There's certainly no shortage of dive watches on the market with diehard classics from , Omega, Seiko, and other mainstream heavyweights. Unique offerings from lesser known brands like H20 Watch and Farer provide intriguing alternatives, and there was a boom of relatively unknown, first-class divers thriving in the 1960s and 1970s. Although never a household name, Aquadive was well respected amon...
A brand built on the ashes of the Italian branch of Panerai, founded by a naval engineer and former head of the aforementioned watchmaker, is obligated to have a dive watch in the collection. For over 12 years now, the Nautilo has been part of the Anonimo line-up, interpreted in various guises - see here,?here or here. New for 2019 and launched as a preview to Baselworld is a more retro – or...
Following the publication a few days ago of our 2019 Predictions, we keep the tradition alive and now take a closer look at sister company Tudor. We’ve done it already in the past, with our predictions in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and in 2018?– some were pretty accurate, some not so much. This year, however, we had (unintentional) help from Tudor itself, thanks?to a teaser on its Instag...
In August 2018, Swatch Group, in collaboration with Audemars Piguet, announced the development of a new, paramagnetic compensating alloy made from a titanium base called Nivachron. If this may sound a bit arcane, Nivachron signifies a real breakthrough in the fight against magnetism. Aiming at optimizing the resistance of the watch to magnetic fields, it represents a substantial improvement for wa...
Through its Blue Editions, retail powerhouse Bucherer offers watch enthusiasts a collection of watches exclusive to its stores and focused on the attention to details. Based on existing models, all modified to make them unique and all featuring the signature blue colour of the retailer, the collection keeps growing year after year, with some of the most prestigious watch brands participating. Toda...
Platinum is often seen as the king of materials – or at least the most exclusive metal you can imagine for a watch. With this in mind,?Vacheron Constantin created a collection dedicated to this precious metal in 2006 called “Collection Excellence Platine”. Exclusively composed of limited edition pieces, all of them share a unique monochromatic design enlightened by blue accents. ...
It has become a common?thing to see watches appearing in movies. Think for instance Omega in Bond, Seiko in Apocalypse Now, Hamilton in Men in Black or Heuer in Le Mans. Most of the time, we are talking about brief, cameo appearances. In some movies, however, this accessory can become a true cast member. Such was the case in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014), where two Hamilton watches...
Vacheron Constantin expands its Overseas collection with the introduction of a sophisticated tourbillon complication. The first tourbillon model to debut in the Overseas collection, the complication injects a dose of Haute Horlogerie spectacle to the mix without jeopardising the solidity of a luxury sports watch designed for everyday wear. Presented in a stainless steel case with a striking blue d...
A welcome addition to the collection, the Polaris is Jaeger-LeCoultre's vision of an elegant sports watch. The collection was launched at the SIHH 2018, 50 years after the original and iconic Polaris Memovox – read our introductory article here. Among a full range of timepieces, the Chronograph WT is the largest and the most technical version, offering travellers a practical world time funct...
The presence of one single heart is ingrained in our idea of biology and extended conceptually to watchmaking. In order to live – or to indicate the time accurately – one only needs a single beating heart. But there are a few creatures with multiple hearts. And more and more watches come with multiple regulators – for different reasons. It is time to understand what multiple regu...
Most watches that really spark my interest have either Swiss or German roots, but on rare occasions, a piece will surface from an unlikely place. I recently reviewed the Classic Enamel PS-801-CE from American watchmaker, RGM (based in Pennsylvania) and I'm always impressed with the company's in-house calibres and old-school craftsmanship. America was once a hotbed for watchmaking with brands like ...
Since its facelift in 2013, the Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual has appeared in various guises, including the sleek black dial version we saw in 2016. However, I think there is unanimous agreement that the 2019 white gold version with its blue enamel guilloche dial wins hands down. Released as part of a limited edition trilogy, including the Master Ultra-Thin Moon Enamel and Tourbillon models, the new...
Montblanc, Audemars, Patek?and more… Salmon/pink dials are THE trend for the 2018/2019 collection. Even though not entirely novel, we’ve never encountered so many watches with pink-coloured dials as we have this year. Don’t get us wrong, we actually love salmon dials here, at MONOCHROME (see Frank’s love letter here). There are, however, different ways to execute a salmon d...
If there is an official standard defining the features for a watch suitable for diving (ISO 6425), no such definition or standard exists (at least one that would be used throughout the industry) for another popular watch category: the pilot's watch. Each and every brand has its own vision of what a pilot's watch should be, depending on the needs of the wearer. However, there are some key elements ...
In 2001, Ulysse Nardin introduced a watch – the Freak – that was a complete shock for the industry, not only in terms of design and display but mainly because it was the first timepiece commercialised with silicium parts – a controversial material back then, which has now found its place in dozens of watches. Today, as a sort of tribute to that pioneering use of silicium in a wat...
