Introducing – Atelier de Chronométrie AdC #5 – 1940s Style and Mechanics Brought Back in Hand-Made Timepieces
If there’s one thing I love about my job is to discover new watch brands. I’m always stunned by the level of creativity infused by independent watchmakers, from the Sci-Fi creations of Urwerk or the ultra-classic propositions of Laurent Ferrier (who can do nice things together…) One brand we recently discovered at MONOCHROME cumulates quite some intriguing specificities. It isn’t Swiss, it makes things in an ultra-traditional way, whether for the design or the manufacturing process, and it’s all about one-off pieces. This brand is Atelier de Chronométrie and their latest creation is the AdC #5, which brings back to present times the superb 1940s design and mechanics
The belles of Grand Seiko’s Baselworld ball this year were three takes on the first Grand Seiko, a buttoned-up dress watch that managed to be both effortlessly timeless and very of-its-time, all at once. Grand Seiko released steel, yellow gold and platinum takes on the classic, but they also released a completely new interpretation, the SBGR305, a watch very much in the same vein, but with numerous contemporary touches, such as the larger 40.5mm case, the brilliant hard titanium case material (a proprietary, extra hard version of the lightweight metal), and the addition of a date. The dial, too, is what we’ve come to expect from Grand Seiko: crisp, with a fine, hammered texture that’s hard to beat. So if you like the old stuff and the new stuff, you’ll like this one. Grand Seiko SBGR305 Australian pricing and availability Grand Seiko SBGR305, limited to 968 pieces, $10,400
A history born on the open ocean. Ulysse Nardin gained fame for marine chronometers, found in the pockets and on the wrists of many of the world’s navy captains in the 19th century. The Marine Collection has since become the brand’s most emblematic. However, renewing the focus and direction of the collection, earlier this year UN added the streamlined Marine Torpilleur Chronometer. And with SIHH 2018 just around the corner, they’ve unveiled another inclusion to the Torpilleur family. One that is less the officer and the gentleman of its predecessor and more the rough-and-ready adventurer of the high seas. Forging forward with a more modern focus is an upsized 44mm stainless steel case. With a thinly pronounced fluted bezel, it follows the same curves and lines of the original Torpilleur. Only now it’s matted-out with a sandblast finish. A look that when combined with the oversized onion-shaped crown, really flexes the military vibin’ muscles of this new edition. Water resistance is also maintained at 50m, thanks to the screw-down crown and a solid caseback engraved with a seafaring Torpilleur boat. There will be two dial options offered by UN, both limited to 300 pieces each. An eggshell white with lume-filled…
Over the last few years there’s been a lot of noise about how the watch industry has returned to smaller sized watches, abandoning the larger diameters that dominated wrists in the last decade. And while it’s true that we are seeing more new watches in the 36-40mm range, that doesn’t mean that the ‘go large or go home’ brigade isn’t well represented, as these two monsters from Cvstos clearly demonstrate. You’re looking at two watches from the Cvstos Challenge collection. Large, sporty tonneaus with formidable dimensions of 45mm from side to side, and 59mm from lug-tip to lug-tip. The orange model is a limited edition made to celebrate Spanish Grand Prix motorcyclist Dani Pedrosa (there’s also his number on the side of the case and his name on the dial). The distinctive case is made from a titanium core, with orange aluminium outer elements. If orange isn’t your speed, don’t stress, because there’s also this bright yellow, regular production, version. Aside from being colourful, the cases owe much of their design to the stripped back, sporty aesthetic of high-end performance machines, hence the GT nomenclature for this style of case. As you might expect, these watches are chronographs, with stylised…
It’s the kind of story you could easily gloss over, or embellish, as the president of a large watch company. A collector contacts you with a rare piece. You confirm that it’s original, share the images around the business, get feedback from the heritage team that it might be a good piece to reissue, then conveniently forget — when the accolades roll in — where the story started. That’s not Walter von Känel’s way. He admits in this interview that Longines’ GPHG ‘Revival Watch Prize’ winning Avigation BigEye is, indeed, collector, rather than museum-contributed. “What is interesting is that it has been brought to us by a collector,” Mr von Känel explains. “We didn’t have it in the museum. We checked if it was original and then our heritage team convinced me to re-do it, and it was a good decision. I like it.”