Earlier this year at SIHH, Audemars Piguet unveiled a watch that is the epitome of top-notch craftsmanship both inside and out: the Royal Oak Frosted Double Balance Wheel Openworked. For this watch, Audemars Piguet pulled out all the stops, combining one of the brand’s most beautiful and technically advanced calibres with a remarkable Frosted gold finish.
For those who are familiar with Italian brand Anonimo, they know that if the design is clearly easy to recognize, it is not what can be called “subtle elegance”. Large, sporty or even clearly military-inspired, Anonimo’s watches are on the tool-ish side. For Baselworld 2018, a hint of sporty-chic Italian lifestyle will appear in the collection, with the new Anonimo Epurato. Smaller, more refined but still very much Florentine, meet the brand’s new chic timepiece.
New hand-turned dials, improved case finishes and the same proprietary mechanical movement, all assembled by hand in England – there’s a lot to like about the new Portsmouth MK2 by Garrick. The fact that the brand has also been able to reduce the price while simultaneously increasing the quality is also a big selling point. …
Moser & Cie. revisits its winning Perpetual Calendar complication in a Cosmic Green fumé dial. Like its 2017 predecessor, the new 42mm white gold Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Purity applies a radically minimalist approach to one of the most revered complications in watchmaking. A triumph of simplicity and elegance, Moser’s Perpetual Calendar Purity belies the machinations of its complex hand-wound movement. Belonging to H. Moser’s Purity line and released in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, this perpetual calendar pushes the envelope of minimalism one step further dispensing with any sign of branding on the dial, in the same spirit as Moser’s Concept watches.
It seems an endless wave of new watch brands are cropping up on Kickstarter every day, with many sharing the same or similar ‘minimalist’ design aesthetic. The majority seem to be generic, albeit more affordable, derivatives of existing products from more established brands. A rare few, however, like newcomer Humism, who we are featuring here …
Oris is a frequent contributor to the limited editions. The Clipperton Limited Edition, the Movember Edition, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Edition… Yet, many of these special watches are linked to a good cause or a mission to bring “change for the better”. Oris continues its mission with a new limited edition of the praised Aquis, the ‘Source of Life’ Edition, a watch that celebrates water (the source of life…) – and good news is that it is based on a new version of this cool dive watch, now with circular date feature.
There are literally dozens of new micro-brands launching every week. Thanks to crowdfunding processes such as Kickstarter, anyone with a strong interest or even a passion for watches can now fulfil his dream and create his own timepiece. We, at MONOCHROME, have an eye on this, as it might represent the future and we are aware that not all our readers can afford 5-digit luxury watches. Lastest project we discovered: Arcturus Watches and their timepiece, the LC-1. Opulent, art-deco inspired, original… Let’s have a look.
Just like every year, IWC celebrates a good cause with the launch of a special Laureus edition. The 12th of its kind – see more models here – and the first to be based on the “Small Pilot” Mark XVIII, this watch is part of IWC’s commitment to support Laureus Sport for Good, which uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage. Featuring a striking combination of black and blue, here is the 2018 IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Edition Laureus Sport.
William L. 1985 was founded in 2015 by Guillaume Laidet (hence the name William L. – Guillaume is the French for William). A French entrepreneur with a passion for watchmaking, Guillaume used to work in Switzerland for high-end brands such as Zenith and Jaeger-LeCoultre. When he founded his own brand, his idea was to offer vintage-inspired timepieces that would be both functional and affordable. After the successful launch, William L. 1985 is now back on Kickstarter to unveil an automatic chronograph presented as the ‘most affordable in the market’ and priced just under EUR 500 (Kickstarter price).
Over the last few months, and even years, we’ve covered some pretty interesting start-up watch projects here on MONOCHROME. Advances in modern technology, combined with ready access to start-up capital via decentralised crowd-funding, have helped unlock the floodgates of innovation across multiple industries, injecting fresh blood and ideas. Today, we are pleased to bring you yet another one; the intriguing X-ONE H1 from Conex Watches, a Swiss-made mechanical smartwatch that packs some impressive functionality. Read on to learn more about this bold new timekeeper, including how you can get your hands on one for 50% off retail (for a limited time only, of course).