Indie watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, along with his fellow Finn Kari Voutilainen, put Finland on the map as a watchmaker’s country; both their names are at the top of the list of contemporary independent masters for a reason. S.U.F., or SarpanevaUhrenFabrik, was created in 2003 and, since then, produces limited edition watches with a distinctive design. […]
When we first discovered the work of German independent watchmaker Felipe Pikullik, we were impressed with the creativity, level of detail and relative affordability. Moving forward and perfecting his craft with every watch he makes, Felipe has really upped his game with his most recent creation. Breaking out with the Sternenhimmel and ZBM, he was […]
Despite the fact that mechanical watches today are very much a luxury item and far from a necessity, there was a time when proper timing instrument watches were the difference between life and death. Watches served a true purpose and were used to time extremely important events. This need for precision also arose with the […]
A rather unique indie watchmaker, not only because it’s based in Delft, The Netherlands, Holthinrichs has a very personal approach to design and to the manufacturing of its cases. The young brand has made a name for itself with its 3D-printed cases, in various metals (including precious alloys) and a combination of fine watchmaking and […]
Australia is associated with a lot of things, but watchmaking is not necessarily one of them. We tend to think of Rugby, Kangaroos, surfing, the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback, and perhaps our esteemed colleagues of Time & Tide Watches. But there’s more to it than that, as the country is home to a […]
The small Scottish brand known as anOrdain has made quite a name for itself over the past five years, mainly through its traditionally crafted vitreous enamel dials. Usually reserved for watches at a much higher price point, anOrdain has found a way to make them in-house, at a competitive level. After our recent trip to […]
At MONOCHROME, we love watches, watchmaking and the watchmaking industry as a whole. However, we can’t hide our passion for watches manufactured by small ateliers by watchmakers who create watches with their hands and soul. Known as “independent watchmaking“, these creative hubs provide a breath of fresh air to established brands. We continue our recap […]
When we recently reached out to anOrdain to see if we could conduct an interview about this very interesting brand, they came back to us and said, “we can do you one better!”. Curious as we are, we wanted to know more. In an effort to show, rather than tell, they wanted to open their […]
The stylish black & gold John Player Special livery, made famous by the Lotus F1 team in the 1970s, is enjoying a revival with offerings from brands like Hamilton, Bell & Ross and TAG Heuer, all the way up the ladder to niche indie brands like De Bethune. Earlier this year, De Bethune unveiled a […]
It has been quite a while since we’ve seen something really new coming from the niche watchmaking company Pellikaan Timing. Run by Hubert Pellikaan, a very passionate Dutchman with a background in pharmacy and science, the brand has a small but devoted following. The designs are all about legibility because Hubert wants his watches to […]