Following the resounding success of the 2016 L.U.C Full Strike in rose gold with its revolutionary use of sapphire crystal gongs, Chopard presents the second version of its minute repeater in 18k white gold – ‘Fairmined’, of course. Monochromatic with subtle silvery grey details on the partially openworked dial, the white gold model is even less conspicuous than its predecessor b...
When Jerome Lambert took over Montblanc, the idea was simple: offer a lot of product for less money. This didn’t mean that all the watches had to be affordable, but rather that watches – including ones with solid horological credentials – were lower priced than expected. This gave birth to a Sub-10k Perpetual Calendar, the?4810 ExoTourbillon Slim or a Sub-7k annual calendar. Foll...
This year, 2018, International Watch Company or short IWC celebrates its 150th anniversary and for that reason, it has launched a host of anniversary models (see here in our IWC section) and in the meantime there’s been a new Pilot's Watch Chronograph with creme-coloured (vintage style) markers and hands and a “Laureus Edition” black ceramic Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII. And while th...
When thinking of yellow gold, the first thing that may come to your mind is your parents’ or grandparents’ watch. Well, if you feel yellow gold is outdated, it might be time for a change. The status symbol of the 1960s to 1980s is making a comeback. As trends come and go, it fits perfectly in the current vintage craze – just like the unexpected comeback of the 1980s spirit in fas...
The restrained and discreet watches of the Classique Collection are unequivocal, unmistakable members of the Breguet family. Without even thinking about it, they are immediately recognisable as a Breguet. This is all due to what the Maison names the “unmistakable signs” or the quintessential design codes used by the brand for over two centuries. In order to understand exactly what this...
In 2012 Habring2 introduced the Doppel 2.0, an affordable split-seconds chronograph based on a Valjoux 7750 chronograph. This was the same recipe that Richard Habring once developed for IWC Schaffhausen, which initially incorporated this movement in the Pilot Doppel Chronograph and later in other watches. When the patent expired, in 2012, Richard Habring was free to use this complication in watche...
It all started in the early 1980s with the encounter of Rolf W. Schnyder, a visionary businessman and Ludwig Oeschlin, a brilliant horologist. The two men turned Ulysse Nardin, a century-old manufacturer, into one of the most innovative watch brands around. The most striking development brought to life by the duo is, without a doubt, the Freak (2001). This legendary timepiece was powered by a revo...
It is not ‘breaking news’ to say that the watch industry faced hard times in 2015 and 2016. Business had been tough due to decreasing sales. The Richemont Group – the luxury powerhouse that owns Cartier, IWC, and Montblanc among others – had also been affected by this situation,?as reported by MONOCHROME here. Part of Richemont’s plan to improve the situation was a ma...
The man tasked with reshaping Baselworld to meet the current challenges is a 53-old lawyer who started his career in Private Banking. He was previously with the MHC group (the company organising Baselworld) in Lausanne. The longstanding Managing Director of Baselworld, Sylvie Ritter, has decided to step down from her position at the MCH Group after 15 years. The transfer of management will take pl...
The turbulence generated by Patek Philippe's Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref.5524 seems to have abated and the model has landed as a stable member of the Calatrava family. In addition to a fresh iteration of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time for men in warm rose gold, Patek unveiled its first self-winding Travel Time model for women just ahead of Baselworld in an unprecedented move for the brand via...
The Manero Peripheral certainly represents Carl F. Bucherer at its best. Not the most technical watch in the collection (the Tourbillon Double Peripheral holds the title) yet probably the most balanced one. Elegant, sophisticated, technically interesting and well-priced, it is a watch we've been regularly praising on MONOCHROME. Aware of the demand for larger watches in certain regions (the US mar...
Fifty years ago, on Christmas Eve 1968, Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon and the three astronauts on board the first men to witness the far, or dark side, of our celestial neighbour. To celebrate this encounter, in 2013 Omega dedicated an entire collection of black-themed Speedmasters known as the Dark Side of the Moon. During Baselworld 2018, Omega presented the lates...
Echoing its rivals in the luxury goods industry – including?LVMH, Kering or Swatch Group – Swiss luxury powerhouse Richemont just announced growth for the year ending 31 March 2018. Sales increased by 3% at actual rates and by 8% at constant rates to EUR 10,979 million. The group reports strong performance in its retail network. Operating profit grew 5% and the proposed dividend will b...
Replacing another Patrick (Hoffmann, CEO of the brand from 2011 to 2017), Patrick Pruniaux could easily be qualified as a luxury expert – watch expert, of course, but not only. He forms part of the new generation of CEOs who know about the watchmaking industry but who have also spent years outside of this microcosm. From the Wine and Spirit division of LVMH, followed by several?positions at ...
To celebrate 30 years of partnership between Chopard and the Mille Miglia – the famous Italian open-road endurance race for classic and vintage cars which kicks off today?– the Geneva-based manufacturer is presenting its latest version of the watch dedicated to this race from its?Mille Miglia collection. And as you can see, this new?Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Special...
