Kees Engelbarts Pushes “Skeletonized” to Another Level with the Psychedelic Tourbillon

Few might know Kees Engelbarts here. It is true that is work will always remain confidential, however for very good reasons (that we’ll explain). He himself says that he can only produce 6 to 8 watches a year, all hand-made, unique, mostly commisioned pieces. But, believe us, Kees Engelbarts’ work must be discovered. His latest piece, the Psychedelic Tourbillon, is a perfect demonstration of what proper skeleton watches are. 

7 years ago

Hands-On – Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Chronograph Skeleton in New Versions

Introduced in the early 1990s, the Masterpiece family is Maurice Lacroix’s top-of-the-range collection, and offers complications at an accessible price point. At Baselworld this year, the brand unveiled new versions of its Masterpiece Chronograph Skeleton – an intricately executed openwork chronograph based on the Valjoux 7750. The 2017 models are presented with a steel case with blue dial and a limited edition blue PVD steel case with matching dial.

7 years ago

In-Depth – Zenith DEFY LAB, 3 Centuries of Regulation & Chronometry Revolutionized with a Radically New Oscillator (Technical Insights & Video)

It’s now time to lift the veil on the big and truly exciting news we had anticipated further to Jean-Claude Biver’s (President of the LVMH watch division) and Julien Tornare’s (CEO of Zenith) press conference last May: a groundbreaking development in the field of chronometry, exploring unchartered territories and challenging the basic operating principle of the mechanical watch regulation, invented in 1675 by Christiaan Huygens – a principle that has remained basically unchanged since its creation. The name of this watch is the Zenith DEFY LAB, and it comes with a revolutionary, yet technically quite simple, type of oscillator.

7 years ago

Introducing the Hautlence Vortex Gamma, With Exclusive Vibrant Case Material That Can Take On Any Color

Hautlence’s creations are bold… Very bold! They play on the shapes, on the display, on the mechanics, on the style and they can even create objects to be worn on the wrist that are not meant to be timepieces, simply because they don’t indicate the time (think Labyrinth or Pinball pieces). That’s just a different state of mind! And while we knew they could go quite mad with colours, they are now pushing boundaries even further, with the new Hautlence Vortex Gamma, featuring a vibrant case material that can take on any colour or shade and that can be bespoken to the delight of its clients.

7 years ago

Hands-On – Bell & Ross BR-X1 Black Titanium Chronograph

Bell & Ross has been knocking them out of the park lately, with several vintage-inspired watches that really hit the spot, like the new Vintage Collection and some derivatives, such as the Vintage V2-92 & V2-94 Garde-Cotes and the commemorative BR126 Renault Sport 40th Anniversary. Today, however, we’re shifting gears and getting hands on with one of the brand’s more futuristic-looking models; the BR-X1 Black Titanium Chronograph, a softer and more “monochrome” version of the bold chronograph we already tested here.

7 years ago

What is it to wear a unique and configured watch by Armin Strom?

Recently, at Baselworld 2017, Armin Strom surprised the world of collectors (and certainly some of the industry participants…) by launching something that, besides being ultra-cool, felt like a natural development, knowing upcoming changes in customers behavior. What they created is an online configurator, in order to imagine, choose, create and order your watch just like you want it. Not a single element can’t be personalized, making sure that your future watch represents exactly your own wishes and personality. Today, we go one step further by playing with one Armin Strom watch that has been entirely configured, to show you how far you can actually go.

7 years ago

In-Depth Review – RJ-Romain Jerome Skylab 44 Red – Bold & Architectural

You cannot accuse RJ-Romain Jerome of being boring, even though you might not be a fan of the brand like I am. Fact of the matter is, the Geneva based brand does unorthodox things but every now and then hits a sweet spot that should entice even the doubters! The need for a Pièce Unique Pokemon watch is debatable of course, but any doubt can be swayed with the simple question of: why not? Well, that is the question we will hope to have answered by extensively reviewing the RJ-Romain Jerome Skylab 44 Red. We already covered it as it was first released back in december 2013 but we now give you the full rundown.

7 years ago

Launching on Kickstarter – The Bold Aviation-Inspired CJR “Commander Series” Watch

Most of the Kickstarter brands that we cover here on Monochrome tend to have an interesting unique story behind them, even though practically every single one of them is a micro-brand with very little traction in the multi-billion-dollar watch industry. CJR watches, which was founded in 2013, has now come out with the newly released “Commander Series”. A watch with a name that matches perfectly in my opinion, as when you look at it, it will command your attention.

8 years ago