This year, the charity auction Only Watch 2017 will of course feature unique wristwatches but, new for this 7th edition, some special projects too, lead by some of industry leaders or greatest watchmakers. As an example, the first production piece of the revolutionary Agengraphe movement is to be auctioned at Only Watch 2017 – Meet Carpe Diem, a table chronograph designed with HEAD students.
Geek tested, nerd approved: Meet the RJ-Romain Jerome RJ X Donkey Kong. Seeking out a healthy dose of nostalgia, we took the opportunity during our visit to the brand’s Boutique in old town Geneva to go hands-on with this cool, bold, arcade-inspired timepiece, and here is our report on this unusual and captivating watch.
When you think URWERK, you immediately have in mind Sci-Fi, space-crafts, ultra-modern design, sharp and bold shapes, unusual display of the time and haute-complication. Like them or not but admit it, URWERK watches are not standard. They create strong emotions on us, in a way or another. However, tradition and ancestral techniques are not words that you would usually place next to URWERK… Until the brand came with this unchained watch, mixing a century-old craftsmanship with their signature bold design, the URWERK UR-210 Amadeus.
Almost vintage… Indeed, this might be a bit provocative, however do consider that what you see here is a time-capsule, enclosing 20 years of history. That’s right, the everlasting young and creative brand URWERK is celebrating this year two decades of bold and unchained horological creations. So, well, vintage… Maybe not! Extremely collectible… Most definitely, as Christie’s Watches Online is now having for sale three of the earliest URWERK watches, which is quite a rare opportunity to get your hands on a piece of the independent scene’s history.
The MCT Dodekal One D110, which we introduced to you here, is simply one of the most impressive mechanical digital hour indications on the market. MCT is the abbreviation of Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps, and the name actually says it all. This “very contemporary” watch manufactory, which was launched in 2007, does not create wrist watches that indicate time simply by 2 or 3 hands. And their latest creation, the Dodekal One that we’re looking at today, is, even in the field of watches with another way to display time (something we love here at Monochrome), an absolute rarity. Today we go hands-on with the Dodekal One D110.
Back in 2015, independent Belgian watch-maker Ressence announced that it was entering into an agreement with mrporter.com, to sell its super cool watches online through the latter’s award-winning menswear platform. Two years on it seems like things have been going well. Really well, in fact. So much so, that today both companies announced an exciting collaboration featuring two limited edition Ressence Type 1 MRP timepieces that will be available exclusively on mrporter.com. We have all the details for you right here, so read on to find out more about what could (should) be your next online purchase.
World first – Krayon, a movement design engineering studio based in Neuchatel, unveils Everywhere, the first mechanical wristwatch to be able to calculate and display the sunrise and sunset times everywhere on the globe. Like many simple, good ideas this is easier said than done. We take a look at this highly impressive mechanical calculator, which also indicates time by hours, minutes and seconds.
In shared thinking, the perpetual calendar has to be, in certain proportions, one of the most classic looking watch. It is widely accepted that the QP is one of the historical complications and for this reason, playing on traditions and century-old heritage, a perpetual calendar is classic. However, not for some brand, who have decided that a QP can be different. Why not? Why not enjoying a sports watch with a complex movement? This is what H. Moser & Cie might have in mind, by introducing the sporty, steel and (sort of) accessible Pioneer Perpetual Calendar.
Today we go hands-on with the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Peripheral, which is the brand’s most basic version with their highly interesting in-house movement. It’s more than just a pretty face, as it features an unusual peripheral rotor that allows for unrestricted views of the CFB 1000 movement inside. After our review of the Manero Power Reserve, and that time we explained the peripheral rotor in depth, we now take a look at the Manero Peripheral.
It’s an age-old recipe; a name from the past to cement your future. A watch company goes bust due to some crisis, lays dormant for a good number of years, and is eventually resurrected with passion and a large sum of money. A lot never make it past the drawing board, some actually make it to prototyping and a few eventually produce actual watches. We’ve seen this with high-end brands like Ferdinand Berthoud or Czapek, or in lower price-bracket with Lebois & Co for instance, all being built on foundations of yesteryear. The latest resurrection to join the party is Carl Suchy & Söhne and we’re introducing you to the Carl Suchy & Söhne Waltz N°1.