Introducing The Robust Ollech & Wajs OW 8001
Partners Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs started their adventure in watchmaking, distributing Omegas and Breitlings from their watch shop in Zurich. In 1956 they decided to create their own brand specialising in robust tool watches, much appreciated by soldiers, divers and pilots. One of the few companies to ride out the quartz storm by reducing production, after Ollech died in 1992, Wajs renamed the brand OW and eventually sold it in 2017. Faithful to the original portfolio of no-nonsense tool watches powered by reliable third-party Swiss movements, OW has streamlined production by creating a one-size-fits-all 300m water-resistant case. With its well-stocked archive of historical models, OW takes inspiration for its latest three-hand-and-date OW 8001 from a 1973 chronograph with a groovy brown fume dial.A vintage example of the 1973 TV-shaped chronograph that served as an inspiration (but certainly not for a 1-to-1 reissue)In the early 1970s, Ollech & Wajs produced a range of integr

Portrait: Gaga Laboratorio, Bold Italian Design Meets Swiss Precision
The current watch market is polarized and most often highlighted by the major and mainstream brands on one hand, and let’s say, all the rest on the other hand. Among the latter, on the fringes of the groups and a few independent and historical brands, a swarm of new brands has emerged in recent years to shake up what can be sometimes seen as a lethargic creative landscape. Niche brands, creators, and micro-brands, all have the particularity of claiming innovative creativity in form and – sometimes – in content. Some, for sure, stand out from the crowd because they have been able to forge a strong identity through the product, if not a manufacture created in the 18th century…Take Gag¨¤ Laboratorio for example. Gag¨¤ Laboratorio is a new independent brand, the second owned and run by Mr. Ruben Tomella beside Gag¨¤ Milano, which has been active for over twenty years. In 2020, Ruben Tomella decided to leverage the expertise of Manufacture Gag¨¤ SA, the Swiss company tha

Gerald Genta Arena Bi-Retrograde Anthracite
As some of you certainly know, there’s much more to Gerald Genta than his fame as the designer of the Royal Oak. The man also founded his own watch brand, which was acquired by Bvlgari in 2000 and is one of the pillars behind today’s impressive Octo Finissimo collection. Last year, we saw the name “Gerald Genta” printed again on the dial of a 50th-anniversary model. For 2020, Bvlgari continues to revive the name and brings a new, more modern take on the signature double-retrograde display, with the new Gerald Genta Arena Bi-Retrograde Anthracite.Gerald Genta is renowned for his designs, such as the Royal Oak or the Nautilus. But he was also the founder of an eponymous watch brand and produced some of the most striking and boldest haute horlogerie watches of his times – including some grand complication models. Another element that consolidated the fame of his brand was unique displays – the retrograde and bi-retrograde movements. In 1996, Gerald Gent

IWC Big Pilots Watch Perpetual Calendar Spitfire IW503601 // Review
As a regular reader of MONOCHROME, you will know already that each year, Swiss watch manufacturer IWC focuses on a specific collection. Last year, it was the brand's legendary Pilot's Watch series, with a number of cool variations introduced to the market. Here's a video overview of the highlights from IWC's CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr shot at SIHH 2019. With so many new models being launched - and not all from IWC, of course - there were inevitably some we did not get a chance to devote suitable attention to at the time. One such example is the limited-edition IWC Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Spitfire IW503601. So, if you can forgive us for being a year late, here's our hands-on look at this bronze-case beauty.The Spitfire CollectionAs you might have guessed, the Spitfire Collection takes its name from a plane, the Supermarine Spitfire. This was not just any plane, though. It was a veritable legend of the skies, used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, du

First Look: The Ultra-Light Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air)
Switzerland might be landlocked, but Ulysse Nardin, a young watchmaker from Le Locle, consolidated his reputation by producing precision marine chronometers. By the 1870s, the manufacture supplied more than 50 navies and merchant marine companies with chronometers to calculate longitude at sea. These days, Ulysse Nardin plays on its marine heritage with its classical Marine collection and contemporary lineup of Divers. The brand's Diver X Skeleton collection defied logic with its robust diving credentials and radically skeletonised movement. Pushing the envelope, the latest Diver (Air) takes the concept to the extreme and is, according to the brand, the world's lightest mechanical dive watch. By combining high-tech materials and taking skeletonisation to even greater heights, the new Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air) weighs in at just 52 grams, including the strap. ?With their exposed mechanics, skeletonised watches are not usually pitched as sporty dive watches. Rowing against the tide, UN's