Category: Luxury Watches

Hands-on – Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph WT

A welcome addition to the collection, the Polaris is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s vision of an elegant-sport watch. The collection was launched at SIHH 2018, just 50 years after the original and iconic Polaris Memovox – read our introductory article here. Among a full range of timepieces, the Chronograph WT is the largest and the most technical version, offering travellers the practical world-time function. Today we take a close look at this version that combines a column-wheel chronograph and a traveller’s complication.

7 years ago

Rolex Baselworld 2019 – Predictions for the Watches that Rolex could Launch in 2019

Yes… It’s that time of the year again. Baselworld 2019 is fast approaching with new collections waiting in the wings. And as usual, the most anticipated novelties of the year will be the new Rolex watches. This also means that it’s time for MONOCHROME to make our yearly predictions and get creative. Just like we […]

7 years ago

Review – Weiss 42mm Limited American Issue Field Watch – Including an American-Made Movement

Most watches that really spark my interest have either Swiss or German roots, but on rare occasions, a piece will surface from an unlikely place. I recently reviewed the Classic Enamel PS-801-CE from American watchmaker, RGM (based in Pennsylvania) and I’m always impressed with the company’s in-house calibres and old-school craftsmanship. America was once a hotbed for watchmaking with brands like Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin, Ingersoll and Westclox, but acquisitions, bankruptcies and European competition have all but shut down American production. While RGM represents a resurgence of American watchmaking with several in-house calibres, a much younger company in Los Angeles has been producing an in-house movement since 2016. Weiss Watch Company has only existed for a few years and initially relied on Swiss movements for American-made cases, but their in-house Calibre 1003 has made them a bonified American watch brand. Let’s take a closer look at the Weiss 42mm Limited American Issue Field Watch, designed and manufactured in the United States.

7 years ago

Hands-on – HYT H0 Time is Precious – Representing the Inexorable Flow of Time

The HYT H0 Time is Precious watch encapsulates a powerful philosophical message. Similar mechanically and structurally to other members of the H0 family, the “Time is Precious” model is unlike anything we have seen before at HYT and ventures down a more artistic path to represent the fundamental philosophical musings that inspired the brand to […]

7 years ago

Hands-on – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual Enamel

Since its facelift in 2013, the Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual has appeared in various guises, including the sleek black dial version we saw in 2016. However, I think there is unanimous agreement that the 2019 white gold version with its blue enamel guilloché dial wins hands down. Released as part of a limited edition trilogy, including the Master Ultra-Thin Moon Enamel and Tourbillon models, the new members of the Master-Thin Enamel family stole the show. The watch we will be looking at today comes with a revised movement and display and indicates the phases of the Moon in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic Blue

Inspired by a pocket watch created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz in the 18thcentury, the Grande Seconde embodies the essential Jaquet Droz style. Its artful simplicity feels timeless yet modern. Yet, with the Grande Seconde Skelet-One introduced in 2018, Jaquet Droz ventured into a more technical and dynamic territory. Doing away with its dial, it offers a new design language for the brand. As a preview of its 2019 collection, the brand now releases a new, more modern version of the model clad in black and blue. Here’s an early hands-on look.

7 years ago

Introducing – Ulysse Nardin Freak X Silicium Marquetry

In 2001, Ulysse Nardin introduced a watch – the Freak – that was a complete shock for the industry, not only in terms of design and display but mainly because it was the first timepiece commercialised with silicium parts – a controversial material back then, which has now found its place in dozens of watches. Today, as a sort of tribute to that pioneering use of silicium in a watch, Ulysse Nardin equips its recent Freak X (see more here) with a dial that is actually made of this material, displayed as marquetry.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Speake-Marin One&Two Openworked Dual Time – Classical Meet Technical

Following in the footsteps of the successful time-only One&Two Openworked model launched in 2017, Speake-Marin unveiled its latest One&Two Openworked model with a dual time function and a retrograde date display at the SIHH 2019. The new Dual Time model builds on the brand’s base SMA01 calibre with two new complications and steers the design codes into a more contemporary direction with an intrepid combination of classic details and defiantly technical elements.

7 years ago