Yesterday Richemont announced the creation of a new watch brand named Baume. That’s right, Baume, without ‘et Mercier’, is being lined up as the new Value Proposition from the Richemont Group. Over the past years, Baume et Mercier was positioned as the affordable luxury brand from the group, with pricing that did not always match this slogan. So it’s now up to Baume to fill...
This new watch is certainly not the most discreet candidate we’ve covered this year. It is probably one of the most flamboyant models – to say the least. We also know that some of you won’t like it and will feel it is over-the-top and overdone. In all honesty, we can’t blame you. Yet, there’s something fascinating about the?Knights of the Round Table watches by?Roger ...
I can clearly remember my very first Baselworld and meeting Peter Speake-Marin. I didn’t know the “industry” as well as I know it today and I had no real conception of the entire industry and where Peter fit in. Today, some ten years later, I’m still in touch with Peter and I feel honoured to call him a friend. Over this past decade, I’ve followed Peter’s wander...
While the Daytona Ultimatum auction and the rest of the GWA7 – Geneva Watch Auction 7 by Phillips Watches – brought several impressive results (including a CHF 5M hammer price for the ‘Unicorn’ white gold Daytona), another properly interesting result should be credited to A. Lange & Sohne, with the unique?1815 Homage To Walter Lange' in steel with black enamel dial?hamm...
For the past five or six years, we’ve seen a massive parade of blue watches marching across the watch scenario. All brands – really, all of them – had a blue version of an existing watch to show (with or without success). So now that blue has become the new black, it is time for our dear watchmaking brands to come up with something new. And if that’s not entirely establishe...
Yesterday, in our first selection of highlights of the upcoming 97th Dr Crott auction of this Saturday, 12 May?we focused on the hidden gems, and not so much on the usual suspects. Today we’ll focus on those! Here’s our selection of the highlights, stunning pieces that will certainly attract a lot of attention at the auction that will be held in?Frankfurt, Germany. Don’t forget t...
Prior to Baselworld 2018, Anonimo, the Italian brand founded on the roots of what was left of Panerai when Richemont took it over, presented a new, more casual watch: the Epurato. As indicated by its name, the brand wanted to go back to the essentials, with a cleaner, slightly dressier and easier-on-the-wrist timepiece. Rather successfully received, today two new versions, with DLC-coated cases an...
We only cover watch auctions occasionally, and, as editor-in-chief, I’m well aware of this void in our coverage of the world of watches. So, while we’re looking for someone to cover auctions and vintage timepieces for MONOCHROME (yes, we’re hiring), I’m taking a look at the upcoming 97th Dr Crott Auction. Flipping through the pages of the Dr?Crott auction catalogue always p...
A campaign is underway at Tudor to increase the Black Bay's area of operation. With a solid corps of models, including the newly released?GMT Black Bay Pepsi model and the 39mm Black Bay Fifty Eight, there is no stopping the expansion envisioned by Tudor. With the Black Bay 32, Tudor advances into female territory with a model that packs the technical specifications of a mechanical tool watch with...
This year, at the SIHH 2018, Audemars Piguet unveiled a host of novelties. If the Extra-Thin 15202IP in titanium and platinum stole our hearts, and if there was a strong focus on ladies’ watches – see the?Double Balance Wheel Openworked 37mm Frosted Gold or the?Millenary Frosted Gold Opal Dial – there was clearly more to please us. This includes the?Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronogra...
The Polaris Chronograph is one of the five members of Jaeger-LeCoultre's new?2018 Polaris collection. To date, we have seen the new?Polaris Geographic World Time?and reviewed the entry-level?Polaris Automatic, the vintage-inspired Polaris Date and Polaris Memovox models. To complete the pentalogy, we'll take a look at the Polaris Chronograph. The sportiest of the newcomers, this 42mm chronograph i...
Miniaturisation has always been one of the watchmaking industry’s main objectives. With the advent of complicated watches and the development of the wristwatch, this issue became critical. Fitting multiple functions into a single movement, which has to remain wearable, requires re-imagining space. This also led to the development of ultra-thin watches, guided initially by a desire for elegan...
When Baselworld 2018 opened its?doors, this new watch came as a surprise. We could have expected this grand complication to coincide with the 40th anniversary of this iconic model – which took place two years ago, with the presentation of the?Platinum 3-hand 5711/1P and the White Gold Chronograph 5976/1G. Instead, Patek decided to wait two more years to introduce the first grand complication...
This year, Chopard celebrates 20 years of partnership with the Cannes Film Festival (the relationship dates back to 1998). In order to honour this long-term alliance, the Geneva-based brand presents a new model dedicated to red carpets and?passion for film-making. Based on the nicely executed?and ultra-thin L.U.C time-only watch, meet the new Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Red Carpet Edition.For this edit...
Anyone truly familiar with German watch brand A. Lange & Sohne can be considered an insider. Established in 1845 in the Saxony region of Germany, this Dresden brand was expropriated after World War II and nearly experienced extinction. However, after the Wall came down and Germany was reunified, Walter Lange, great-grandson of founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange had the vision to rebuild the brand ...