvas Watch Roll – Your Watch Comes Out Polished

This one was long overdue… an introduction of the canvas watch roll that we added to our webshop half a year ago. I travel quite a bit and I take a few watches with me whenever I’m on the road, or more likely, in airplanes and airport lounges. How do you bring your watches with you when you’re traveling? I’ve tried and tested many pouches, boxes and roll, and finally decided to create one that ticks all boxes.

6 years ago

WHO TO FOLLOW: @EnriqueMuyshondt

Enrique Muyshondt is the founder of Muyshondt Enterprises, a company that creates electric torches. He loves simple, vintage, analog things — cars, vinyl, cameras, and, of course, watches. Hi Enrique, tell me about your love affair with watches; do you remember when it started? I had a Timex with Indiglo when I was a kid, which would never come off my wrist — I’m a post-quartz-crisis guy. Over time I had more modern fare, Citizen Eco-Drive watches in particular, and eventually made my way to mechanical watches a few years ago, starting with a Seiko Sumo, and then it all went downhill from there! There’s a particular appeal for me in clean, elegant design that’s prevalent in many modern watch brands, and a specific fascination with a form of engineering taken to its furthest possible form in watches, F1 racing, and a few other fields. What is your daily watch, and why? It varies. Lately, a Mitsukoshi (Panda) Speedmaster, but the polar-dialled Rolex Explorer II, Omega Seamaster 300 (vintage re-issue) and others are also favourites from the larger brands. I’m a particular fan of the work from Halios and Oak & Oscar, in microbrands, as well. What does your collection look…

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6 years ago