Just released by Los Angeles-based J.N. Shapiro is the new Radiant monopusher chronograph. Known for his incredible hand-guilloché work and novel “infinity weave” dial pattern, Shapiro is one of the most talented independent watchmakers out there right now. While the Radiant is a part of the larger Infinity collection, it is a bit different from Shapiro’s more typical dressier offerings. In fact, there is a whole aerospace connection derived from Southern California’s historic and growing connection to aerospace with Shapiro saying “Companies like SpaceX, Boeing, Northrop, and JPL are all nearby. This watch is a nod to that environment, using space-age metals and meteorite to reflect where we come from and what inspires us.” Now, let’s see what the Radiant monopusher chronograph is all about.
First off, the monopusher chronograph is a wonderfully quirky complication for a watch that draws so much inspiration from aerospace. Indeed this was Shapiro’s first complication when the first version came out last year for Boston-based collector’s group Escapement. While it has been seen as a somewhat stuffy or old-school complication, the monopusher chronograph has a rich horological history.
The Radiant comes in two iterations, both of which are housed in a 38mm wide and 9.6mm thick tantalum case with a 43.9mm lug-to-lug measurement. It is outfitted with the La Joux-Perret 5000-4 monopusher chronograph movement which is up there with the best for this complication. The first iteration is done with a Gibeon meteorite center dial, a guilloché meteorite counter, heat-blued zirconium chapter ring, hands, and indices. The second variation has a guilloché blued zirconium center dial with matching counter and steel hands.
There is a lot going on here starting with the use of tantalum, the exotic metal that is notoriously difficult to work with and a price tag higher than most precious metals. And then there is the Gibeon meteorite which is probably one of the best out there but is increasingly difficult to source but worth it for the crisp aesthetics. Of course, the fact that all the engraving is done after heat-treatment is noteworthy because these are two remarkably difficult techniques stacked on top of one another leaving basically no room for error.
The J.N. Shapiro Radiant monopusher chronograph is only going to have an initial production run of 75 pieces which sounds small but these take quite a bit of time to make. That said, there is the possibility of a second run if the demand is there. The watch will be priced at $35,900 on leather strap with the option of a matching tantalum bracelet for an additional $12,950. I’ve been familiar with Shapiro for a decade now and there really is no other independent watchmaker out there doing it quite like this. You can learn more over at jnshapirowatches.com
