Category: High-end Watches

MB&F HM8 with Cassandra Legendre – The Most Artistic and Offset Piece of Only Watch 2017

Only Watch 2017, the much-awaited 7th edition of the biennial fundraiser for research on muscular dystrophy, is fast approaching. Only Watch kicked-off their world tour in Monaco on the occasion of the Yacht Show before heading to Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Istanbul, Hong-Kong, Taipei, New York and Los Angeles. 50 one-of-a-kind watches will be auctioned by Christie’s in Geneva, Hotel des Bergues, on November 11th, 2017. Today, we take a closer look at the MB&F Horological Machine N°8 ‘Only Watch’, made with young artist Cassandra Legendre.

7 years ago

Hands-On – Patek Philippe Chronograph Annual Calendar 5960/01g – Patek, With a Vintage Touch…

For a few years now, Patek Philippe is applying a rather surprising strategy, by offering a new, younger approach. Sometimes vintage, sometimes modern, sometimes quite difficult to understand, sometimes controversial… Everything started back in 2014 with the modern-looking stainless steel 5960/1A, followed later in 2015 with the launch of the Calatrava Travel Time Pilot 5524G, a vintage-inspired watch, drastically different from the traditional conservative Patek collections. And if you mix these two watches, you’ll obtain the 2017 Patek Philippe Chronograph Annual Calendar 5960/01g.

7 years ago

Review – Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, Unusual & Technical

At Baselworld 2017, Bell & Ross unveiled several very cool watches, including the BR03-92 Diver or the new Vintage Collection, all pieces that were completely in the vein of the brand’s DNA. Another watch was (discreetly) showed though, a watch that was quite unexpected and unusual. Fitted with a slim tourbillon movement, wound by a micro-rotor, built around a concept of transparency, mixing a certain elegance with bold elements, with a quite unique construction for the case… This watch is the Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, and today we take a closer look at it.

7 years ago

First look – Ferdinand Berthoud unveils a Platinum Version of the Chronomètre FB1

When Karl-Friedrich Schefeule (the co-owner of Chopard) embarked on resurrecting Ferdinand Berthoud, one of the greatest horologists of all times, his ambition was obviously not to release a servile replica of past glories. Distilling and recombining this unique legacy into a personal perspective, the contemporary watches bearing this illustrious name are singular. While displaying an obvious respect for the classics, the Ferdinand Berthoud FB1 is a modern take on this heritage. The result is truly exceptional, crafted and designed with exacting attention to details. The GPHG 2016 Aiguille d’Or award, one of the most (if not the most) meaningful industry accolades is no small achievement. After white and pink gold versions, Ferdinand Berthoud is now releasing a stunning platinum limited edition that premiered at Les Ambassadeurs, in Geneva.

7 years ago

Hands-On – Grand Seiko SBGW252, Recreating the First Ever GS Watch

2017 was an important year for the Seiko Group. Indeed, we’ve seen many impressive watches being released by the Japanese manufacture, and new trends coming – including some vintage-inspired pieces, such as the 62Mas reedition or the Enamel Presage collection. This year was also noticeable because Grand Seiko watches won’t have Seiko anymore written on their dial, as GS is becoming a brand on its own. To mark this evolution, the newly-introduced brand presented a recreation of the first ever Grand Seiko watch, and today we look at the yellow gold version, a.k.a. the reference SBGW252… And what a watch it is!

7 years ago

Handwerkskunst according to A. Lange & Söhne – Interview with CEO Wilhelm Schmid

The other day I had the distinct pleasure of spending a few days with A. Lange & Söhne in Florence, Italy. The main purpose was the launch of the Lange 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst and four new blue dial version (Lange 1, Lange 1 Daymatic, Saxonia and Saxonia handwound), all of which we already showed you last weekend. The team at Lange organized several ‘field trips’ to various handcrafts, like lithography, fabric weaving and printing, among others, and we visited one of the most prestigious winemakers from Tuscany (the region in which Florence is located.) Wilhelm Schmid, the brand’s CEO, tells us more about Handwerkskunst and handcrafts, plus I’ll share wrist shots of a group of Lange collectors whom I accidentally ran into. Be warned… LOTS of photos!

7 years ago

A tribute to the Glasshütte tradition – Hands-on with the Tutima Patria and its beautiful in-house 617 caliber (specs and pricing)

Tutima has a long and prestigious history; the origins of the brand go as far back as the 1920s and 1930s in Glasshütte, when Tutima was the quality label of the UROFA-UFAG group. After the fall of the Berlin wall, several watchmakers looked at reviving the Saxon watchmaking tradition and the ‘made in Germany’ trademark, specifically in Glasshütte. Among them was Dieter Delecate, owner and CEO of Tutima, then headquarted in the north of Germany, near Bremen.

7 years ago

Buying Guide – 6 Dual-Time Watches Launched in 2017 for Modern Travellers

The vast majority of people are comfortable with watches which simply display hours and minutes, but for globetrotters, frequent travellers and those doing business around the world, a dual-time (or so-called GMT in certain cases) watch is highly practical and purposeful for their daily travelling needs. We have picked 6 GMT watches of 2017, with choices to suit every pocket and taste.

7 years ago

Review – Dissecting the Laurent Ferrier Montre Ecole in Steel to Understand the Meaning of Haute-Horlogerie

This article first started its life as a classical review, as we like to do here, on Monochrome. However, as I was drawing it in my mind, I quickly understood that the Laurent Ferrier Montre Ecole was a perfect piece to do something slightly different, to write an article with a different structure. In fact, we often have questions about how high-end watches can cost such incredibly high prices. Well, today, by properly dissecting this Montre Ecole, I’ll tend to explain why a 3-hand watch in stainless steel can be priced CHF 35,000 – and indeed, it’s all about the smallest details…

7 years ago