Well, it wouldn?t be Geneva Watch Days without some wild new release from Massena LAB. Last year, the well-known design house partnered with Sylvain Pinaud to offer up a take on Pinaud?s modern marvel of a chronograph. This year, they?re looking back, joining with a brand new independent watchmaker making their debut at Geneva Watch Days, Albishorn, to give us something a little different.

Albishorn, as I said, is a brand new indie brand with a unique focus ? creating what they call ?imaginary vintage? watches that bend watchmaking history to create something a little different. Their inaugural release, produced in partnership with Massena LAB, imagines a hypothetical late 1930s regatta chronograph (or regatta timer if you prefer), inspired by Le Bol d?Or Mirabaud ? the world?s largest inland lake regatta, first run in 1939 on Lac Léman. A quick glance at the new Albishorn x Massena LAB Maxigraph will leave vintage heads with a clear sense of origin. The new watch clearly pulls design language from Rolex?s iconic Zerographe chronographs, the early predecessor to now iconic watches like the Daytona. The watch’s dial layout is also reminiscent of World War II multi-scale chronographs, and the mono-pusher layout certainly invokes a vintage charm.

Obviously, this is not a genuine vintage watch, and certain details of the Maxigraph betray that. The execution feels quite modern, with sharply machined elements like the stark red pusher on the case flank, multi-colored ...