Waiting can be such a drag… but not with this Hermès that helps you find joy in waiting, keeping your eyes on L’Heure Impatiente. We go hands-on with this alarm watch with proper good manners, a respectable mechanical pedigree and a design that is both elegant and original.
Piaget and ultra-thin are two words that go together very well. For over 60 years now, the brand has developed a true expertise in ultra-thin watches and movements (don’t forget that Piaget started its life as a movement manufacturer and not as a jeweller). From the Calibre 9P to the recent 900P, the brand has gone from one world-record to another. Last year, a certain Italian-rooted brand unveiled what was the thinnest automatic movement in current production… Today Piaget comes with their answer. They took one the thinnest hand-wound watches in the world, the Altiplano 900P, and added a peripheral rotor making it an automatic. And not just an automatic but the world’s thinnest automatic wristwatch.
A good watch doesn’t have to break the bank. Thankfully, there are plenty of worthy options if you are looking for something affordable, yet stylish and well-crafted. We have put together 5 respectable watches priced under EUR 1,000. Of course, because you are reading MONOCHROME, these 5 timepieces couldn’t be anything else than automatic. And they all come from well-established brands. Did we hear cool Christmas gifts?
Last year, Oris introduced their first watch made in partnership with Rega, a private, non-profit air rescue service that provides emergency medical assistance in Switzerland. Based on the powerful and unique Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter, we even tested it right where it should be, in the Swiss mountains. Today, Oris presents the Oris GMT Rega Limited Edition, the second watch made in support of the partnership with Rega – and still a powerful, tool-ish purpose built-watch.
Recently, we introduced to you the Nomos Orion “De Stijl” Limited Edition, a watch made especially for the Dutch market and retailed exclusively by Ace Jewelers. Celebrating the 100th-anniversary of Dutch art movement De Stijl, it featured the classic, almost austere design of the brand, however here combined with an undeniable, yet discreet creative madness. Enough for us here to have the itch and want to see what this watch does on the wrist… with a special mention for our Founder Frank Geelen, himself a Dutchman.
The Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Manufacture is no stranger to us. It even is a cornerstone of FC’s collection. We’ve already covered it when it has been launched with an elegant ivory dial and we reviewed it in its dark blue dial version. One thing is sure, it’s a watch that we loved. Affordable, well-made, well-powered and elegant. Yet, an evolution is around the corner, as a new version with classical Roman Numerals is about to hit the stores.
The Reverso… A classic among the classics. It is indeed such a watch, however, there’s nothing wrong with a good old classic watch and the Reverso proves it after almost 90 years of existence (its creation dates back 1931). Done in dozens of variations, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces a new model as part of the Pre-SIHH 2018 collection: a Reverso Tribute Duoface elegantly dressed in pink gold and combined with a superb leather strap done by Argentinian bootmaker Casa Fagliano.
All of you here might know the story behind the creation of the “Luxury-Sports Watch”, a long-lasting trend that started back in 1972 when a certain Gerald Genta designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The idea began with a thin, integrated watch in stainless steel, featuring attributes from haute-Horlogerie and sports-watches, and priced over most of the gold watches at that time… Who could have imagined, back in the 1970s, that these watches could become so popular today? Well, as a demonstration that the Luxury-Sports Watch is fully alive, here are 5 of them, all introduced in 2017.
It’s getting towards the end of the year and starting to get very cold (or very hot, depending on which hemisphere you live in). The Christmas decorations have already been up for weeks, and the office parties are about to get in full swing. To a watch lover, all of this can only mean one thing: it’s time for some SIHH 2018 previews! Never one to disappoint, MONOCHROME has everything you need to know about the new models coming out next year, regardless of whether you’ve been naughty or nice. To whet your appetite, here’s a hands-on look at the new and classically-designed Montblanc Star Legacy Automatic Chronograph.
Today, we’re taking a closer look at a German-made dress watch that’s not quite a dress watch, the Glashütte Original Senator Excellence with black dial. Modern, stylish and just a little bit quirky, it exudes a sense of casual elegance that is really quite appealing. Comfortable on the wrist and guaranteed to attract more than its fair share of attention, this is definitely an under-the-radar watch that deserves a second look. Read on for all the details.