Monochrome
Young, independent Dutch brand VPC (Venustas Per Constantiam) returns with its next release, the Type 39VM, following its debut model, the Type 37HW. Founded by Thomas van Straaten, watch journalist at Fratello, collector, and now the founder of the design-driven microbrand, VPC was created around a beauty-through-restraint approach. After setting a standard with its hand-wound […]
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Despite a challenging political and economic context worldwide, and the undeniable impact of tariffs on exports to the US, luxury powerhouse Richemont, owner of Cartier, IWC, JLC, and Vacheron, seems to remain strong. Indeed, in its latest quarterly report for the three-month period ended 31 December 2025 versus the prior-year period, and at constant exchange […]
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Founded by brothers Alberto and Alessandro Morelli in 2017, the Venice-based brand was initially launched as Meccaniche Veneziane. The company got noticed with the Nereide diver and the Redentore dress line before rebranding in 2022 to strengthen its identity and link to Venetian craftsmanship. The Redentore Utopia II, after the 2024 Redentore Utopia, is the […]
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With more than a century of watchmaking under its belt, Hamilton has more than earned its place in history. The brand has ventured into many areas of the industry, and has launched a fair share of iconic watches, such as the Ventura, Pulsar and Chrono-Matic. Military-issued and -inspired watches like the W10 and the Khaki […]
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The Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau has been nurturing an impressive wave of independent watchmakers, emerging with fresh visions and artisanal talent. In recent years, it has produced notable names such as Sylvain Pinaud, Théo Auffret, Rémy Cools, John-Mikaël Flaux, Cyril Brivet-Naudot, Thomas Aubert and Alexis Ramel-Sartori, and many others. Today, we turn our attention to […]
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RGM Watch Company is part of a small and exclusive club of American watchmakers that are truly vertically integrated. Based in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, Roland G. Murphy’s atelier produces multiple in-house calibres and complex, hand-made Guilloché dials via antique rose engine lathes. Teddy Baldassarre is a huge figure in the watch community with over 1.3 […]
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Founder of Independent Atelier and watch collector Benjamin Hui has spent a good portion of his life devoted to the work of Kiu Tai Yu. As one of the key figures in the birth and rise of Chinese high-end independent watchmaking, Tai Yu was the first applicant from China to become a member of the […]
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Founded in 2000 by legendary designer Gérald Genta, the brand Gérald Charles, now under the leadership of CEO Federico Ziviani, has become known for its approach to technical refinement and design innovation within the distinctive Maestro case, an instantly recognisable creation of Genta. Gérald Charles continues to develop its collections based on Genta’s artistic legacy, […]
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A watch packed with history and pivotal in Oris’ destiny, the Big Crown Pointer Date saw the light in 1938. As the brand’s first dedicated pilot’s watch, the oversized crown was designed so pilots could operate the watch while wearing gloves in their unheated cockpits. With its legible Arabic numerals, graphic railway track, cathedral hands […]
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To celebrate the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse, which kicks off on 17 February 2026, Arnold & Son presents a limited edition of eight Perpetual Moon timepieces. Marking its sixth consecutive year of editions dedicated to the Chinese New Year, Arnold & Son turns to its fascinating Perpetual Moon reference, presented in a 41.5mm […]
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The modern Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, the direct descendant of the watch that accompanied Apollo 11 crew members to the Moon, doesn’t need much introduction anymore. It is, undeniably, one of the most iconic and storied timepieces in existence. But there is more than one Moonwatch. Besides the classic steel version with a closed back […]
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The resurgence of French brand Yema over the past few years has been marked by a steady, successful effort to refine its heritage designs and by its commitment to in-house watchmaking. Founded in 1948 in Morteau, France, the brand built its reputation through tool watches like the Superman and Skin Diver of the 1960s, watches […]
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Satellite hour displays are exciting because, apart from the lyrical mood, for most brands, except Urwerk, which made it a signature feature, they are a departure from the ordinary. They stand out from the core collections, reflecting the design, engineering effort and each brand’s specific interpretation of the wandering hours indication. In 2018, when H. […]
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As a watch enthusiast and a fan of classic motorsport (superficial, but still), the Union Glashütte Noramis Chronograph Limited Edition Sachsen Classic 2025 struck me immediately for the clear connection to the 1952 Grosser Werkmeister, the from-behind-the-Iron-Curtain, one-off East German-built racing roadster that inspired it. It´s amazing how Union Glashütte ties its themed design to […]
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Mido’s flagship Ocean Star collection is a contemporary evolution of its 1940s Ocean Star dive watch family. Often described as an all-round ‘surf and turf’ model, the Ocean Star 200C, introduced in 2021, comes with upgraded features like ceramic inserts and textured, colourful dials and Swatch Group’s latest-generation calibre 80. The new Ocean Star 200C […]
