With the?L.U.C Full Strike, Chopard Watches’?high-end collection welcomes a minute repeater, a complication never explored by the brand, and launched as the crowning point of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture. We’ve seen some tourbillons, some perpetual calendars with?chronograph, super slim and eco-friendly watches?previously, but never a strikin...
I hated every minute of training, but I said: Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion. Could this be the silver-tongued boxing champion's own version of Don't crack under pressure? Muhammad Ali was not just one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, he was also a vocal civil right activist with a legendary never-back-down attitude. Last month, at a charity boxi...
While the race for presidency in the USA is going on until the last minute, we’ll of course focus… on watches! And in the world of watches, we also have elections. Just two weeks ago I attended the gala award ceremony for the election of the Watch of the Year, organised by our friends of Chronos24 in Poland. And this Thursday, when we finally know who’s going to?be the new?tenant...
When you're on the hunt for your perfect watch, or even just a compulsory purchase, there is a lot out there to lust after. For example, when it comes to dive watches we've seen that there are a lot more than just Submariners, Seamasters or Panerais to choose from, which is great especially if you are shopping with somewhat of a limited budget. Case in point, this newly introduced Fortis Cockpit O...
Hublot is no stranger for doing the unorthodox thing, whether it being on the technical side or on the aesthetical side. Talk about innovative technical prowess and the Hublot LaFerrari pops up. Mention weird or wonderful materials and perhaps you think of the Hublot Classic Fusion Berluti, with its leather dials. Now though, Hublot incorporates a rough-and-tough material, not often used for watch...
Over the centuries some watch manufactures have grown to an almost mythical status, becoming legends, and not only among watch collectors. Their fame has transcended the circle of initiates to gain worldwide recognition. As always with legends however, there remains gray areas. One such example is Patek Philippe. Many have tried to shed light on the history of this Old Maison, inlcuding the Mono t...
Telling you that the watchmaking industry is now facing some troubles won’t be the biggest piece of news you’ll have today. It is now known; the Swiss industry is in tough period, sales are decreasing, profits are lower and stocks are massively increasing at retailers. This situation seemed to be quite a secret for a year or so, but now, large groups – mainly those listed and tha...
Last week, we started a new series of articles named “Tudor and Its Heritage“. As you might have guessed, we are here looking at how Tudor Watches successfully drew the lines of the Heritage collection by looking at some of its glorious vintage watches, however not copying them, but re-interpretating some key elements into a modern package. Vintage-inspiration, not vintage reedition. O...
It is with great pleasure that we welcome two gentlemen?to the Monochrome team, who will be helping us out to cover what we at Monochrome feel are great watches. The Monochrome selection so to say. Tom is Monochrome’s “man in London” and will cover everything that’s important, horologically speaking, from the UK and London in particular, while Matthew will be handling our s...
In the 1970s, the post-war global economic boom came to an end. The new, accurate quartz watches gained popularity and plunged the Swiss watch industry in a deep crisis. As the inexpensive electronic watches began to flood the market, the competition from foreign manufacturers created a major economic turmoil, and with it, the need for Swiss brands to reinvent themselves, making necessary disrupti...
In just a few short days, SalonQP 2016 will get underway at the Saatchi Gallery, London. From its humble beginnings, SalonQP has grown to be a must-visit annual watch event for collectors and enthusiasts alike from around Europe and even the world. This year promises to be no different, featuring new product launches, special exhibitions and, of course, the opportunity to get hands on with some re...
In terms of product design, vintage inspiration has been, for the last 10 years, one of the major, if not the major trend. Most brands, from low-end to ultra-luxury?have been, at least once, looking at their past and used it as a reference to?create new models. We all need strong foundations to feel confident, and this must be a part of the explanation. However, as always, some handled this vintag...
Every story has a beginning, a middle and there's an end, and today will be the third and final installment of our?“History of the Patek Philippe Nautilus“. After a close look at the icon that started it all, the emblematic Nautilus Ref. 3700, after looking at the evolution of a model into a proper collection, from 1980 to 2006, it’s time now to look at modern ages?– an era...
Do we have to introduce the Lange 1 to you, dear readers? If you’re here, reading at Monochrome, you certainly don’t need us to go full details about what certainly is one of the prettiest modern horological icons. The Lange 1 and its derivatives are well-known from watch enthusiasts since 1994, and for very good reasons. This is the main reason why, when a new edition is revealed, the...
80 years ago (yes, already…), a brand named International Watch Co. launched a watch that will later become an icon and one emblematic collection. This watch was a “Special Watch For Pilots” and it was introduced to the world in 1936. Decades after, the spirit that the brand injected in this watch is still alive and the current?IWC Big Pilot’s Watch still represents the pin...
