If a regulator wristwatch comes up in conversation, odds are that Chronoswiss is a part of it. The brand was first to produce a regulator wristwatch in series with the Régulateur, a simple and elegant piece that led to the company’s signature style. Rare examples of regulator wristwatches existed prior to this, but none were […]
2019 has seen the rise of many, many trends in watchmaking — steel sports watches with integrated bracelets, bronze cases, limited editions … you get the drift. Another incredibly vogue tendency has been watch manufacturers introducing homage models or watches that aesthetically borrow heavily from vintage timepieces. And, unquestionably, the genre of watches that has most felt the effects of this yesteryear savoir faire is pilot’s watches. Don’t get us wrong, though, that’s not a bad thing … not at all. In fact, this year has given birth to some of the most arresting examples of pilot’s watches that we’ve seen in quite some time, and here are three of our favourites: BLANCPAIN AIR COMMAND While most would think of diving watches (specifically the Fifty Fathoms and the Bathyscaphe) or dress watches when the name Blancpain pops up in conversation, the oldest surviving watchmaker in the world (founded in 1735) is also a dab hand at producing watches for the skies. The Blancpain Air Command is a particularly retro pilot’s flyback chronograph brought up to date by modern manufacturing techniques. Limited to 500 pieces, this one is unlikely to hang around in the hangar for long. Ref No: AC01-1130-63A / Case…
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Some boardroom discussions would be fascinating to observe. The brand decisions presumably make sense at the time, but can appear a little odd to the rest of us. Every so often, however, a brand makes a bold play to distinguish itself from its price-point competitors and it kind of works. Sometimes because the brand chose credibility and congruity over celebrity status, and other times because it’s so wacky, it’s hard to forget (and thus achieving its objective). So, let’s get to know a few watchmaking ambassadors from lesser followed sports. How good a fit do you think these men and woman are for the brands they represent? Breitling: Luke Bannister – Drone pilot It would be easy to treat this appointment cynically, but it seems likely that as little as drone racing had to do with watchmaking’s past, it may well have a fair bit to do with its future. As aviation evolves, so too must aviators. Luke is Breitling’s spokesperson for the next generation. Chamberlain: Stuart Bingham – Snooker This partnership is enough to put Chamberlain on the map (even if it is just for Bingham’s adorable mug shot on the website). The 2015 World Champion may not have…
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Looking back six years, these are Ben’s picks for discontinued but not-to-be-forgotten watches, do they still deserve a second look?
As a Managing Editor, I love to challenge the redaction team at MONOCHROME. So a few weeks ago, I gathered most of our editors and contributors and came with THE big question, one that seems simple at first, but in fact, isn’t. One short question: “choose your favourite watch of 2019”, with no other rule […]
Many people who I respect in this industry have opined that 2019 hasn’t been a particularly exciting or fruitful year for watch releases … and I couldn’t disagree more. This, the final year of the decade, has given birth to an absolute plethora of new and innovative timepieces that have captured the imagination of many a horological enthusiast. And while I could wax lyrical for hours about said cornucopia of new releases, I’ve had to whittle down all of them and pick my five favourites. Here they are (in no particular order): DOXA SUB 200 130th Anniversary One of the biggest shocks of 2019, DOXA’s sublime GPHG-nominated SUB 200 caused quite the stir when it was unveiled at Baselworld, and it’s very easy to understand why. Here is a fit-for-purpose dive watch that looks great, offers a shedload of heritage, genuine water-resistant credentials and is powered by one of the most bulletproof movements in the game – the ETA 2824/2. This particular example, the limited edition 130th Anniversary, caught my eye immediately. Everything about it was just inherently right, and I adored the playful splashes of DOXA’s signature orange on the second hand and “130 Years” text emblazoned on the…
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As one of the most important model series in the world today, the Rolex Daytona is used to living life in the spotlight. What that means is that there are very few things to say about the Daytona that haven’t already been said, but here’s a rundown of five milestone changes to how the Rolex Daytona is built, which may or may not have popped up on your radar at their time of release. The Daytona was released in 1963 It all began in the early ’60s when Rolex decided to nickname one of their new Cosmograph chronographs (reference 6239) after the Daytona race track in Florida. It would go on to become one of the most famous and sought-after models the company has ever produced. The Daytona didn’t always use an in-house movement We take Rolex’s status as an in-house brand for granted, but it wasn’t always the case. Amazingly, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the Daytona had a movement to call its own. Before that, it had used movements made by Valjoux and Zenith (which themselves had been updated several times over the years). The subsequent Rolex calibre 4130 set a new benchmark for the brand…
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About as varied as five stories can be.
I don’t know if you agree, but many people regard Grand Seiko as a very conservative, almost too technical brand. But of all the players that compete in that price segment (watches between EUR 4,000 and EUR 12,000) the only one that dares to do something truly different with its dials is precisely Grand Seiko. […]
For lovers of Haute Horlogerie, the term “fashion watch” is often akin to a cuss word. But one doesn’t have to dig very far into the history of fine watchmaking to realise just how much we have to thank fashion labels for, and how the best fashion watch brands are serious watchmakers. In the 1980s, following the darkest period in luxury horology’s history, during which time quartz watches had threatened to extinguish the craft entirely, it was fashion brands that changed the way watches were seen and worn. Although it seems a bit counterintuitive these days, the idea of a watch as a throwaway accessory helped the luxury industry prosper, simply because it suddenly made watches seem desirable when, in the past, they’d just been viewed as necessary. And rare as it is, there are some excellent watchmakers in the world today that began life as fashion brands, before making a huge investment in proper manufacturing. These are some of the brands that successfully crossed the divide. Bulgari When it comes to transforming a reputation, Bulgari wrote the book. With some of the most impressive manufacturing feats of the past decade to its name (who can forget the Bulgari Octo…
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