Latest Watch News

Microbrands vs. Accessible Established Brands - Are Newcomers Shaking up the Industry or Just Small Fish in a Big Pond? - Monochrome Watches

It's an interesting time to be a watch enthusiast. Fuelled by sites like Kickstarter, a phenomenon of?inexpensive, quality movements and parts is unfolding, available with the immediateness only online media outlets can offer. Small startups (or microbrands) are producing compelling watches with capital raised via crowdfunding and online-only storefronts, minimizing overhead that established brand...

2018-10-26

Hands-On - A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Lumen Up/Down (Live Pics, Specs & Price)

The A. Lange & Sohne Datograph needs little introduction. Presented in 1999 and updated in 2012, it is one of the most iconic chronographs on the market. The Dato features a flyback chronograph with a precisely jumping minutes counter, two sub-dials recognizable because of their unusual positioning, a quick-set oversized date and a power reserve indicator. Overall, the architecture and the fin...

2018-10-24

Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of "La Santa Muerte" - Looking Death in the Face - Monochrome Watches

Sold in just six minutes, Chopard's L.U.C T Spirit of La Santa Muerte is an opulent tribute to the festive spirit of Mexico's Day of the Dead celebrations. Unveiled during the 12th edition of the Salon Internacional de Alta Relojera (SIAR) – the most prestigious watch show in Latin America showcasing 40 plus brands – Chopard's unique timepiece was snatched up by a collector in minutes...

2018-10-24

Pre-SIHH 2019 - Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart

The new Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky Chart is the second unique piece unveiled by the Geneva-based brand in the frame of its pre-SIHH 2019 presentations. Just like the Grande Complication Phoenix we unveiled a few hours ago, the Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky chart is exceptional in every respect, combining three major complications (tourbillon, minute repeate...

2018-10-23

Pre-SIHH 2019 - Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix

With SIHH 2019 fast approaching, brands are pre-releasing selected models to whet our appetites. Vacheron Constantin has?released the first images of two unique pieces, Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Phoenix and Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Sky chart, which we will introduce in a separate article. But for now, let's look at the first model, a complex watch with no fewer than 15 ...

2018-10-23

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Edition (Specs & Price)

Customized, special editions sold only through a single (branch of) boutiques is a common thing, but few do it as regularly as Bucherer. The Swiss watch retail house has introduced several striking collaborations – no less than 25 in total with 14 different brands. To name just a few, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze, the IWC ?Portugieser Chronograph Classic?or the H. Moser & Cie. Venturer Sma...

2018-10-22

Hands-On with the 2018 TAG Heuer Carrera Senna Editions (Heuer 02 and Heuer 02T) - Specs & Price

Brand ambassadors aren’t new. Thirty years ago, TAG Heuer already had several of them as part of the brand’s marketing strategy. One was, however, more important than others: a true idol named Ayrton Senna. He is the one that made TAG Heuer cool again, back in the 1980s and 1990s, by wearing an admittedly not-so-discreet, steel and gold, Analogue-Digital TAG Heuer S/el. But at that tim...

2018-10-22

The Best of Independent Watchmaking 2018 - Part 2 - Monochrome Watches

Yesterday, we started to look at the best watches created by independent watchmakers in 2018, with more “classical” watches (if ever the indie scene could be labelled classical). Today, in the second part of this guide, we move to the most creative, daring, highly technical of them all. Sci-fi designs, unusual displays of the time, ultra-complex movements. The boldest and the craziest ...

2018-10-21

Caviar Makes an Interesting Addition to your iPhone (Sort Of) - A Skeletonized Watch Movement on your Phone Case - Monochrome Watches

The Omega Point is a theory - not a retail location. It is succinctly postulated by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin by the notion that everything that rises must converge.? Those of us old enough to remember the way that mechanical watchmaking had to pull itself up out of the wreckage of the quartz-age are also well aware of how mechanical watchmaking has to fight for relevance on the manifold fronts p...

2018-10-21

Octo Finissimo, or How Bvlgari Became a Master of Ultra-Thin - Monochrome Watches

Yes, the Italians did it again… Breaking one record after another, Bvlgari’s signature ultra-thin collection, the Octo Finissimo, continues its victorious onward march. Almost every year, the Roman brand comes out with something even more staggering, even thinner and still, highly contemporary in design. Bvlgari has not only managed to become a Master of the ultra-thin complication but...

