As part of its pre-Baselworld 2018 collection, Bulgari unveils a new version of its Octo Tourbillon Sapphire, now with a black DLC steel case. In the dark, its tourbillon movement glows with a magical blue luminescence revealing its mechanics in complete transparency. Here's an advance hands-on look at this bold piece.Inspired by a modern and eminently personal vision of watchmaking, the bold Octo...
Right from the start of the SIHH 2018, we made sure that the new?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 2018 Collection was covered here, on MONOCHROME. Indeed, it represents one of the main novelties of the show and is an extremely important collection for JLC as its only true sports range of watches. And while the Memovox will certainly be the most desirable of them all, we want to show you another model that...
When it comes to discussing classic dress watches, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a name that often comes up early and repeatedly. The Manufacture is a well-established player in this segment of the market and is very, very good at what it does. As Geoffroy Lefebvre, Deputy CEO, explains in the above video, however, JLC also wants to give its customers an attractive option in the everyday sports/casual watch...
Somewhat eclipsed by the immediate success of the Lange 1 with its off-centred oversized date when it was unveiled in 1994, many of us forget that the Saxonia also had a big date on its dial. The difference was that the Saxonia featured the date in a symmetrical position, just below noon and was counterbalanced by the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. The underlying symmetry of the Saxonia...
We are already well over half-way through SIHH 2018 and there's still much, much more to come in our comprehensive coverage of the Fair. If you've been following along, you would have already seen our video interviews with the likes of Wilhelm Schmid of A. Lange & Sohne and Christian Selmoni of Vacheron Constantin. Now, we are speaking to Vanessa Monestel, CEO of Laurent Ferrier, about the bra...
For the SIHH 2018, Ferdinand Berthoud, the high-end brainchild of Karl Friedrich Scheufele (co-CEO of Chopard), enriches its growing collection with a surprising watch, a true connoisseur’s piece with a strong focus on chronometry. Its original regulator-type display and its ultra-resistant carburised stainless steel case are new, yet its tourbillon/fusee-chain movement is the same marvel we...
When we hear the name H. Moser & Cie., we usually have classic and clean design in mind – or sometimes a certain sense of provocation, with the Swiss Mad Watch or the recent?Swiss Icons Watch. Yet, for the first time in its history, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture has revisited its time display methods to create a new, disc-based system. Meet the?Endeavour Flying Hours with planetary ...
Born from a distinctive perception of elegance, the Octo is a perfect illustration of Bulgari’s Italian design flair and expertise in creating fascinating-shaped watches. Right from its introduction in 2012, its faceted, octagonal case has imposed its strength and personality, becoming an instant classic. With a modernized design and materials for 2018, here is the Bulgari Octo l'Originale V...
It isn’t the first time that Montblanc surprises us with an original (and of course rather accessible) complicated watch. Indeed, we can easily recall the?Orbis Terrarum, which at EUR 5,500 was definitely impressive value for the money (we even compared it to much more expensive pieces here). For 2018, Montblanc does it again, with a new Double-Hemisphere, a sporty version of the WorldTime c...
Yesterday, we told you about the brand new FIFTYSIX collection from Vacheron Constantin, which can be considered the brand's first major foray into entry-level pieces (relatively speaking). In this video, live from SIHH 2018, Christian Selmoni, Artistic Director of Vacheron Constantin tells us a bit more about what inspired the FIFTYSIX collection, as well as some of the other models the Maison wi...
As with every year it seems, A. Lange & Sohne's creations are once again the talk of SIHH. Last year, it was the mega Tourbograph Perpetual Pour le Merite (read our hands-on review here.) This year it's the incredible Triple Split, a truly unique complication that enables you record two separate times of up to twelve hours each! On a more sombre note, this year also marks the one year annivers...
A. Lange & Sohne has introduced another iteration of its classic 1815 Chronograph this year at SIHH, now cased in warm 18ct pink gold but with the same iconic pulsation dial. Considered by many to be the ultimate expression of a purist chronograph, these latest versions will be sure to strike a chord with collectors, who now find themselves literally spoilt for choice. Will it be the distincti...
As with all industries, the watchmaking world is subject to trends. One that we’re not unhappy to see resurfacing is ultra-thin watches. Piaget kicked things off?in December with the thinnest automatic watch, followed at the SIHH 2018 by?the thinnest mechanical watch ever created (2mm thick, no less). It is now time for Audemars Piguet to?come on board and demonstrate, if it’s even nec...
Yesterday, we kicked off our series of videos from SIHH 2018 with Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet, talking us through the new collection. This morning, we are sitting down with the inimitable Davide Cerrato, Managing Director of Montblanc Watches, to learn about what has inspired the Montblanc collection this year. Not surprisingly, the 160th anniversary of Minerva is a big focus...
It's Day 2 of the SIHH, and we've already had a very busy morning. By now, you would have seen our video with Davide Cerrato, Manging Director of Montblanc Watches, talking us through the 2018 Montblanc collection. If you missed it, you can find it here. Now, we're turning the spotlight on one of the smaller, but no less impressive, brands at SIHH; Ferdinand Berthoud. In this video, Karl-Friedrich...
