Introducing – Hamilton Khaki Field Day-Date 42mm “Camouflage” Automatic

Following up on the affordable Khaki Field Mechanical 38mm, Hamilton is introducing the Khaki Field Camouflage collection with larger cases and automatic movements. Back in the 1940’s, Hamilton (then an American brand) received the US Army-Navy ‘E’ Award for their ability to deliver one million reliable, accurate watches to the US military. Although Hamilton is now a Swiss brand, the company is proud of its US military roots and continues to produce models that are faithful to that era and the American spirit. The new Khaki Field Day-Date Camouflage watches are more contemporary than their hand-wound 38mm counterparts but still fall within this military aesthetic.

6 years ago

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Grande Date Jour Retrograde

Blancpain’s Villeret collection welcomes the 40mm Grande Date Jour Retrograde on board. Very much in line with the understated, classic tone of the Villeret family, this new Villeret watch features a novel retrograde day of the week indication paired with a big date displayed in two windows. Unveiled at Baselworld 2018, along with a Villeret […]

6 years ago

Review – Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendar 1948

There is no question Vacheron Constantin makes exceptionally fine timepieces. The brand really comes into its element though when it focuses its attention on vintage-inspired models (in my humble opinion at least). These models invariably belong to the Historiques collection, which celebrates some of the brand’s significant models from the past by offering a fresh take. My previous favourite was the 1955 Cornes de Vache Chronograph launched in 2015 but that model was recently usurped by the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendar 1948 I am reviewing here today – which is the luxurious and moonphase-equipped sister of the steel Historiques Triple Calendar 1942 reviewed here.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The Surprisingly Affordable Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar

If you want to dip your toe into the world of sophisticated complications, it usually comes at a price. A tourbillon, for example, can easily add CHF 20,000 or more to the price of a watch. The Longines Master Collection has been around since 2005 and serves as a contemporary alternative to their revered Heritage Collection (with more traditional designs). The Master Collection has a wide variety of complications, from power reserve displays to calendar chronographs with moonphase and more, but these new models are the first for Longines to have an annual calendar. The Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar not only offers a more sophisticated calendar complication than the norm but does so at an impressively affordable price.

6 years ago

Introducing – Hamilton Khaki Pilot Auto Day Date Collection, Celebrating 100 Years of Aviation Timekeeping

Hamilton’s first watch left the factory in 1893, a 17-jewel pocket watch. The company has come a long way since then and has also transformed from an American to a Swiss Manufacturer, currently under the Swatch Group (one of the largest watch manufacturers and distributors). 2018 marks 100 years of providing pilots with accurate and reliable timepieces, and the company is celebrating with its latest pilot series, the Khaki Pilot Auto Day Date. Combining design elements from previous collections, the new pilot’s watches have a vintage feel with modern touches. They’re also approachable with competitive prices, despite a Swiss automatic movement with day/date complication.

6 years ago

Hands-on – Christiaan van der Klaaw Planetarium – With the World’s Smallest Mechanical Planetarium

Christiaan van der Klaauw will go down in history as having the created the smallest mechanical planetarium in the world, condensed into the miniature arena of a wristwatch – or in fact, a portion of a wristwatch. His opus, the 40mm CVDK Planetarium, depicts the real-time orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn as they rotate around the Sun. A mechanical miracle that unites horology and astronomy, the CVDK Planetarium – first launched in 1999 – is also a beautiful work of portable art. Just imagine if Copernicus could have got his hands on one of these and prove to his contemporaries that heliocentrism was really the way forward! In addition to the highly accurate representation of planetary motions, the Planetarium has an annual calendar complication.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The Redesigned Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar

For more than 25 years, Maurice Lacroix has offered to watch enthusiasts nicely executed watches with unusual displays – mainly retrograde indications – yet with friendly prices. This collection, named “Masterpiece”, allows access to complications and manufacture movements without breaking your piggy bank. In 1999, ML launched its first retrograde watch, the Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar. 19 years later, this signature watch comes back fully redesigned. Let’s have a look at the 2018 Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Retrograde Calendar.

6 years ago

Introducing – A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar U.S. Boutique Edition

While usually rather conservative in the design, A. Lange & Söhne can sometimes go a little bit more creative when it comes to limited editions or boutique exclusive watches – think, for instance, about the 1815 Chrono Boutique Edition or the Terra-Brown Saxonia. Today, the brand is unveiling a new version of the Saxonia Annual Calendar, a watch usually very discreet, which for the occasion gains in style with a new dial and a surprising strap. Meet the new A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar U.S. Boutique Edition.

7 years ago

Hands-on – The Surprising 36mm Oris Big Crown Pointer Date in Bronze

It’s no secret that smaller case sizes are back in a big way, which is something we’re pretty pleased about here at MONOCHROME. A particular favourite is the new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze (also available in steel), which was introduced at Baselworld last month and boasts a gorgeous bronze case that measures just 36mm. This model came as somewhat of a surprise to us and so we were quite keen to see how this smaller diameter would wear on the wrist. Suffice to say we were not disappointed.

7 years ago

Baselworld 2018 – The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, now in Steel with 36mm or 40mm case sizes

While we’ve already presented you the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date in bronze with a 36mm case, this is not the only new version of this watch that Oris is introducing at Baselworld 2018. Indeed, alongside the bronze edition, Oris will also add some steel versions of the Pointer Date watch, this time available in 40mm and 36mm, as well as with steel bracelets or leather straps – and again with an unbeatable quality/price ratio. Overview.

7 years ago