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With temperatures dropping well below zero, and our small country of the Netherlands struggling with a thick layer of snow this past week, you can always rely on us to bring the heat. And it’s not only in our petite habitat that snow, ice and cold weather have an impact on daily life, but in […]
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At the dawn of mechanical time, hands weren’t a thing as bells would chime to signal an event or relay the hours. These giant mechanical bell towers were seen in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, with examples like the Salisbury Cathedral clock in the 14th century still functioning today (after restoration, of course). These early […]
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In the ever-increasing world of restomods, remasters, continuation cars and so on, some projects raise the question of why it hadn’t been done before. By now, we’re well familiar with the slew of Porsches from Singer, Nardone, Tuthill, KAMM and so on, but there are plenty of brilliant machines out there to receive the same […]
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If I had to describe the return of L.Leroy, once one of France’s most illustrious watchmaking houses, with its name respected as much as those of Breguet and Ferdinand Berthoud, it was very theatrical. Founded in 1785 by Charles Leroy in Paris, it became famous for its marine chronometers, regulator clocks, and commissions for European […]
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The life of an independent watchmaker, or a duo in this case, is hardly ever easy. Roope Kortela and Rene Valta, who you might know from the portrait we produced about a year ago, are pulling the covers off their next watch, but some challenges had to be overcome. When we first spoke with the […]
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‘Watches by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts’ is not just a marketing phrase when it comes to ZLTD Watches, but a genuine conviction. It’s about bridging passion, culture and creativity to offer something unique. Singaporean watch nut Z.L. Toh, one half of the brand, started out by spending hours upon hours watching YouTube videos on all things […]
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Vyntage Horology is the brand created by the Seddiqi family, long regarded as the most influential retailers in the Gulf; Ahmed Seddiqi has just celebrated 75 years in business. They are also organisers of Dubai Watch Week, which has become the beating heart of independent watchmaking in the region. After decades of promoting Swiss watchmaking […]
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While Hublot’s Classic Fusion model might look tame in comparison to the brand’s muscular Big Bang quarterbacks, in 1980 it sent shockwaves through the industry. With its unorthodox combination of a gold 37mm porthole-shaped case with exposed screws in the bezel paired with a black rubber strap, Carlo Crocco’s Hublot (French for porthole) watch was […]
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Credor, a high-end division of the Seiko Group, was founded in 1974 with a focus on refined, ultra-thin timepieces that emphasise artistic and artisanal techniques. Originally catering to the Japanese domestic market, Credor has begun to expand internationally only recently (mostly with the Locomotive, based on a Genta design) and will make its debut at […]
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It has been a while since we last saw a tonneau-shaped Seiko Presage… The last to surface on MONOCHROME was the Presage Enamel SPB049 from 2017, a quietly unusual model that stood apart from the round, conservative silhouettes that dominate Seiko’s classical offerings, or the 2019 Zen Garden SARY111 (SRPD05/07) series. But here we are […]
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Forgive the lyrical tone, but to encounter a Moritz Grossmann watch is to feel time transformed into form and substance. These are timepieces that are great to look at and study in detail with a loupe, but also wonderful to experience through touch, balance, and inner rhythm. Since Christine Hutter revived the storied name in […]
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Unveiled on 26 June 2025, a nod to the date Abraham-Louis Breguet secured a patent for his gravity-defying tourbillon (26 June 1801), the Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 takes his groundbreaking regulator on a fascinating ride through time and space. Released for the brand’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255 pays homage to its illustrious […]
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Fitting for a brand that harnesses the horsepower of the racetrack in its watches, TAG Heuer releases a Carrera Chronograph to celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse. Representing the seventh animal sign in the Chinese zodiac, the horse will rule the roost of the 12 zodiac animals starting on 17 February 2026. The model […]
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After the now-cult-classic MIH Watch of 2005, an overtly minimalist Annual Calendar Chronograph developed by Ludwig Oechslin and Paul Gerber, and the Gaïa Watch series launched in 2019, the 2024 edition continues the museum’s approach to watchmaking. Indeed, before launching his own brand, Ochs und Junior, Oechslin was the curator of the Musée International d’Horologerie […]
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On 17 February 2026, the Chinese New Year kicks off with the Year of the Fire Horse, the seventh animal in the Chinese Zodiac and a symbol of power, speed and confidence. Echoing the attributes of the zodiac animal, Oris has equipped this 43mm stainless steel model with its powerful calibre 113, an advanced hand-wound […]
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