Category: Luxury Watches

Ulysse Nardin Goes Vintage, with the Super-Cool Diver Le Locle

As of this year, you’ll see several extremely nice watches from Ulysse Nardin, all paying homage to the great past of the brand (and believe us, since its inception in 1846, the brand has done A LOT). Recently, UN launched a watch as a tribute to the great Ludwig Oeschlin (a watch that will soon be under our loupe) and now, it is something drastically different, quite unexpected from the brand; a vintage dive watch… Surprising at first, but the result, in the name of the Ulysse Nardin Diver Le Locle, is properly cool.

8 years ago

When The Crown Goes Classic… The Rolex Cellini Moonphase Ref. 50535

Usually, when you imagine a watch bearing the name Rolex, you have something purpose-built, casual-sport (not always, but usually the dressier you can think about is a Day-Date) and quite simple in terms of complications (to the exception of the Sky-Dweller… but it is one watch in the middle of mainly time-and-date pieces). Yet, in 2014, Rolex revived a name synonymous of elegance and dressed watches: Cellini. Built around a classical and subtle case, this watch already introduced several complications, with all of them being rather practical. But what if The Crown goes where you don’t expect them… into poetical complications. Not very Rolex you’ll admit. Though, this is what you’ll get with the new Rolex Cellini Moonphase Ref. 50535 and it feels very satisfying.

8 years ago

Hands-On – H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds Automatic – When Simplicity Becomes Essential

As we already showed several times here, on Monochrome, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture H. Moser & Cie. (also known as the Robin Hood of watchmaking… Those who know will understand, otherwise read this) is all about simplicity and purity of their watches, by removing even the logo on the dial and any kind of markers. But simplicity can also come from a display and functionality, and in this case, this word is nothing pejorative and I would even refer to essential… Something that the new H. Moser Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds Automatic, presented at Baselworld 2017, defines quite well.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar (and my unexpected love for the sporty steel version)

While some brands came with over 100 novelties at Baselworld 2017, the Saxonian brand Glashütte Original only introduced 2 new masculine watches during the show. And to be honest, why doing more when you offer new products of such quality. Together with the surprisingly sporty Steel Senator Chronograph Panorama Date, Glashütte Original also introduced an elegant, refined and complex Perpetual Calendar version of the precise Senator Excellence. Elegant and refined? Not only, as I surprised myself to have a crush on an unexpected sporty steel version of this QP watch, not the kind of combination that you imagined from GO…

8 years ago

Hands-On – Junghans Form A (Defining Bauhaus and Minimalism)

If looking for “the total package” in terms of heritage, well designed, mechanical watches at an affordable sticker price, you simply shouldn’t overlook Junghans. We’ve seen in the past that the brand is capable of offering watches with a very strong design following its own identity to the letter, with basic but reliable movements that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Always leaning on automotive inspiration or following the Bauhaus movement, Junghans brings the Form A (for Automatic) to Baselworld 2017.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017 – Recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217

This is it; the star of show – or at least the watch that received most comments and that reached the 1st place in our “most read article of Baselworld 2017“. And believe us, surpassing Rolex in numbers during the Basel Watch Fair is properly impressive… All of that, just to tell you how expected this watch was and how well received it has been. Its name: the Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017. Its function: being a faithful recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217, meaning the first professional dive watch of the Japanese manufacture. Its achievement: already being a collector. Overview of an upcoming success story.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017 – Recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217

This is it; the star of show – or at least the watch that received most comments and that reached the 1st place in our “most read article of Baselworld 2017“. And believe us, surpassing Rolex in numbers during the Basel Watch Fair is properly impressive… All of that, just to tell you how expected this watch was and how well received it has been. Its name: the Seiko Prospex Diver SLA017. Its function: being a faithful recreation of the 1965 Seiko 62Mas ref. 6217, meaning the first professional dive watch of the Japanese manufacture. Its achievement: already being a collector. Overview of an upcoming success story.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Zenith Defy El Primero 21 – From a 10th to a 100th of a Second (Video, Specs & Price)

Back in 1969, Zenith introduced a movement that will later become an icon, as being both one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and being the 20th century’s king of precision, as beating at 5Hz and being precise to the 10th of a second. Its name: the El Primero. At Baselworld, the Le Locle-based manufacture has given this fast-beating engine a 21st century appeal: 50Hz frequency, precision to the 100th of a second, modernized look, open-worked movement. Here is the Zenith Defy El Primero 21… and it’s fast, very fast.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Zenith Defy El Primero 21 – From a 10th to a 100th of a Second (Video, Specs & Price)

Back in 1969, Zenith introduced a movement that will later become an icon, as being both one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and being the 20th century’s king of precision, as beating at 5Hz and being precise to the 10th of a second. Its name: the El Primero. At Baselworld, the Le Locle-based manufacture has given this fast-beating engine a 21st century appeal: 50Hz frequency, precision to the 100th of a second, modernized look, open-worked movement. Here is the Zenith Defy El Primero 21… and it’s fast, very fast.

8 years ago

All you need to know about the Rolex Sea-Dweller 43mm Ref. 126600 – Why it is like it is? (REVIEW)

Both extremely expected, very surprising and somehow controversial, as maybe not what long-time Rolex collectors were hopping for, the new Rolex Sea-Dweller 43mm Ref. 126600 has been one of the main talking pieces of Baselworld 2017, just like the Ceramic / Steel Daytona made the headlines in 2016… But not for the same reasons. The main novelty of Rolex for 2017 is indeed less easy to understand than the star of the previous collection, and this is why we had to give you all the possible explanations about this Rolex Sea-Dweller 43mm Ref. 126600, a watch that needs more than just a quick glance to be perfectly apprehended.

8 years ago