Hands-On – The New Bulgari Octo Retro Maserati GranSport & GranLusso

This couldn’t be more of an Italian affair… Since 2012, the two Italian brands Bulgari and Maserati have sealed a partnership for the creation of dedicated watches, inspired by the world of luxury and sports cars. The first two editions, a complex Octo Quadri-Retro in 2012 and a bold Octo Velocissimo in 2014, were unsurprisingly equipped with chronograph movements. For their latest joint creation, the new Bulgari Octo Retro Maserati, we’ll have something completely different in terms of display, but still with proper sports-car inspiration behind.

7 years ago

Introducing – Oris Updates the Classic Date Collection With Slimmer, More Elegant Design

Watches are not always about a fancy design, complex movements and stacking dozens of features in a single piece of wrist-accessory. Don’t forget that most customers are looking for THE watch that will be strapped to their wrist on a daily basis, and not the tenth watch in their collection. Sometimes, it’s also good to look at more essential pieces, with a classical, slightly casual look – and yet, with the right dosage of mechanical pleasure. This is exactly what the Oris Classic Date Collection offers, and this year, this model sees an interesting evolution.

7 years ago

Value Proposition Review – Rumoe Nobel Royal Watch

Every single day we see watches from every corner of the industry and from all areas of watchmaking. Whether it be super-complex avant-garde watches or elegance encased in a dress watch, we see it all. But, in all fairness, this comes at a price which usually runs in the thousands. That is exactly what the new Kickstarter-launching brand Rumoe has in mind to tackle: offering their luxurious-looking timepieces, but at a very affordable price. Their premiere watch is called the Nobel Royal, and we had the chance to experience it hands-on!

7 years ago

Introducing – A. Lange & Söhne 1815 “Cuvette” Limited Edition (For the 10th Anniversary of the first Lange Boutique)

While the brand A. Lange & Söhne was revived in 1994 (with the launch of an entire collection, including the iconic Lange 1), the first boutique of the brand only appeared in September 2007. This means that this Dresden-based store now celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. In order to pay tribute to 10 years of presence in the superb city of Dresden, A. Lange & Söhne introduces a limited edition of the emblematic 1815, with a specifically engraved hinged “Cuvette” – dust cover or officer back – to make it really special.

7 years ago

Introducing – URWERK UR-105 CT Streamliner, The NYC-Inspired Targa Watch (Hands-On)

As some of you might know (and we told you here, on Mono’), independent brand URWERK is celebrating this year its 20th anniversary. Hard to believe, but the baby has grown up to become an adult… Will that means becoming serious and void of creativity? Certainly not. This year, the brand presents the URWERK UR-105 CT Streamliner, a modern watch inspired by the earliy years of the creators, Martin and Felix. A look back over the shoulder, but not with nostalgia or regret.

7 years ago

Chopard’s Subtle L.U.C XPS Facelift Is A Nice Reminder of Just How Handsome It Is

Chopard is unveiling a subtle facelift of the dapper, comfortable and incredibly well-engineered L.U.C XPS. The good news is that it comes in different versions which will suit all tastes and pockets: from the unapologetically smart blued-dialed platinum version to the more affordable steel version, a great opportunity if you are looking for a high-end “haute-horlogerie” dress watch at an accessible price point. Here’s an early hands-on look.

7 years ago

Launching on Kickstarter – Corva Watches Saxodate, a Nice Automatic Piece Inspired by the 1970s

The watchmaking industry is in a switch, as many new projects see the light every day. While on the high-end segment, the brand-retailer way to sell watches seems quite difficult to change, for value proposition watches though, we now have to deal with 2.0 behaviours – in short, Kickstarter and the likes. Of course, we don’t cover all of them, however, from time to time, one project can tickle our interest – and so was the case for the Corva Watches Saxodate, a nice automatic watch inspired by the 1970s and driven by Indonesian guys with long-term passion for watches.

7 years ago

Hands-On – Czapek Genève Quai des Bergues Guilloché

The name Czapek, once famed as a partner of what would become Patek Philippe, came back to the forefront of the scene late 2015 with the elegant and well-thought out Quai des Bergues. The watch was awarded the public prize at GPHG 2016, one of the most (if not the most) meaningful industry award ceremony, which is no small achievement. The collection reflects the Czapek ethics to propose finely crafted classics whose understated style offers a distinctive twist and a distinctive character.

7 years ago

Kickstarter Review – elegantsis JSK Series

The first thing Taiwanese watchmaker elegantsis (the name is intentionally un-capitalized) wants you to know about the new JSK Series is that it is a joint project with US-based JSK Moto, a custom motorcycle design company. JSK makes some outlandishly cool custom motorcycles, so it’s no wonder why elegantsis chose them as inspiration for these high-octane statement pieces. Currently on Kickstarter (as we already told in a previous article), the JSK series boasts of “craftsmanship, strength, and style.” Indeed, this line of watches features some interesting design features and impressive mechanicals. Three collections of JSK Series watches are advertised on the Kickstarter page (in descending order): Rarity, Classic, and Basic.

7 years ago

Formex is Back with Bold Watches and Direct-To-Customer Model

Until fairly recently Formex used to be a bricks and mortar watchmaker. This was before Raphael Granito took over the company a couple of years ago. In the midst of an increasing competition and changing times for the watch industry, Granito decided to shift the business model from wholesale distribution to direct-to customer.

7 years ago