Category: Sports watch

Review – The New Brellum Duobox Pandial Chronograph

If you’re a long-time reader of MONOCHROME, you should already be familiar with Brellum, a young Swiss-based brand responsible for the Duobox. This watch is everything of a no-nonsense chronograph: slightly vintage-inspired, robust, very well built and overall, cool to wear. We now have the first main evolution of this watch, the Duobox Pandial. The racing inspiration is now clear, with a two-tone dial and an external tachymeter bezel. Let’s have a closer look.

7 years ago

Porsche Design 1919 Chronotimer x Porsche Driving Experience Winter

When it comes to sports chronographs, these used to be purpose-build timepieces. Now-a-days it’s rather a fashion/style statement, than anything else. However several decades ago, chronographs were mainly bought by gentlemen who had enough budget and time to enjoy playing around with fast cars. Competitiveness has always been a characteristic of mankind, especially of the 50% of human beings with more testosteron (also referred to as men.) A chronograph allowed them to measure time, and to compare lap times. And that’s what I didn’t do when I went to the North of Finland with Porsche Design for the Porsche Driving Experience Winter. Here’s a report about having fun in the snow, and on the ice, with pretty much the entire line-up of Porsche cars. I forgot to measure lap times, but when you see this video and the photos below, I’m sure you will understand. 

7 years ago

Buying Guide – 5 Automatic Watches from Established Brands Under EUR 1,000

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?

7 years ago

Value Proposition – Hands-On With The Aramar Long Beach Racing Chronograph

Vintage-inspired watches have been one of the hottest trends of 2017 and this looks set to continue in 2018. Automotive-focused watches from the golden era of the 1960’s and 1970’s, such as the Bell & Ross Vintage Bellytanker and the Heuer Autavia, have been particularly popular, no doubt helped along in no small part by the $17m sale of a Rolex Daytona owned by some guy. Not everyone can afford the premium price tags these types of watch command, however, so today we’re getting hands-on with a much more accessible alternative from Netherlands-based watch designer and producer, Aramar Watch Co. Called the Long Beach Racing Chronograph, it’s already exceeded its funding goal on Kickstarter, with just under a month still to go. Read on for all the details.

7 years ago

Introducing – Oris GMT Rega Limited Edition

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.

7 years ago

The Speedmaster Chronicles #2 – Robert-Jan Broer, Mister Speedy Tuesday

Today is Tuesday. What else then, except having the one-and-only Mister Speedy Tuesday featured for our second instalment of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. Yesterday, we started this series of videos with the man that certified the Omega Speedmaster to go to the Moon. Today, we give the floor to fellow watch-journalist Robert-Jan Broer, founder of Fratellowatches. Most importantly, RJ (as we all name him) is one of the top-tier sources for the Speedmaster, the founder of the “Speedy Tuesday” movement and the man responsible for the creation of the highly coveted Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition. Needless to say, he knows quite a bit about the “Moonwatch“.

7 years ago

The Speedmaster Chronicles #1 – James H. Ragan, The Former NASA-Engineer Responsible for the “Moonwatch”

Here it is: Episode 1 of our series of videos dedicated to the one-and-only Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch“. Certainly one of the most iconic watches ever created, many stories have been written about this stopwatch. Yet, today, we are proud to have a special guest with us for the first episode of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. Without him, the Speedmaster would have never been named the “Moonwatch” and all the fame and dreams around this watch wouldn’t exist. Here is James H. Ragan, Former NASA Program Manager and Aerospace Engineer – or the man who tested the Speedmaster and who gave it the “Flight Qualified By NASA For All Manned Space Missions” certification, allowing the Speed to finally make it to the Moon.

7 years ago

Pre-SIHH 2018 – Hands-On with the Montblanc TimeWalker Rally Timer Chronograph Now With Reverse-Panda Dial

Last year, at the SIHH 2017, Montblanc introduced an entire collection focused on sports, the new Timewalker. The main source of inspiration for this collection certainly was Motorsport… But that was just a fraction of where these watches came from. In fact, there’s a longer story behind, as the TimeWalker collection is taking its DNA from early stop-watches made by Minerva (now owned by Montblanc) made for gentlemen drivers. On top of the range was a proper tribute piece, the Montblanc TimeWalker Rally Timer Chronograph, and this exact same stop-watch, with superb movement, is now coming with a new, slightly vintage “reverse-panda” style.

7 years ago

Buying Guide – 5 of the Best Luxury-Sports Watches Launched in 2017

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.

7 years ago