Category: independent watchmaking

Hands-On – Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time – With (Almost) Two Movements in One Watch

Symmetry in the construction of the displays and movements have always been a huge part of Arnold & Son’s DNA. In their case, the design doesn’t drive the development of the movement, but the opposite. See for instance the Constant Force Tourbillon, the Nebula or the Time Pyramid and you’ll see how symmetry influenced the brand. Playing on this same concept, the brand pushed the idea even further, by having a watch with two entirely separate time displays, driven by an incredible twin-movement. And in order to enjoy this mechanical feast, a new version, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, exposes all its entrails in a demonstrative but elegant way.

9 years ago

David Candaux 1740 “The First 8” – The heart and soul of the Vallée de Joux

Welcome in the heart and soul of independent watchmaking from the Vallée de Joux, yet with a modern eye… A few weeks ago, we met with one of the most interesting surprises from Baselworld 2017, the “1740 The first 8” – and of course with its creator, David Candaux. See what hand-made and creative watchmaking mean!

9 years ago

David Candaux 1740 “The First 8” – The heart and soul of the Vallée de Joux

Welcome in the heart and soul of independent watchmaking from the Vallée de Joux, yet with a modern eye… A few weeks ago, we met with one of the most interesting surprises from Baselworld 2017, the “1740 The first 8” – and of course with its creator, David Candaux. See what hand-made and creative watchmaking mean!

9 years ago

CONFIGURATE | SHARE | WIN – Win Your Personalized Armin Strom Watch With the Online Configurator

Recently, we reported to you a achievement that we, at Monochrome, think will be the next level of watchmaking, the Armin Strom Watch Configurator. As we told you, there’s no way that industry can still rely on old-fashioned production and selling channels. The next step is named “customization” and Armin Strom is the first to come with a proper achieved idea, an exhaustive Watch Configurator – where every aspect of the watch and the movement can be configured. Well, apart from this, there’s something extremely cool that we wanted to share: the possibility to win your personalized Armin Strom watch by sharing your configurated watch on Instagram in a creative way… Sounds interesting, right?

9 years ago

Hands-On – James C. Pellaton Royal Marine Chronometer (With Proper Haute-Horlogerie Execution)

If you are experienced with the history of watchmaking or simply if you have ever paid attention to tourbillon pocket watches in auction catalogues, then you are probably familiar with the Pellaton name. It is connected to the makers of some of the most exceptional tourbillons in history. And now it’s brought back to life with a remarkable watch, to say the least! Here is the James C. Pellaton Royal Marine Chronometer, featuring an incredibly well finished movement (and it’s our technical editor who says that).

9 years ago

Hands-On – Kari Voutilainen Vingt-8 ISO with a different way to read time

Over the years we got to know Kari Voutilainen as the humble Finnish watchmaker, who creates the most exquisite hand-finished timepieces. In the entire world of watchmaking there are only few who deliver such a level of “finesse”. Kari Voutilainen’s latest timepiece is not simply a design feat, and also not a special model made in collaboration with a master craftsman (like for instance this one made in collaboration with the legendary Japanese lacquer studio Unryuan). What we have here is Kari Voutilainen’s signature timepiece, the Vingt-8, with a unique way to indicate time. It’s called the Vingt-8 ISO and the entire idea behind it is rather unique, and is mean to create a more intimate and reflective relationship with your watch… (yes, we’ll explain it)

9 years ago

Hands-On – Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde (Baselworld 2017)

Schwarz Etienne started with a vertical integration strategy a few years ago, going as far as producing hairsprings in-house, with their sister company E2O innovations (read our recent introduction article about the brand here). This involved deep products’ evolution and a strategy based on a modular approach to movement development; a family of mechanical movements was created and evolved into different versions. Today, we take a look at the interesting La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde, which was presented during Baselworld 2017.

9 years ago

Baselworld 2017 – Manufacture Royale ADN, Bold & Architectural

Manufacture Royale goes back to its roots to reinvent itself whilst presenting its 9th caliber. Regulated by a flying tourbillon, the MR09 caliber lets users track two time-zones at once, right down to the minute – the local time uses an original jump-hour display. Inspired by the Androgyne, the first model unveiled following the revival of the brand a few years ago, the ‘ADN’ (the French Acronym for DNA) case houses a spectacular skeleton movement, allowing for a detailed view of its inner workings and three-dimensional architecture.

9 years ago