Back for a second tenure at Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jérôme Lambert’s 2025 return as CEO has brought fresh momentum to the brand. While spectacularly complex models like the Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon a Stratosphere might eclipse the limelight at Watches & Wonders this year, there is a second release that deserves attention: the new Master Control Chronometre collection. […]
When Manuel Emch took the reins at Louis Erard, he set out to prove that métiers d’art and creative collaborations are not the exclusive domain of high-end brands. Now a vibrant hub of creativity, Louis Erard has partnered with independent watchmakers and artists to produce original content. Consolidating Emch’s mission to democratise and reinterpret traditional […]
What We KnowAmong the more attractive releases from Watches and Wonders this year is the new Chopard L.U.C. Strike One Titanium, now with a beautiful new dial treatment. In ethical 18k rose gold with salmon-colored galvanic treatment, with a hand-guilloché central medallion with a honeycomb motif, the Strike One is a watch that may fly under the radar for some. Not a minute repeater, not a grande et petite sonnerie, but rather a beautiful watch that chimes once at the top of the hour (a sonner
The spring auction season is sneaking up on us quickly. Things start early with Sotheby's Hong Kong auction (with its boatload of Cartier), which slightly edges Monaco Legend Group out of the gate, as their auction starts one day earlier. But on April 25 and 26, MLG will open its spring auction, which promises to be one of the more interesting and eclectic vintage-focused auctions of the season. That's not to say it's all vintage, of course. The auction starts out with a Bamford-modified black
What We KnowFor this year's Watches and Wonders, Chanel presents its widest spectrum of J12s to date. The J12 lineup now spans from mini 28mm cases to fully diamond-set skeleton tourbillons. Let's start with its most maritime-looking execution. Following last year's limited-edition release, the matte blue ceramic now finds its place in the core collection. The highly lauded 2025 release was embraced by fashion consumers and watch enthusiasts alike, introducing a sophisticated shade of ceramic
Founded in the United States and producing in Switzerland now, Hamilton returns to one of its lesser-seen military references with a new Khaki Field Mechanical watch, this time offered in two versions released side by side. On one hand, the Khaki Field Mechanical 36mm is a globally available model that brings back the design for […]
Watches and Wonders 2026 is about to close its doors, and it’s time for Team MONOCHROME to head back home after one of the most intense weeks of the year. We’ve seen hundreds of watches, published way over a hundred articles, taken several thousand photos and published over 20 videos on YouTube. But it is time now […]
Nature is a cornerstone of Japanese culture and a predominant theme at Grand Seiko. Even the settings of the Japanese brand’s manufactures are intentionally studied to inspire the takumi (artisans). Hailing from Grand Seiko’s haute horlogerie Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri, the Japanese brand releases a high-end Masterpiece SBGZ011 in platinum, in a hand-engraved 44GS case and […]
Introduced in 2019, Chopard’s Alpine Eagle has quickly become the maison’s signature luxury sports watch collection, defined by its integrated bracelet, fluted bezel secured by eight indexed screws and dial texture inspired by the iris of an eagle. Winging its way back into the limelight, the time-and-date Alpine Eagle returns in 36 and 41mm Lucent […]
As the story goes, the Ingenieur was released in 1955 as IWC’s first antimagnetic wristwatch for civilian use. In 1974, IWC enlisted legendary designer Gerald Genta to redesign the watch. Transformed into a luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet, Genta’s Ingenieur SL debuted in 1976. Evolving over the decades, the modern revival of Genta’s […]
H. Moser & Cie. fearlessly takes two of its most prestigious complications, strips away all superfluous elements, and reveals them up front in the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton. Exposing its dial-side minute repeater and cylindrical hairspring flying tourbillon in a fully skeletonised form, Moser ascends to new heights on the complications ladder. Launched […]
Early each spring, the birds start chirping, crocuses push through the soil, and the watch world begins planning its annual pilgrimage to Watches and Wonders Geneva. Around that time, I start receiving the same texts, DMs, and calls from friends around the world, from Salt Lake City to Bangkok. Most of them are looking for my husband, but happily settle for my more reliable responses during his busiest weeks of the year.Heading into my fourth year living full-time in Switzerland during the big
What We KnowNo brand leans into stone dials quite like Piaget. For 2026, the Maison expands its use of ornamental stones across a wide-ranging lineup, led by a new Polo 79 with a deep blue sodalite dial. Piaget's relationship with hardstone goes back to the early 1960s, when it began experimenting with materials like lapis lazuli, turquoise, malachite, and tiger's eye, turning the dial into the focal point of the watch. At the time, stone dials were one of the only ways to achieve saturated, u
The second-oldest name in watchmaking history, Favre Leuba’s origins go back to 1737, when Abraham Favre was recorded as a watchmaker in Le Locle. Following a global relaunch in 2024 under the leadership of CEO Patrik P. Hoffmann, Favre Leuba’s modern revival focuses on precision-driven timepieces that honour the brand’s extensive archives while meeting contemporary […]
The Luminor is in the spotlight this year with several vintage-inspired novelties that celebrate Panerai’s legacy as a supplier of precision instruments to the Italian Navy. Following the first generation of combat diver’s watches in the mid-1930s, glowing with radium-based Radiomir, Panerai developed a less harmful luminous substance known as Luminor, which would eventually denote […]
The Chronomaster Sport already has most of what you expect from a robust, modern sports chronograph, most often seen in stainless steel with a ceramic bezel. Beating inside is Zenith’s high-frequency El Primero movement, one of the best-known high-beat chronograph calibres out there. Alongside the full steel versions, Zenith has also pushed this design a […]
In contrast to the sportier dive watches we associate with Oris, the Artelier Collection, launched in the early 2000s, is the brand’s elegant dress watch family. For 2026, Oris has decided to shake off the cobwebs and entrust a young product designer to refresh the look and feel of the Artelier Complication. The result is […]
The Le Petit Prince editions have long been easy to spot within IWC’s Pilot’s Watch lineup; just look for the deep blue dial inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous novella. With the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Le Petit Prince unveiled at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026, the brand gives this familiar formula a new […]
When it was unveiled in 2014, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 362 stunned the horological world as the slimmest automatic minute repeater with a tourbillon regulator. For 2026, Jaeger revisits its high-complication masterpiece with the new Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater, a ten-piece limited edition with an openworked dial reaffirming the Maison’s dominance in chiming mechanisms, […]
What We KnowIt feels like the general consensus among some collectors so far is that brands are playing it a bit conservatively at Watches and Wonders this year. Well, not Armin Strom. Smashing it out of the park with their most complicated, technical, and impressive watch to date, the Swiss brand announced a new resonance model featuring a minute repeater that chimes with four hammers on four gongs for the traditional Westminster chime. But there's more than that. There is a selection option,