After introducing several editions of the?Portugieser (including this superb automatic chronograph and?this constant force tourbillon) as well as an unexpected yet desirable?“Tribute to Pallweber” watch, IWC continues to deploy its 150-year concept of limited editions across all its collections – and today we move into Pilot’s watches. Meet the?IWC Big Pilot's Watch Big Dat...
Last year, at the SIHH 2017, Ulysse Nardin introduced an impressive piece, a concept watch featuring no less than 10 major innovations, as a showcase to demonstrate the brand’s savoir-faire: the InnoVision 2.?Every part of this watch boasted an innovation, whether the escapement, the display, the winding system or even the hands. And while last year’s piece wasn’t meant to be com...
When you think about Vacheron, you usually have in mind complex watches, Haute-Horlogerie, rare handcrafts and a unique sense of precious elegance. Not a single word of which relates to the notion of affordability. However, the deal is about to change. Indeed, the brand has developed a whole new strategy (which it already began implementing with the Quai de L’Ile in steel), by introducing an...
Several years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing the A. Lange & Sohne Double Split and called it the uber-chrono. To be clear, this has nothing to do with its functions but is entirely due to its spectacularly beautiful movement. Of course, the Double Split is the only mechanical double split-second chronograph, so that certainly demands some respect, but the movement’s architecture and...
Well, as your Instagram feed has no doubt already informed you, SIHH 2018 is already well and truly under way. Firstly, if you're not already, click here to follow MONOCHROME for live pictures and updates from the team throughout the show. Secondly, for a quick summary of what SIHH actually involves, which brands exhibit and why it is so highly anticipated each year by watch lovers everywhere, wat...
As we told you in our previous video, our main focus this year for SIHH 2018 will be videos. This is the best way to show you what is about to be launched and what the watches actually look like in the metal. Nothing works better than images and words, and to officially kick off our SIHH series of videos, we have?Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet, talking us through the brand new c...
As the modern incarnation of the very first luxury-sports watch created in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202 needs no introduction anymore. Its octagonal shape, its screwed bezel, its integrated chain-like bracelet, its extra-thin automatic movement, its finely guilloched blue dial… Everything in this watch is iconic. Well, for the SIHH 2018, there’s a new vers...
Here we are… The SIHH 2018 will open in a few hours, but we already have a few novelties to share. And for the first of the day, we have something that is certain to make some noise around the collecting community. Indeed, what you see here is a new, slightly redesigned (just a bit), mechanically upgraded (a lot) version of IWC’s most iconic modern watch, the Portugieser Chronograph. P...
Jaeger-LeCoultre is well-known by watch enthusiasts, especially when it comes to dress watches or elegant timepieces – think Reverso or Master Ultra-Thin. Yet, in terms of sports watches, the situation is rather different. JLC never really succeeded in creating the definitive collection – now more than ever, as the Master Compressor collection is discontinued. For the SIHH however, thi...
Looking at recent collections by Montblanc, one series of watches clearly created a strong interest amongst the collecting community. You guessed it; the Minerva-inspired Montblanc 1858 Chronograph Tachymetre and its superb (to say the least) hand-wound Monopusher movement. One not-so-superfluous problem though with these watches… Their prices. Well, if you like the Military- and vintage-ins...
Now we see quite a few spectacular timepieces every year, sometimes when they’re about to be launched and sometimes when there’s still a lot?of work before it’s ready to be launched. But what we got to see at Piaget the other day, was simply unheard of, and properly mind-boggling. Piaget has created a watch with a thickness of just 2.00 millimetre. And I’m not talking about...
To follow with the video we just published, it is now time for us to go into all the details about what certainly is THE main technical achievement of the beginning of the year. Piaget smashes all previous records and unveils the ultra-lean 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept. What you see in front of you simply is the thinnest mechanical watch ever created… And by far. Ultra-thin redefined!Backg...
The SIHH 2018, the first watch fair of the year, kicks off on?Monday, 15 January. And we will be there with the “big guns”…?For five days, 18 of the most prestigious and established brands, as well as 17 independent watchmakers, will unveil their new collections and we, at MONOCHROME, are committed to bring you all the important?novelties and make sure that you don’t miss a...
One of the sleeper hits of this year's SIHH might just come from an unexpected source. The new Clifton BaumaticTM from Baume & Mercier features a chronometer-certified proprietary movement, with a silicon hairspring and a comfortable 5-day power reserve. Soon to be available at a very competitive price, this could be the beginning of a whole new era for the brand. All the details below. ?Since...
H. Moser & Cie. does it again with the Swiss Icons Watch…! Yes, it is a mess. Yes, it looks terrible. No, it is not a joke and it does really exist. But indeed, it is again a brave move from the brand. Early 2017, Moser decided to remove the “Swiss Made” inscription from their watches and coincidentally they launched the Swiss Mad Watch (100% Swiss, including the cheese case)...