Earlier this year, Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its newest collection of Rendez-Vous watches, including the Rendez-Vous Moon Medium watch. The 34mm timepiece quickly captured the hearts of women around the world thanks to its chic design, intricate dial, romantic moon-phase complication and technical prowess. Today, we give this watch some wrist-time and see why it has some great appeal.
The Reverso certainly is the most iconic watch of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Of course, most of us know its long and rich history, with its roots linked to British polo players asking for a protected watch and its subsequent creation in 1931. There’s one thing that this particular construction allowed: personalisation. Today, the back of this classical Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is a field of expression to celebrate a double centenary: the birth 100 years ago of Dutch art school De Stijl (think Piet Mondriaan) and of Dutch retailer Steltman. Here is the specifically-adorned Reverso Tribute to Piet Mondriaan.
Since its inception in 2010, the brand Laurent Ferrier and its signature watch, the Galet, have always been favourites of ours, here at Monochrome. The reasons for that are simple: the design, the elegance, the execution and mainly, the beauty of the movements. Over the years, the collection has seen some evolutions, the most significant …
In a piece of news that dropped on our computers a couple of weeks ago, Vacheron Constantin announced several new “Historiques” watches. As a reminder, this collection comprises the deliberately “vintage-inspired” models of the brand, including the American 1921 or the Chronograph Cornes de Vaches. With the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Triple Calendrier 1942, saying that we’ve been impressed is quite of a euphemism. Beautifully designed, balanced, with heritage and pedigree, and all of that in an “accessible” (relatively speaking) steel case. It is now time to experience this Triple Calendrier 1942 in the metal.
When Oris launched its own, in-house developed and produced movement, back in 2014 (at that time the Calibre 110, without date), this sounded like an impressive step for the brand, more used to accessible sports-watches and out-sourced automatic movements. Indeed, with no-less than 10 days of power-reserve and some technically advanced features, it was quite an achievement. This hand-wound in-house Calibre is now fully integrated into the collections and has seen several evolutions (calibre 111, 112 and 113). Today, the Oris Artelier Calibre 111 changes style, by receiving a striking blue dial.
Just a few days ago in London, Swiss watchmaker F.P. Journe, in collaboration with British gun-maker Holland & Holland, unveiled two new limited edition timepieces. The independent watchmaker is known for marching to the beat of his own drum, and these new pieces are no exception. In an unexpected twist, they feature stunning Damascus steel dials, crafted from the barrels of two antique Holland & Holland shotguns, dating from 1868 and 1882 respectively. Read on for all the details.
Just over 20 years old now, the eponymous brand Parmigiani Fleurier, founded by Michel Parmigiani in 1996, is known for its classic and elegant watches with hand crafted movements made in-house in the brand’s Fleurier workshops – and a certain twist in the design, quite Italian. Initially creating men’s watches – with one of his first wristwatch introductions being the tonneau-shaped Kalpa – Parmigiani unveiled the women’s Kalparisma line in 2009 as a gentler take on time.
In 2016, Rado relaunched its iconic Ceramica line, following a complete design refresh by highly respected industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. The geometric watches were certainly appealing from an aesthetic standpoint, however, they were powered by quartz movements and consequently didn’t really make it onto the Monochrome radar. This year, Rado unveiled three new additions to the Ceramica family and we are happy to report that, for the first time, they are all powered by automatic movements.
Last year at the SIHH 2016, German watch manufacturer, A. Lange & Söhne, debuted the deliciously complex Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. Offered in a platinum case and produced in a limited series of just 100 pieces, it was an instant hit with collectors. Following on from this success, this minimalist timepiece is now being made available in an attractive pink gold case, complete with matching accents on the dial and buckle. As with the platinum model, this series will be limited to just 100 pieces, preserving the exclusivity of this exceptional mechanical machine.
In 2009, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the Historiques American 1921, a re-edition of one of its classic timepieces from the Art Deco period that was made exclusively for the North American market. A highly desirable watch, it pays homage to what is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful yet original Vacheron Constantin models ever. Despite its modest (on paper) 40mm size, however, the squared case wears quite large on the wrist, discouraging some collectors. Listening to this feedback, the brand announced today that the Historiques American 1921 will be available in a mid-size, unisex version with a case measuring 36.5mm. Read on for all the details.