2018-10-19

Timex Marlin Automatic, An Affordable Dress/Casual Timex with Vintage Touch (Specs & price)

You probably don't think of Timex as a luxury watch company.? It’s among the most recognizable watch brands in history with a reputation for both affordability and reliability, and it never needed a four-figure timepiece to get there. Timex is also known as being a king of quartz, abandoning mechanical movements over a quarter century ago in 1982. It finally bucked that trend last year with ...

2018-10-18

Kickstarter - Meraud Bonaire, a Cool, Retro-Inspired Dive Watch From Belgium (Specs & Price)

Belgium might not be the first country you think of when it comes to watches. Of course, there’s Ressence and its impressively modern watches, but that’s about it. And now there’s a newcomer on the market called Meraud, which has just launched its first watch a few hours ago on Kickstarter. Get used to this new launch pad format because it is the way to go nowadays when you want ...

2018-10-17

H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon (Hands-On Pics, Specs & Price)

H. Moser & Cie. unveils its latest take on the flying tourbillon complication housed in a stainless steel Pioneer case ready to battle the elements. This is not Moser's first tourbillon - it has already appeared in the upmarket Endeavour, Venturer and Swiss Alp Watch collections - nor is it the first complication to reach the Pioneer family, which hosts a QP complication. The novelty here is t...

2018-10-16

2018 Patek Philippe Twenty-4 Automatic 7300 (Specs & Price)

Since its release in 1999, the Twenty-4 has been Patek Philippe’s entry-level model (all genders) and certainly its best-selling women’s collection. Shaped like a bracelet, with a rectangular case seamlessly integrated into a metallic bracelet, it was – unfortunately – powered by a quartz movement (an in-house quartz movement for sure, but still battery-powered). A watch, s...

2018-10-11

Oris Movember 2018 Edition (Specs & Price)

For the second time this year, Oris will support Movember, a Foundation that?tackles some of the biggest health issues facing men, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. After the cool-looking Movember 2017?Divers Sixty-Five, it is time for another great vintage-inspired model to be launched. Meet the?Oris Movember 2018 Edition, a watch based on the Ori...

2018-10-10

Hands-On - The The 2018 Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronometer Collection (Specs & Price)

Certainly, most of you probably have the Marine Chronometer in mind when the name Ulysse Nardin is mentioned?– and rightfully so, as this watch is the cornerstone of the brand. However, there’s more in the collection, including?the?Ulysse Nardin Diver, a watch that is still linked to the nautical world, but not perhaps the most discreet diver on the market.? Do you remember?this one?or...

2018-10-09

LVMH reports 10% revenue growth over the first 9 months of 2018 - Monochrome Watches

LVMH, owner of watch brands like Bvlgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith, released its report covering the first nine months of 2018 and things are looking good. After reporting already strong figures for the first half year, the trend is continuing, and the revenue growth over the first nine months is 10%, and the watches and jewellery division recorded an 8% growth. The organic growth is of +11% p...

2018-10-09

HYT H20 Brown Limited Edition (Specs & Price)

With HYT, an independent watchmaker headquartered in Neuchatel, time is fluid. Since 2012, HYT measures time in the most unconventional way. Its flow is displayed by the continuous movement of a coloured and a transparent liquid in a capillary. Several models have been presented since the inception of the brand and here's the latest creation: the HYT H2O Brown.To learn more about the company and i...

2018-10-08

Salmon Dial Watches and Limited Editions by Hodinkee and Revolution - Monochrome Watches

Last week Hodinkee introduced a limited edition Gronefeld 1941 Remontoire, and Revolution & The Rake announced a limited edition Chopard L.U.C 1860. Both superb dress watches, time-only, white metal case and… a salmon colour dial! Now, I’m a sucker for salmon dials, especially in a white metal case and I think both these limited editions are to die for. And both actually pack more ...

