Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days - Hands-On, Specs & Price
With the Bulgari Octo Finissimo collection celebrating its tenth anniversary earlier this year, one would think everything has been done by now. We’ve had time-only Automatics, GMT Chronographs, Tourbillons, Minute Repeaters, Perpetual Calendars and more, with pretty much every single one setting ultra-thin records. Nevertheless, Bulgari remains diligent in expanding the Octo Finissimo range with technical marvels, all using the same instantly recognizable design ethos. The latest addition might not break any outright records for thinness, it is an extremely impressive watch for a number of reasons. As part of Bulgari’s novelties for Geneva Watch Days 2022, this is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days.Octo OriginsThere’s no denying the Octo Finissimo as a modern-day horological icon but who would have thought when Bulgari presented it less than a decade ago it would set the tone for a relentless push into ultra-thin watchmaking? With a signature mix of horizonta

Drive de Cartier Extra Flat SIHH 2017 (Specs & Price)
Last year at SIHH 2016, Cartier unveiled a?new men’s?watch, the Drive, which received a lot of?praise?and attention here on Monochrome-Watches (see our?introductory article and review) thanks to?its great elegance and the way it mastered shapes. For us this is what Cartier is all about, a master of shapes and elegance, a brand that can create an unconventional watch that still looks brilliantly classy and understated. Still, for?us the Drive de Cartier always had?one issue; it’s size. It was just?a bit too thick and a bit too large. It seems our prayers have been answered though as this year at?SIHH 2017 the Drive de Cartier has been revamped and now comes in its best option so far, the Extra Flat Calibre 430MC.You see, a watch is not just a pencil line?on a sheet of paper. A watch is a 3 dimensional object that needs to be seen on the wrist, and more than its design, it’s the proportions of a watch that create a subtle, elegant and racy piece of watchmaking. The Driv

Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante Silver Grey - Hands-on, Price
While the roots of the brand date back to Fran?ois Czapek, a Czech-born Polish watchmaker who fled to Geneva in 1832 after fighting in the Polish uprising, Czapek & Cie. was resuscitated in 2015 thanks to equity crowdfunding. In just a few years, the brand presented four different collections, the elegant Quai des Bergues, the Place Vend?me Tourbillon, the Faubourg de Cracovie Chronograph and, finally, the Antarctique luxury sports watch powered by the beautiful in-house SXH5 micro-rotor movement. Following the successful introduction of the time-only Antarctique, the model is now fitted with a spectacular split-seconds chronograph movement whose intricacies are visible dial side. Meet the Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante Silver Grey.If the chronograph is one of the most revered complications, the rattrapante' (or split-seconds) function takes it to a whole new level. The word rattrapante' translates from the French ‘to catch up’. Rattrapante chronographs feature two supe

Kickstarter elegantsis JSK Series - Monochrome Watches
The first thing Taiwanese watchmaker elegantsis (the name is intentionally un-capitalized) wants you to know about the new JSK Series is that it is a joint project with US-based JSK Moto, a custom motorcycle design company. JSK makes some outlandishly cool custom motorcycles, so it's no wonder why elegantsis chose them as inspiration for these high-octane statement pieces. Currently on Kickstarter (as we already told in a previous article), the JSK series boasts of craftsmanship, strength, and style. Indeed, this line of watches features some interesting design features and impressive mechanicals. Three collections of JSK Series watches are advertised on the Kickstarter page (in descending order): Rarity, Classic, and Basic.DialI appreciate how, even with the intense design theme, elegantsis didn't try to reinvent the wheel with the dial layout. We have the traditional three hands, a date display, and some basic text at the 9 o'clock position. The sapphire crystal has an anti-reflectiv

The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Antimagnetique Only Watch 2023
While most of the watches to be auctioned at Only Watch 2023 have already been released, there were a few left to be discovered… And, in all fairness, some of the most expected ones. Patek Philippe, MB&F x Moser for instance, and there was something to expect from Rexhep Rexhepi’s Akrivia too. The man has long been using the charity to auction to tease his future?releases, such as the 2021 Chronometre Contemporain RRCC II first presented as a unique piece for OW. Now, all we can hope for is a recurring pattern, because the Only Watch 2023 Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Antimagnetique has just been presented. And it looks quite stunning.?Following the?Chronome?tre Contemporain I (RRCC I) and Chronome?tre Contemporain II (RRCC II), it is now time for a third installment in the brand’s classic collection, a range known as the Rexhep Rexhepi. Named after the founder of Akrivia, this collection is intended as more classic, more elegant and comes with vintage touches all ar