Hands-On – Arnold & Son Nebula (Live Pics and Pricing)

High-end watch brand Arnold & Son has earned an enviable reputation thanks to its complex, in-house movements and superb finishing. It’s become common knowledge amongst watch aficionados that the brand does not compromise on anything, including price. Now for those who have a few hundred thousand in the bank to spend on an exceptional Constant …

8 years ago

Hands-on: Zenith El Primero Range Rover (Specs, Photos and Price)

There’s a common saying that ‘car’ guys are ‘watch’ guys. Behind this aphorism though is a real connection fueled by the love of fine mechanics, performance and passion. As a result collaborations between watch and car manufacturers have flourished – for the better … or worse. Case in point, Zenith and Land Rover recently announced …

8 years ago

HANDS-ON: The stylish pilot – Breguet’s Type XXI 3817

breguet-type-xxi-3817-3Turns out that Breguet, not content with nailing the brief when it comes to dress watches and innovating left, right and centre are also quite the dab hand when it comes to pilot’s watches. And they’re no Johnny-come-latelies at the genre, either. In fact, in the early 20th century, Abraham Louis Breguet’s grandson – Louis Charles Breguet – made planes under the name of Breguet Aviation. There is no connection, however, between Louis Charles’ aeronautical business and the Type 20 chronograph that inspired the Type XXI 3817 that we’re looking at today. It’s important to note that Type 20 and 21 chronographs used by the French Air Force in the early ’50s were made by a variety of suppliers. A group of six brands produced them according to a set of minimum requirements covering off form and function, with key features being the flyback chronograph, rotating 12-hour bezel and some fairly rigorous accuracy requirements. Of those brands that made these (super stylish, it must be said) tool watches, Breguet’s examples are the most coveted by collectors today. In the ’90s, Breguet realised the potential of this design, releasing a civilian version – the Type XX – in 1995, with the larger Type XXI following in 2004. We’ve seen many variations on…

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8 years ago

The Doxa Sub300 50th Anniversary – A step back in time to the glory days of the dive watch

At Baselworld 2016, Doxa introduced its 50th Anniversary Sub300 model, a great dive watch with unquestionable pedigree. So we, at Monochrome, eagerly waited for a prototype to arrive at the HQ for a review. Once a black-dial Sharkhunter variant received, we immediately put it to its paces comparing, debating and discussing about it. That is the purpose of this article: make you understand how important and cool this watch is. However, before I proceed with my assessment, I feel that a short overview of the history of the company is needed to put things into a proper perspective.

8 years ago

Review: Hands-on with the Tudor Pelagos LHD

We were at the global launch event (Singapore edition) when at exactly 8pm local time, news of the new Tudor LHD Pelagos was released. We released some of the first live photographs on our instagram (@deployant) and our Facebook page. We also published a first reactions piece, based on the Press Release late in the evening. We now replace that…

8 years ago

HANDS ON: First look at the Tudor Pelagos LHD – live video, pics, price

tudor-pelagos-lhd-sliderOnce again, Tudor has surprised and tempted us with a brand new release just before Christmas – the Tudor Pelagos LHD. On the whole it’s the same Pelagos we know and love, with just a few tweaks – but these small changes combine to show the watch in a completely new light. First of all, the case. It’s the same 42mm titanium case we’re used to, with one not-so-minor difference – the crown is on the left, a feature that gives the watch its left-hand drive sobriquet. The inspiration for this unusual configuration comes from the brand’s past. In the 1970s, the Tudor Submariner was the watch of choice for French Naval divers. Some of these were delivered in a left-handed format – perhaps for divers who wore the watch on their right hand, or perhaps simply so the prominent crown wouldn’t catch or dig into the wrist. Bear in mind, of course, that just because this is intended to be worn on the right doesn’t mean you can’t wear it on your left hand – I did, and quite enjoyed the lack of interfering crown. An interesting side note is that because the crown is on the left, COSC tested the MT5612-LHD movement in different…

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8 years ago

HANDS ON: First look at the Tudor Pelagos LHD – live pics, price

tudor-pelagos-lhd-sliderOnce again, Tudor has surprised and tempted us with a brand new release just before Christmas – the Tudor Pelagos LHD. On the whole it’s the same Pelagos we know and love, with just a few tweaks – but these small changes combine to show the watch in a completely new light. First of all, the case. It’s the same 42mm titanium case we’re used to, with one not-so-minor difference – the crown is on the left, a feature that gives the watch its left-hand drive sobriquet. The inspiration for this unusual configuration comes from the brand’s past. In the 1970s, the Tudor Submariner was the watch of choice for French Naval divers. Some of these were delivered in a left-handed format – perhaps for divers who wore the watch on their right hand, or perhaps simply so the prominent crown wouldn’t catch or dig into the wrist. Bear in mind, of course, that just because this is intended to be worn on the right doesn’t mean you can’t wear it on your left hand – I did, and quite enjoyed the lack of interfering crown. An interesting side note is that because the crown is on the left, COSC tested the MT5612-LHD movement in different…

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8 years ago

HANDS-ON: We did not expect the steel and gold Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph to be this awesome

omega-speedmaster-moonphase-gold-steel-sliderIf, at the start of 2016, you’d have told me my favourite Omega of the year would be a two-tone Speedmaster (yellow gold no less!) with a green bezel, I’d have enjoyed a good laugh at your expense. I like a Speedy as much as the next guy, but I like them in the straight-up classical format, a la NASA. Well, fast forward a few months and you’ll have to excuse me as I wipe egg off my face, because here it is, my pick of the Omega 2016 litter – the Speedmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer Moonphase Chronograph in steel and yellow gold. For me, the real lesson here is to never truly judge a watch until it’s on your wrist. The crush I had on this watch was instant, and real. Earlier this year, I’d seen blue and black versions of the model that were the Baselworld centrepieces, and I liked them. But this was different. There was an immediate, almost visceral reaction as I strapped it to my wrist. The grey sunburst dial, emerald green bezel insert, and yellow gold crown, pushers and bezel all work amazingly well together, adding up to a hefty dose of flash on the wrist, without being…

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8 years ago

Review – Ressence Type 3, The Oil-Filled Watch That Goes Beyond Hands

When it comes to unique displays of the time, you though you’ve already seen everything: wandering hours, chains, magnetic balls, liquid-filled capillary, rotating prisms… Then, in terms of complications and construction of the overall watch, you thought the same. Well, you’d better look at this watch, the Ressence Type 3, simply because it has both a very special display and an almost unique construction. Certainly, the Type 3 doesn’t have the visual flamboyance of a MB&F, the bold high-tech design of an URWERK or the apparent complexity of an HYT. However, under this restrained attitude and this relative discretion hides a watch filled with oil and that does not use hands to display the time. And that makes the Ressence Type 3 very special to us.

8 years ago

Lange Akademie Day 2: Movement Assembly

Following the strenuous, uncharted territory I traversed in Day 1, I approached Lange Akademie Day 2 with some trepidation; after all, our host Liza Zhu had already hinted that Robert Hoffmann, Head of Zeitwerk assembly would be taking us through the paces of one of A. Lange & Söhne’s vaunted quality control processes…

8 years ago