Today we are taking a closer look at one of the most refined and streamlined Perpetual Calendars on the market, the Ulysse Nardin Classic Perpetual Ludwig. Named after the man largely responsible for the original watch some 20 years ago, Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, this modern-day tribute is nothing short of exceptional. Easy to set and even easier to read, this complicated watch helped pioneer a new way...
Color - it is essence of life and Earth, and for many, it offers inspiration and makes a keen statement of individuality. Such is the case with the newest women's Classico Lady Grand Feu watches from Ulysse Nardin unveiled earlier this year and in stores now.A brand renowned for its marine heritage, its dive and water watches, as well as for its complicated repeaters, sonneries, automatons, Freak ...
Mechanical innovation is often regarded as the epitome of fine watchmaking. For whatever reason, I had been under the impression that we had not seen many new developments over the past few months. Well, looking back at some of the latest introductions, some impressive pieces of ingenuity have been presented. We take a look at with some of the most inventive, complex and intricate mechanisms of 20...
In the past years Vacheron Constantin has been harmonizing their collections, yet within the new line-up they kept some room for one very special collection, comprising only platinum watches. This is the Collection Platine Excellence and the newest piece within that collection is the Patrimony Collection Platine Excellence. Like the other models in the Collection Platine Excellence, it features th...
Dress watch dials rarely venture beyond white, silver or black. A classic dress watch with a white dial and black leather strap is as formal as it gets (and it is most often a man's first dress watch). Blue is also a fairly safe option that can be worn in nearly every circumstance. But, these do not have to be the only colors - especially if you are confident in your ability to carry off colors, o...
There are many ways to tell the time: digital watches show us the time using numbers, whereas the first mechanical clocks did not even have faces, and indicated time by chiming it. Hourglasses, candle clocks or clepsydras are other examples. And there’s a segment that we here at Monochrome, refer to as ‘Other Display‘, which include the URWERK’s MB&F’s and Ressenc...
Over the last few years, Porsche Design has come out with several interesting new models, like the stealth-looking Chronotimer Series 1 and the classically understated 1919 Globetimer. Both demonstrate Porsche Design's ongoing commitment to high-quality engineering, combined with pared back technical design. This trend continues in 2017, with the launch of the Monobloc Actuator 24H-Chronotimer, of...
Much of the history of the Omega Speedmaster surrounds its part in the Moon landing and its status as official NASA watch for their astronauts. Thanks to this heritage, the Speedy?became the perfect play field for the Biel-based brand to create multiple limited editions, as tribute to Apollo missions or even to Snoopy Awards. While many watch enthusiasts might not understand the point of all these...
Laurent Ferrier is first and foremost a watch passionate and watch designer (he has spent 37 years at Patek Philippe,?ending his?career as creative director). He's not one to show off or boast about his achievements, preferring instead to let his exceptional work speak for itself. Even then, he likes to keep things understated, at least on the dial side, ensuring the focus remains primarily on fun...
The Only Watch charity auction has been responsible for many of the coolest one-off watches from the great and the good of the industry – and we’ve already introduced you to several pretty incredible pieces in the past weeks. So when we received the memo from Montblanc, with the news that they were creating a unique version of the Superb (with a capital “S” indeed…)?1...
Today, we’re not going to do a regular “Monochrome-Style” review, detailing every element of a watch or dissecting every technical feature. Instead, we’re going to do something “for the sake of watchmaking“, for the beauty of an art – because, at a certain point, I think we can move to another level and talk about proper works of art. To illustrate this, w...
The summer is here. That means our thoughts turn to the seaside, sunshine, heatwave, mojitos, yacht deck, beach parties… and of course, what watch to wear this summer? You probably don’t want to take your treasured extra-flat, gold perpetual calendar watch out there. So, you’d likely be leaning towards some kind of dive watch, as it would be the best option, both to look classy, ...
One of the great things about the Only Watch biennial charity auction is that it’s not exclusive to big names only, such as Patek or Tudor.?There are many more watch companies, including some of the very best independent watchmakers who also step up to donate one unique, purpose-built timepiece to help fund research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. One of these is a favourite amongst the Mono...
Over the last few years, A. Lange & Sohne has been making its popular 1815 collection more of a focus, introducing several exceptional models, like the insane Tourbograph Perpetual Pour le Merite unveiled at SIHH 2017. While that model may have stolen the spotlight (and with good reason), today we're giving some much needed hands-on attention to another great watch presented by the brand at th...
Earlier this year, prior to Baselworld 2017, Oris introduced a facelifted version of its most emblematic watch, the Aquis. More refined, better executed, more modern and of course still perfectly suitable as a professional dive watch… It seems that tool-watch lovers appreciated this new design, and so the entire Aquis collection is now going through this facelift process, to create a consist...