Porsche and Porsche-Design invited me for their Winter Event in Zell am See, Austria. Although it was immediately after the SIHH,?from 18-20 January, I?couldn’t resist when I saw the programme! Zell am See is the historical birthplace of Porsche and its design studio is still located in this beautiful Austrian village, in the middle of the Alps. Zell am See gave stage to the revived Ice Race...
Following Richemont?ahead of the SIHH and LVMH?earlier this week, it is now Swatch Group's turn to communicate on its performance. The overall results are positive with net sales and profitability on the rise, but the end of 2018 proved more challenging. The Swatch Group, however, anticipates healthy growth in 2019.The Swiss Watch powerhouse reports net sales up 6.1% at CHF 8,475 million at curren...
2019 has been earmarked as?the year of Pilot’s Watches at IWC. ?This has not translated into a complete overhaul of the collection (something that we applaud, as we think it is important to?keep the classical models intact) but with the introduction of new models in sub-collections – mainly?TOP GUN and Spitfire. Apart from all the watches we have presented recently, there was an additi...
The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) reports exports up 6.3% at CHF 21.2 billion in 2018, back above the CHF 20 billion mark. Exports have now climbed for two consecutive years as demand bounced back in 2017 (CHF 19.9 billion, +2.7%), after two years of decline. The performance achieved in 2018 is still inferior to that of 2015.The 2018 Omega Seamaster Diver 300M – Last July, the...
LVMH, the world's leading luxury group based in Paris, has just announced its full-year 2018 results, including those of the Watches & Jewelry division, which comprises among others Bvlgari, TAG Heuer, Zenith and Hublot. After an already impressive growth in 2017, the group again reports record growth for 2018.LVMH, for the full-year 2018, recorded a 10% increase in revenue, reaching EUR 46.8 ...
Sometimes in life one is privileged enough to have an interaction which inspires so deeply, it forces you to question your personal output to its deepest level. I was fortunate enough to have one of these, last week in Geneva, with Mike Horn. For those unfamiliar with the man, Mike is a record-setting explorer, sailor and environmentalist, originally from South Africa, and now living in Switzerlan...
While the attention was mainly focused on the new CODE 11.59 collection at the SIHH 2019, Audemars Piguet had multiple other new watches to show in its Royal Oak range – including a superb Salmon dial Jumbo Royal Oak and one extremely important watch, a new Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mm. Meet the reference 15500ST, replacing the 15400 and introducing several massive updates, including a newly p...
With the new Aquis Date Relief, Oris continues a thing that has become sort of a tradition, a special edition watch attached to a good cause. Certainly, there is a lot to love in this new edition – it is, after all, an Aquis with a cool new colour scheme – but the most important isn’t only about the watch.?Oris and expedition swimmer Ernst Bromeis are going their own way to bring...
Now that the SIHH 2019 is over, it is time to sit down and take a closer look at the?dozens of watches that were introduced.?Overall, it has been a good year in terms of novelties – probably not the best edition ever, but still, there were some pretty interesting things to see, especially in the field of complications. This also means that the “entry-level” or “affordable&#...
Back in the 1960s, as surprising as it seems now, there was only one way to use a chronograph: you had to wind it every morning. Indeed, all (literally?all of them) were hand-wound movements… until 1969, when the world of watches changed drastically when three of the most prominent?movements ever made were launched almost simultaneously. In January 1969 though, the very first to be introduce...
Jaeger-LeCoultre or “La Grande Maison” has, just like some of its sister brands inside the Richemont Group, seen some changes at its head recently. A new CEO, Catherine Renier (previously at?Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels), often means a new strategy. Rather discreet until now, we thought the SIHH 2019 was the right time to talk to her about what’s new for 2019, what’s ...
Bvlgari consolidates its winning legion of Octo L’Originale?watches with the release of two new variations. With the same architectural design as their Finissimo brothers, who have secured victory after victory in the battle for ultra-thin, the Octo l'Originale watches come with slightly thicker cases, sportier attire and leaner prices. Sheathed in flattering black DLC-coated steel and highl...
The reputation of Bvlgari as a watchmaker is no longer under discussion. For the past five years, the brand has been hyperactive, especially in the field of ultra-thin pieces – which, even though we’re talking miniaturisation and not complications, certainly is one of the most complex fields of expertise in this industry. Today, thanks to this interview with CEO?Jean-Christophe Babin, ...
Having given the Santos new wings in 2018, Cartier expands the bestselling men’s collection in 2019 with the addition of a chronograph.? Thicker, wider and infinitely sportier, the new Santos de Cartier Chronograph has found an elegant solution to replace the classic two-pusher chronograph configuration with a modified version of its automatic 1904-CH MC calibre. Presented in three versions ...
Following up with our series of interviews with major actors of the online watch market – including watch media such as Hodinkee and Revolution, which not only cover watches but also sell watches - we now get to look at one of the largest and most convincing online platforms, MR PORTER. Unique and luxurious, this successful online retailer has been integrated under the Richemont umbrella in ...