2018-10-07

Buying Guide - 5 of The Most Iconic Pilot Watches You Can Buy In 2018

Aviation-inspired watches are said to have made their debut?on the wrist of aviator Alberto Santos Dumont.?At the beginning of the 20th-century, Louis Cartier made a watch for his Brazilian friend, who wore it to time his flights. It was the first purposed-designed wristwatch. Since then, many watches have been inspired by the world of aviation, all born out of practicality - in particular, pilot ...

2018-10-07

Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500V Black Dial - The Paradigm of the Luxury Sports Watch - Monochrome Watches

As part of the triumvirate of luxury sports watches born in the 1970s, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas fulfils all the prerequisites of the genre. Thanks to its deceptively simple interchangeable strap system the Overseas introduces an element of versatility lacking in the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Now in its third iteration, the Overseas is a fully fledged family and the model we are looking a...

2018-10-04

Hands-On - Frederique Constant Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Manufacture (Specs & Price)

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Frederique Constant wowed the crowds in Paris with its double complication at an unbelievable price. Once again, Frederique Constant sticks to its slogan of accessible luxury' and proves that acquiring a quality, manufacture watch with complications does not mean having to mortgage your house. Frederique's Constant QP Tourbillon Manufacture snubs the tradition of ...

2018-10-03

Hands-On - Moritz Grossmann Atum Hamatic with Pendulum Winding System (Specs & Price)

The vast majority of mechanical watches available nowadays rely on a central oscillating weight to provide power to their movements. Of course, we see lots of variations on this theme - for instance the winching system of the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious, off-centred micro-rotors, peripheral rotors or even linear rotors. However, the principle is the same and originates?from early pendulum c...

2018-10-02

Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 - A Classic among Classics, Modernised - Monochrome Watches

A classic among classics, the Le Brassus-based manufacture revisits its perpetual calendar complication with moon phases in 2018, in a larger 40mm case size and a choice of two metals: 18k red gold and stainless steel. With subtle design tweaks on the dial and a secured movement, the new Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 models are presented in a more contemporary case size and in a more democrati...

2018-10-01

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Eneuri Acosta From Hodinkee

Last but not least, to finish our series that aims at deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces, we’ve decided to talk to the leader of the pack (let’s be honest, credit where credit is due): HODINKEE. What started as a hobby and a sheer passion for watches by Ben Clymer has now grown to a large magazine and an e-commerce website focused on watches and everything related to wa...

2018-09-30

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Wei Koh from Revolution/The Rake

As you’ve seen from our previous episodes, the online watch market isn’t just a trend anymore. It is now well established and multiple heavyweight companies are playing market-makers. When talking about these marketplace players, we are generally referring to specialised firms, with one and only activity. But there are other surprising players in the field with names such as Hodinkee, ...

2018-09-29

A Unique IWC Ingenieur 666A (and the story of how it came to life) - Monochrome Watches

With the vintage market and auctions in full hype-mode these days, we often hear the words “unique” or “never-seen-before” to talk about a watch with one small detail to differentiate it from the rest of the crowd. However, we’re quite confident in saying that you’ve never seen what we’re about to show you: a truly unique, truly legit and truly interesting...

2018-09-28

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Philipp Man from Chronext

Today marks the fifth instalment in our series of interviews focusing on deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces. Today, we look at Chronext and talk to someone we’ve know for some years already, CEO?Philipp Man (who was featured in our “Collector’s Series” here). As he likes to say, “the new luxury buyer is online” confirming how important this speci...

2018-09-28

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Claudio de Giovanni from Verado

After a look at Chrono24, Montredo and WatchBox, we continue our series focusing on understanding the online watch market – certainly one of the most important trends in the watch world today. Today, we’re talking to a newbie in the world of online watch marketplaces. The name of the company is Verado and its Founder & CEO is?Claudio de Giovanni. What makes Verado unique? It claims...

2018-09-27

Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille Will Leave the SIHH as of 2020 - Monochrome Watches

While it became quite common to hear brands leaving Baselworld and complaining about the show (Swatch Group a few weeks ago, Raymond Weil this morning), the Geneva-based, Richemont-controlled Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie – or SIHH – was still?in safer waters… As of today, as?it’s time for the SIHH to also face non-neglectable departures. Good point is that it ...

2018-09-26