Hands-On - Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra Flat in Steel (Specs & Price)
In 2016, Cartier, the master of beautifully shaped cases, introduced a stylish dress watch for men; the Cartier Drive. Offered in gold or steel, it was an instant hit. Hot on the heels of this initial success, came the Drive Extra Flat in 2017, an even more refined and attractive dress watch that really turned our heads. Unlike the earlier Drive models, however, this beauty was only available in precious metals and, consequently, came with a rather hefty price tag. This year, however, we are pleased to say that Cartier has introduced the Drive Extra Flat in steel, and it is quite an attractive package at that.In the highly competitive world of ultra-thin watches - think the insane 2mm Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept or the Bulgari Octo Finissimo - the Cartier Drive Extra Flat appears comparatively thick at 6.6mm. On the wrist, however, it is superb. Perfectly proportioned with the 38mm high by 39mm wide case, with just enough weight that you know it's there without being intrusive &#

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Chronograph SRQ039J1 Blue Dial Hands-On
Seiko expands its Prospex Speedtimer chronograph series with a new blue panda-style dial with contrasting black sub-dials. Introduced in 2021, the Prospex Speedtimer celebrates Seiko's contribution to sports timing with a fusion of design details and mechanical features of stopwatches and wristwatch chronographs produced in the 1960s. The case and dial, for example, pick up on specific design features and the impeccable legibility of Seiko's handheld stopwatches and its manual-winding Crown Chronograph 5179 wristwatch of 1964. Honouring the sophisticated automatic chronograph movement of Seiko's legendary calibre 6139 of 1969, the Prospex Speedtimers are powered by the calibre 8R46 with a vertical clutch and column wheel. Here’s the new Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SRQ039J1.The race against timeAlthough we tend to remember 1969 as the year when America won the space race and landed a man on the Moon, there was another race between Swiss watch manufactures to develop the first automat

Video: The Ulysse Nardin Freak, the watch that broke all conventions
The other day, we went to Switzerland to film one of the most important and influential watchmakers of the last few decades. It’s not a name that is on everyone’s tongue, but it actually should. Let’s look at this objectively… A watchmaker who created the most complex astronomical watches in times when computer-aided designing and calculations were not widely available. A watchmaker who created a watch that is like no other, that indicates hours with a main spring barrel that rotates once per 12 hours and the entire calibre is an in-line movement that hovers over the main spring barrel and rotates once every hour. However, it is important to mention that the latter was the very first watch to use silicon in its escapement. I’m talking about Ludwig Oechslin and the Ulysse Nardin Freak.Now I could go on about Ulysse Nardin’s Trilogy of Time, however, we didn’t go to film those masterpieces. Yes, these three watches (hence the trilogy) were incred

Naoya Hida & Co. Type 3A Moon Phase (Specs & Price)
The fascinating world of watches stretches all around the world and thankfully, it doesn't only focus on Switzerland. Until now, we haven't featured that many brands from Japan on MONOCHROME, to the exception of the usual mainstream brands and a few rising brands, and it is about time we do something about that. Today's destination is the Land of the Rising Sun as we take a closer look at Naoya Hida & Co., an independent watchmaker based in Tokyo, Japan, doing things with impressive attention to details. And the topic of choice is the recently introduced Naoya Hida & Co. Type 3A Moon Phase.BackgroundIt's no secret that we, at MONOCHROME, have love for independent watchmaking. People that do things on their own, with creativity and above all, devotion to craftsmanship. Time and time again we're surprised with the virtual limitless industry we love. Youngtimer-brand Naoya Hida & Co. is one of those brands that to us, came out of nowhere and took us by surprise. The brand uses

"Dutch Pride" embodied by the new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Max Verstappen Special Edition - Monochrome Watches
Dutch citizens and their pride, all wrapped in?orange… That’s something few can understand but I have to say, I do. Indeed, I am surrounded with Dutch guys, as two of our contributors are Dutch and even our dear founder Frank is. While the Netherlands aren’t known to?be the greatest country for sports, they have one man to rely on, one man that is known to be the youngest Formula One Grand Prix winner of all time. To celebrate “Dutch Pride” and this great champion, TAG Heuer unveiled yesterday night in Amsterdam the new Max Verstappen Special Edition, a watch only available for his fans and co-citizens in the Netherlands.Heuer and later TAG Heuer have a great history with Formula 1. TAG (Techniques d’avant garde)?was indeed one of the main financers of F1 during the 1980s, providing a Porsche engine to the successful McLaren team and legend Ayrton Senna. At the same time, in 1985, TAG?purchased Swiss watchmaker Heuer – then becoming TAG Heuer.