Recently, TAG Heuer announced the signature of a global partnership with GULF, one of the most iconic sponsors of the motorsports world – most of us can easily recall the light blue and orange racing liveries. This resulted in the creation of a special edition Monaco Calibre 11 (ref. CAW211R), which was reviewed here – with […]
Founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Grenchen, Fortis is known for manufacturing rugged, functional watches with a predilection for pilot watches… and Cosmonaut watches, as Fortis has been cooperating with Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, and other organizations for years. Today, we take a look at one of the brand’s latest creations, the Fortis Aeromaster Mission Timer Chronograph – and if it’s good for Russian Space missions, it should be reliable enough on Earth.
The Octo is a true compendium of Bvlgari’s sense of design. With its graphic shapes and pure lines, its style is powerful, modern yet elegant. Over the past few years, the Italian watchmaker turned one model into an entire men’s watch collection with striking launches including the unapologetically chic Finissimo Trilogy and its several world records – including the recently introduced thinnest automatic watch. The Octo line now welcomes two new models opting for the vigour and dynamism of black, the Octo Finissimo Skeleton Black Edition and the Octo L’Originale Chronograph Black Edition.
The Carrera turns 55 this year and TAG Heuer revisits its famous automotive chronograph with two models emblazoned with colours inspired by the world of auto racing. Available in a 41mm steel case with a vibrant blue or black dial and the distinctive 12-6-9 layout of the counters, the entry-level TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 captures the racing spirit of the classic Carrera with a youthful splash of colour and a dose of vintage. Smaller in size than its 43mm predecessors, the Carrera Calibre 16 duo have dispensed with the day window and substituted the prominent numerals on the dial with hour markers treated with faux-aged beige lume.
The folks at LIV Watches already know a bit about creating watches and funding them on Kickstarter. Their new “The Breakthrough” campaign isn’t their first offence. Yet, here it’s not one watch but a series of 3 automatic watches (and one quartz that won’t be covered here… you know us at MONOCHROME) that will be offered. Bold styles, 3 different inspirations – pilot, racing, diving – all of them powered by Swiss mechanical movement and offered, as usual, at great prices. Please meet the LIV Watches GX P-51 Chronograph, the GX Automatic Chrono and the GX Divers – all now available on Kickstarter.
Since 2004, Frederique Constant has been sponsoring vintage car rallies worldwide, often being the official timekeeper for events celebrating classic automobiles. Frederique Constant is supporting the European Healey Club again in 2018, which will be celebrated by a new limited edition watch. After a chronograph in 2015 and a 3-hander in 2016, here is the new Frederique Constant Vintage Rally Healey Chronograph, a watch deeply inspired by the world of classic cars.
In 2012 Habring² introduced the Doppel 2.0, an affordable split-seconds chronograph based on a Valjoux 7750 chronograph. This was the same recipe that Richard Habring once developed for IWC Schaffhausen, who used this movement first in the Pilot Doppel Chronograph and later in other watches. When the patent expired, in 2012, Richard Habring was free to use this complication in watches with the Habring² name on the dial, and that led to the Habring² Doppel 2.0. In 2013 they introduced the Doppel 3.0 and last year Habring² introduced the new Doppel-Felix that comes with an in-house split-seconds chronograph from Austria. Here’s the Habring² Doppel-Felix!
When Porsche Design makes a watch, it does so according to the “Deutsche Gründlichkeit” philosophy, a way of engineering and constructing everyday objects (with a bit of imagination) with as little fuss and as much efficiency as possible, all focused on the usability of the item. After the Porsche Design 1919 collection, it is now the Porsche Design Monobloc Actuator Chronotimer Flyback Limited Edition’s turn to receive the new flyback movement. Let’s find out more, shall we?
Nose-art is an art form consisting in decorative painting on the fuselage of airplanes, in particular during WWII when colorful images, shark teeth or pin ups appeared on the nose of military aircrafts. As Graham’s most emblematic timepiece, the Chronofigther, is inspired from aviation, the brand started to feature pin-ups on the dial of its Chronofighter Nose Art in 2017 and new girls just joined the Graham pin-up squad at Baselworld 2018.
In 2017, Bell & Ross debuted its revamped “Vintage” collection and it instantly became my favourite range from the brand. Since then, the company has been steadily knocking them out of the park with tasteful, vintage-inspired models, ranging from the simple Vintage BR V1-92 Military to the sportier BR V2-94 Vintage Chronograph. The latest offerings to the collection come in the form of the Bell & Ross Vintage BRV1-92 & BRV2-94 Racing Bird, the latter of which we are getting hands-on with today.