Thirty years after an act of personal divination brought the World Cup to Argentina, football superstar Diego Maradona (a.k.a Hand of God) was brought face-to-face with Pope Francis (a.k.a Man of God) for charity football tournament organized by His Holiness… and a?surprise came in the middle of the game, not touched by the hand but?strapped around the wrist this time.Hublot are never shy ab...
Last week’s 5 Cool Finds’ selection was for the pleasure, to awake the horology enthusiast in you. This week, we move to practical functions – which does not mean the watches you’ll are not nice pieces… Today, we want to inspire the traveler in you, with 5 watches that will help you to keep track of time in (at least) two regions of the world. GMT, dual-time, world-ti...
Saxony has been a fertile ground for some of the most remarkable horological innovations. The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar with its impressive technique and perfect craftsmanship is in perfect keeping with the A. Lange & Sohne great tradition. Introduced in 2013, this masterpiece is now presented in discreet white gold with an exquisite grey dial.Presented?over 20 years ago?(in 1994, ...
After a long hiatus over the summer, and the sometimes literal clash between Mercedes AMG F1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton reaches new levels race by race, it is time to look at the current leader of the pack for this third chapter in our Watches and Formula 1 series. Mercedes AMG F1 is the team that rose from the ashes of Brawn GP which in turn bailed out Honda Racing F1 Team. If you re...
Travelling is rarely a relaxed affair. There's the packing, the rushing to the airport or train station, losing your passport, finding it again, running the gauntlet through security. By the time you get to your destination you're pretty much guaranteed to be exhausted (and let's face it probably a little buzzed). The last thing you want to be doing is fiddling around trying to adjust your watch t...
As the Patek Philippe Nautilus is celebrating this year its 40th anniversary, it was time for two events: the launch of a dedicated collection by the Geneva-based Maison and, for us, it was the perfect moment to bring you a complete?retrospective on?this icon. Last week was part 1 and, of course, it was entirely focused on the one that started it all; the iconic reference 3700 “Jumbo”....
What do a classic car rally, handmade hunting rifles and mechanical watches have in common? The answer is Lebeau-Courally. The company was founded in 1805 and is well known in Royal families for its handmade hunting rifles and has moved into the field of haute-horlogerie by acquiring Le Locle based IMH. Lebeau-Courally is a platinum sponsor of the Zoute Grand Prix Rally. In part 2 of this article ...
Last week, our selection of 5 Cool Finds was clearly on the safe-side; 5 ultra-essential dive watches from mainstream brands, the kind of watches you can never go wrong with. This week, in our new episode of the Cool Finds, we’re going to explore completely different territories: the super-complicated watches. You want gold; we have. You want high-end brands; we have too. You want complicati...
This week in London, auction house Philips played host to a special exhibition commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the creation of Chopard's first in-house movement; the calibre L.U.C 1.96. It was also the perfect setting for the introduction of two new series into Chopard's L.U.C family; the L.U.C GMT One and the L.U.C Time Traveler One. Today we're taking a closer look at the latter.For as lon...
The choice for dive watches is quite literally endless. There are thousands of good, very good, or extremely good dive watches out there. There are also plenty of so-so dive watches, so it is very possible to lose track of what's what in this popular category. Thus, we feel it is our duty to share some options outside the beaten path of Submariners, Seamasters or Panerais. One of these options is ...
Stating that the Patek Philippe Nautilus is an icon is probably too easy… but there is no way to evade this. The Nautilus is an icon. No debate. Introduced?in 1976, and designed by one of the most famous watch-designers, who can be seen as the creator of a new species of timepieces – the luxury sports watch. The Nautilus?is praised by all sorts of collectors, and it?is now celebrating ...
For returning readers it is a known fact most members of team Monochrome are car-guys to some extent. Obviously, both watchmaking and the automotive industry are intertwined extensively, so when Oris gave us the chance to attend the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Nurburgring race, I jumped on the occasion! 6 hours of the fastest prototypes and road-car-based racers on the planet, blas...
Today is… Friday! So not only it means that weekend is coming, but it also means that our 5 Cool Finds are online.?To follow with?last week's article, we continue our “Cool Finds” selections, still with our trustful partner?Chronext.?What about the 5 Cool Finds? Simple: 5 watches, not new, not vintage, most of the time young-timers (that we believe are?the new trend) that we sele...
We, watch collectors, all know how difficult and risky it can be to purchase?a used watch. How can I verify the authenticity of the watch? Are all the parts originals? How the desired watch has been serviced or worn? What amount of trust?should I give to the seller? Is it a stolen watch? What warranty will it come with? Too many questions that some will never agree with?and thus, you will stick to...
The concept of the Sonata by Ulysse Nardin is not new, but still, you'll see later in this article, it's a very captivating concept. Several watches have been created with the Sonata complication; however, most of them, even if mechanically attractive, were bold, highly sportive and masculine watches. In the last few months, Ulysse Nardin has given a new identity to its watches, with more subtle a...