If you are a regular visitor to our pages, it’s not a stretch to suggest that, like us, you have a sheer passion for all things?related to watches. Yet, as passionate as we are by the watchmaking world, most of us here share a love for something else, and yes, they are mechanical too: cars. Thus, when I received an invite from Montblanc to spend a weekend at this year’s?Goodwood Festiv...
McLaren: the winningest (is that a word?) constructor in Formula 1 after Ferrari, the second longest running team in the sport (with a continuous participation since 1966), producer of many memorable cars, host of legendary driver line-ups, and delivering championship contending cars through most of their history. Hitting a dry spell since 2015 though, the team has the resilience to get back on to...
After two years of consecutive decline and an overall negative mood over the watchmaking industry, it seems that 2017 could be the pivotal year for the watch segment – at least for Swatch Group, as we have seen that Richemont Group 2016-2017 results were showing again a decline. In its?Half-Year Report 2017, Swatch Group contains a number positive indicators, including slightly increased sal...
While the main focus of Monochrome-Watches will clearly remain high-end watches, we also know that some of you, readers, can't afford these superb yet pricy timepieces. This is why, from time to time, we also take a look at the other side of the range, with affordable options. Kickstarter, the crowdfunding tool, is full of watchmaking projects. Now launching is a new watch by Jakarta-based NAM Wat...
When you think Jaquet Droz, you usually have in mind the image of a sleek and elegant watch, characterized by the 8-shaped display of the dial. Most of their collections are on the dressy side, however, it is hard for a mainstream brand to ignore opportunities such as the sports-watch market. But… How to mix the refined and signature display of Jaquet Droz with a?sporty and bold attire? This...
While the Only Watch charity auction usually presents unique pieces in order to raise funds to help research on?Duchenne muscular dystrophy, this year some brands are going a few steps further by not only having unique watches?but also offering, in the package, special?experiences (such as Bell & Ross, Carl F. Bucherer and Blancpain). This is also the case for Chopard, who for Only Watch 2017,...
Steel and gold, or often referred to as “Two-Tone” has been a no-go for a long time. I was very surprised when Tudor presented us with a two-tone version of their much praised Black Bay, at the Baselworld watch fair earlier this year. The Tudor Black Bay is?one of the most popular watches of the last 5 years, ever since it was introduced in 2012. The first model featured a burgundy red...
Three years ago, two men decided to launch?a book which provided an unprecedented level of information, entirely focussed on an iconic watch. Their names: Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie. The watch in question: The Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch”. The book: Moonwatch Only. This example of an encyclopedia?quickly became the ultimate reference guide for Speedmaster lovers. It explored...
Never before has a watch brand taken over the entirety of the historic bank building that today houses Cipriani 42nd Street for an entire month, let alone build an entire two-story building inside the cavernous hall. Patek Philippe, however, did exactly that – and so much more. July 13 marked the opening of the 10-day long exhibition called Patek Philippe – The Art of Watches Grand Exh...
In the past months, there have been some massive shakeups at Richemont (Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA), which abolished the role of CEO,? and appointed IWC's Georges Kern as Head of Watchmaking and Montblanc's Jer?me Lambert as Head of Operations. A few weeks later came the “Big?Reshuffle”, with 4 CEOs (Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Dunhill) leaving – volu...
For its 2017?edition, the biennial Only Watch event has been attracting more and more brands, keen to participate in?this charity auction. Absent from the previous two editions, Audemars Piguet makes its return to?the long list of manufactures, with a unique piece based on its?impressive?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic. Except?now, they’ve?introduced?a touch of col...
In the world of watches, it’s become de rigeur?to have watches “placed” in movies (and?sometimes, it’s a bit more than just that). It’s a practice known as?“product placement” and, in certain measures, it seems to help selling watches (do you feel the irony here…?) However, the story here is much cooler than the usual “watch in a movie” c...
Well, this is a big one, and I feel humbled to announce that non-other than esteemed watch journalist Roberta Naas is joining Monochrome-Watches. Having such an experienced journalist, who has been covering the world of watches since the early 1980s, is a real coup. She's got more than thirty years in the industry and has written a half a dozen books on the subject. With that comes an incredible a...
Earlier this year we told you about the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 Full Black Matt Ceramic, which made its debut at the 2017 edition of the Geneva Watch Fair. Now that the madness of the first half of the year is starting to subside, we thought this a perfect time to come back and give this watch a proper hands-on review.The first thing you notice when you strap the sizable case of the Carrera Heu...
Smartwatches; what to do with them? Embrace them? Bann them entirely? Or, perhaps, if you are positive, try and adapt it into your (haute) horology lifestyle? If you have been following us for the last few years, you might recall that we have always been highly skeptical towards the smart revolution in watchmaking. We have yet to stumble upon a project that truly wins us over. We, at Monochrome, h...