RzR Tecoron - Affordable Carbon Fibre Watch now on Kickstarter (Specs & Price)
When a watch debuts with an unusual material, such as ceramic, titanium or even sapphire crystal, a relatively high price usually reflects the rarity and increased manufacturing difficulty (and, of course, marketing prowess). RzR Watches is bucking the trend with an affordable piece comprised of 80% carbon fibre, a lightweight and durable material that's five times less dense than stainless steel. This kind of development is usually associated with established brands with deep pockets (think Richard Mille, Bvlgari or AP), but founder Ricardo Zamora Rojas has spent the last four years working with production partners to bring the RzR Tecor¨®n to market at fraction of the price. His new watches now hit Kickstarter. Born in the Canary Islands, Spain, Ricardo moved to the UK in 2014 with a newly earned mechanical engineering degree. After spending the last four years developing the RzR Tecor¨®n, he returned home to the Canary Islands to bring his vision to fruition. Th

Hands-On - The 2022 Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G Champagne Dial
It is far from an industry secret that the Black Bay collection is Tudor's cash cow. And by saying that, I am by no means implying that as a bad thing. Far from it, the Black Bay and its retro-cool vibe have become a formidable and versatile platform for different materials and colour combinations. Heck, multiple iterations of it have found their way into the collection of several MONOCHROME editors. With no fewer than seven sub-collections, stretching to an even greater number if you include all sizes and colour variations, there are many options. And while most might focus on the new Black Bay Pro or the BB58, there's one new release we certainly didn't want to keep from you. The watch in question is the sparkling (pun intended) Tudor Black Bay Chrono with champagne yellow gold dial.Black Bay BackgroundThe Black Bay saga started in 2012, which honestly feels like ages ago. Since then, we've seen it morph from a cool-looking dive watch with an outsourced movement into a ubiquitous col

Dietrich Device 1 (DD-1) Review // Value Proposition (Specs & Price)
Following the wild, avant-garde Organic Time watches, microbrand Dietrich is back with a refined, more disciplined approach with the Dietrich Device 1 (DD-1). Many design elements have been carried over to continue the organic design theme, such as a rounded hexagonal case, multidimensional dial and integrated lugs beneath the case, but the overall aesthetic has changed significantly. The movement has matured as well, advancing to a Swiss ETA automatic from the previous Japanese Miyota. It all culminates in a rare, unique package often reserved for luxury brands at much higher price points. Let's take a closer look.BACKGROUNDFounder Emmanuel Dietrich has both French and German roots and was born into a family of artists and artisans in Besan?on (centre of French watchmaking). His passion for watches came at the age of seven when he received a Cuppillard Rieme mini diver's watch as a present. While attending ecole Boulle design school in Paris, he earned a degree in interior design. He

Dan Henry 1975 Skin Diver - Accessible Dive Watch Review (Price)
Skin divers are always fun as they're generally a more stylish take on pro counterparts (hence the name). There isn't a hard definition, but skin divers are smaller, slimmer versions of bulkier professional divers with depth ratings between 100 and 200 metres. Some folk prefer a vintage-inspired re-edition like the Longines Skin Diver, while others gravitate to modern interpretations like Dietrich's SD-1. Skin diving itself is recreational and requires less gear (if any) to explore shallower depths. Dan Henry already has an impressive retro diver, the 1970 Automatic Diver 40mm, and the new 1975 Skin Diver comes in four variants with accessible prices.?The Collector?Dan Henry isn't just a guy who created a microbrand. Many in this field find a horological passion at some point and try to fill a hole in the market with something new or innovative. More often than not, however, microbrand offerings are more of the same, perhaps with unusual colours or a cool design element. The man behind

Hands-On - Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moonphase 42mm (Price)
Ulysse Nardin has a long and storied history when it comes to nautical navigation and marine chronometry. For decades, if not centuries, marine navigation relied on the position of celestial bodies. The introduction of precision instruments such as marine chronometers revolutionized navigation at sea. Founded in 1846, meaning the brand celebrates 175 years of watchmaking this year, Ulysse Nardin quickly gained fame for producing precise marine deck chronometers. In what is a celebratory year, UN honours its past with seven new Marine Torpilleur models, one of which we'll be taking a closer look at today, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moonphase 42mm.The Marine Torpilleur collection, introduced as a sub-collection in Ulysse Nardin's emblematic Marine range, was launched in 2017. While inspiration still clearly stems from the early days of marine chronometers, the updated style of the Marine Torpilleur made it a simpler, lighter version around the classic nautical theme. As Rebecca