Retrospective: What are The World's Thinnest Watches Per Category?
Ultra-thin watchmaking is a fascinating topic, one of our favourite areas of expertise here, at MONOCHROME. Ultra-thin watchmaking is horology at its purest, a no-compromise search for the slenderest movement that has to be considered a true complication. While high-watchmaking often seeks to bring as many complications as possible in a single movement, ultra-thinness is all about miniaturisation. We’ve recently published a video retracing the battle for the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, a race that implied Bulgari, Piaget and Richard Mille, ending up with a record thin watch of 1.70mm, the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC. But let’s dive deeper into the topic, by looking at the world’s thinnest watches per category. The thinnest mechanical watch? The thinnest chronograph? The thinnest watch ever? We have them all here.?Note: this article is meant to become one of MONOCHROME’s classics and will be updated according to the state of the industry, depending on

Hands-On - The Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Sepia Brown Collection
The launch of Vacheron's Fiftysix collection in 2018 was a surprise for many of us, marking a clear separation from the brand’s classic collections. Originally positioned as an entry-level collection to attract a younger generation of clients, the Fiftysix touted an automatic three-hand model in steel with an accessible' price tag of EUR 11,000. Although the notion of Vacheron Constantin producing an affordable' watch is at odds with the brand's venerable reputation for Haute Horlogerie, the idea was to seduce a younger, trendier customer. How? By jumping on the ever-so-trendy retro bandwagon and revisiting a 1956 model in a contemporary key. Distilling a fashionable retro-contemporary vibe, the Fiftysix has appeared as a complete calendar, a tourbillon, and a day/date.Having experimented with silver and blue dials, Vacheron decided to produce a rich, warm brown colour to offset the luxurious appeal of 18k pink gold. Last April, two 40mm pink gold boutique-exclusive models with s

Hands-On - The New Series of Accessible Merci Instruments LMM-01
There is no denying the importance of the microbrand scene in the past couple of years. We’ve seen so many new projects coming on stage and some with a pretty impressive sense of design. Fresh, unique, disruptive or, on the contrary, highly classical, there’s room for many new actors. Well, today we’ll be talking about a trio of watches that such a microbrand could have made… Except that behind Merci Instruments is an entity that is miles away from the watchmaking scene. And yet, the three new Merci Instruments LMM-01 you see here are clearly timepieces?in a noble version of the word.?Here’s a slightly personal and rather funny story. Merci is what you could name a concept store, a retail experience that isn’t focused on a single typology of product but more on a selection of products that could fit together as an ensemble. The goal of Merci Paris was originally to gather emerging brands and designers and collect funds for non-profitable organisation

3 Watches from Certina, Hamilton and Tissot with Powermatic Movement
Last week, we published an in-depth technical article on the ETA C07.811 movement, also known as the Powermatic. This time, we’ll show how versatile this movement and its evolutions really are. In this guide, we'll take a look at three watches from Hamilton, Tissot and Certina with totally different concepts – dressy, diver or military – all equipped with slightly different calibres based on this Powermatic concept.? And remember, don't be fooled by their prices this is good watchmaking.Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium – The classic one-watch-collectionTissot has been around since 1853, and it hasn’t survived all this time by messing about. Tissot is a watch brand that everyone knows, but no-one really has an opinion about. Yes, it makes accurate and reliable watches and, yes, the designs are nice, and yes, the quality is excellent for the price but that's as far as it goes. This is kind of a middle-of-the-road brand. That entry-level approach might

Hands-On - The New Certina DS-1 Powermatic 80 (Specs & Price)
If you are in the market for a solid yet stylish 3-hand daily beater at an affordable price, the Certina DS-1 Powermatic 80 should be on your radar. This summer, the DS-1 returns with three new dial colours and interchangeable straps, one of them made from plastic recovered from the ocean. Like the DS-1 Big Date of 2019 designed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Certina's DS (double security) concept of 1959, the watch blends a subtle vintage vibe with a resilient case and a robust Powermatic movement. ?Double Security turtle ShellIt's natural to associate Certina's Double Security concept with dive watches, and there are plenty of those in the brand's repertoire. After all, when it was introduced in 1959, the DS concept marked a big step toward making watches more reliable and water-resistant. The original DS concept, which is still used on all DS models today, relies on series of O-ring seals on the setting stem and crown with a special seal on the reinforced caseback. Like the ha