Watch Dandy

Hands-On: The Piaget Polo S Chronograph, A Luxury Sport Watch Under $13,000

My first vintage watch was an ultra-thin Piaget, which probably explains the infatuation I have for the brand. Understandably, the announcement of an upcoming “game changer” last year raised my expectations – and my doubts. July’s release of the Polo S was dominated by polemics over its potential resemblance to some other iconic watches, overshadowing a bit the conversation about whether it might or might not be the crucial game-changing piece that Piaget had promised. More than nine months later, it felt that it was time to look back at the Polo S and truly assess what it was all about, on its own merits.

HANDS-ON: A square peg in a round hole – the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver

The first Bell & Ross I ever laid my hands on, back in 2008, was the Marine, an uncommon and somewhat unusual beast that took the brand’s trademark dial and transplanted it into a large, 1000m water resistant, tonneau-shaped case that looked like it could handle anything short of being run over by a main battle tank (and even then it’d probably only scratch the case a little). And it turns out that this isn’t the brand’s first foray into the world of hardcore divers (check out the Hydromax). The only issue is that these older models don’t neatly fit into the Bell & Ross family. They’re round pegs trying to fit in a square hole. The newly minted BR 03-92 Diver has no such problems. Bell & Ross has taken the instantly recognisable BR 03 case shape and turned it into their first ever square dive watch. The first thing I thought on seeing it was – why haven’t they done this before? There is no doubt that the BR 03-92 Diver looks every inch the professional diver, as well it should, given that it has all the bells and whistles required by ISO 6425 – the international standard…

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TAG Heuer Is Showing A Collection Of Vintage Chronographs In Paris, And You Should Definitely Check It Out

From now until the end of April, TAG Heuer is showcasing a small collection of historically important watches, most of them chronographs from the 1960s and ’70s, in one of its Paris boutiques. If you find yourself in the French capital, you should definitely head to 12 Boulevard des Capucines and pay the boutique a visit.

CONFIGURATE | SHARE | WIN – Win Your Personalized Armin Strom Watch With the Online Configurator

Recently, we reported to you a achievement that we, at Monochrome, think will be the next level of watchmaking, the Armin Strom Watch Configurator. As we told you, there’s no way that industry can still rely on old-fashioned production and selling channels. The next step is named “customization” and Armin Strom is the first to come with a proper achieved idea, an exhaustive Watch Configurator – where every aspect of the watch and the movement can be configured. Well, apart from this, there’s something extremely cool that we wanted to share: the possibility to win your personalized Armin Strom watch by sharing your configurated watch on Instagram in a creative way… Sounds interesting, right?

Introducing: Three Panerai Luminor 1950 PCYC Chronographs In Honor Of The Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge

Panerai is celebrating its lasting relationship with the sport of classic yacht racing by releasing three automatic flyback chronographs equipped with a set of functions directly connected to the nautical world. The so-called PCYC (Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge) chronos offer three slightly different takes on the form though, so let’s take a quick look at what makes each new model special.

Hands-On – H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds Automatic – When Simplicity Becomes Essential

As we already showed several times here, on Monochrome, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture H. Moser & Cie. (also known as the Robin Hood of watchmaking… Those who know will understand, otherwise read this) is all about simplicity and purity of their watches, by removing even the logo on the dial and any kind of markers. But simplicity can also come from a display and functionality, and in this case, this word is nothing pejorative and I would even refer to essential… Something that the new H. Moser Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds Automatic, presented at Baselworld 2017, defines quite well.

EDITOR’S PICK: The Aegir CD-2, a dive watch made by… wait for it… an ACTUAL diver

Editor’s note: There’s nothing that watch journos love more than a watch with a story. Marketing departments know this, and try hard (sometimes too hard) to come up with gripping narratives behind their latest and greatest. In all my years of writing about watches, I’ve come across few stories as authentic and compelling as that of Australian micro-brand Aegir Instruments and the man who makes them. Oh, and the watches aren’t too shabby either. Todd Caldwell, the man behind the brand, is a commercial diver – and the inspiration for Caldwell to go out on a limb and make his own dive watch was hours of decompressing in a diving bell, with little to do but stare at his watch (I asked – it was a Panerai, and yes – he’s still got it). Caldwell wasn’t happy with what he saw, or with any of the watches on the market for that matter. He wanted something he could wear at depth that wouldn’t look like a tuna can on the wrist, jutting out from a suit cuff. So decided to design his own, initially just for himself and a few diving buddies. Out of this process came two designs: The CD-1, forms the…

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INTERVIEW: “Safe queens are the worst.” Actor James Marsden explains just what kind of watch geek he is, and we are feeling him

One of the last people I saw before I left Australia for SIHH in January was James Marsden. He was on television, in dusty dungarees, with a vest, boots and a cowboy hat. His face was etched with pain. He’d just been shot by Ed Harris. Again. The television show is Westworld, the character is Teddy, and my wife and I remain obsessed with both. We’d binged our way through the first season in a matter of days, and then, a 27-hour flight and a broken night of sleep later, there I was with that very same character (Teddy) in real life. Reassuringly for you, dear reader, my interview questions extend well beyond his role on the incredible series, quickly focusing on watches. We also discuss how his obsession with timepieces began, and how he’s now seeking to pass the passion on to his son. But given the circumstances, the conversation does have to start with Westworld. T+T: This is freaking me out. The last time I saw you was only a day or so ago. You were having a hard time in the Wild West… JM: So is it freaking you out that I’m here and alive and there are no bullet…

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A Week On The Wrist: The Panthère de Cartier

I have a confession to make. After complaining about how women’s watches are too small and insisting that 36mm is the perfect size watch for any woman, I, Cara Barrett, have rediscovered my love for small watches. I know, I know, the hypocrisy of it all! But that’s how fashion and style work – ebbs and flows, and all that. Watches are no exception. As far as this new interest in smaller watches is concerned, there’s one culprit to blame, and that’s the new Panthère de Cartier.