Latest Watch News

Discover "Passion for Watches", the Benelux Watch Fair (Nov. 18th - Nov. 20th) - Monochrome Watches

As watch journalists, we tend to focus on the two main events during the year: the SIHH in January and the mammoth Baselworld in March. Even if these two fairs are the main events of the year and if they are now opened to the public (partially), they remain mainly professional events, for retailers, photographers and, like us, journalists and bloggers. However, as a collector or passionate, you wo...

2016-10-05

Testing (really testing) the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon (and see if such mechanisms have a chronometric interest) - Monochrome Watches

The watch we'll test?today is worthy of a?Chronometrie?contest. It has been created with one?unique goal in mind: being as accurate as possible, in all positions and during the whole range of its power reserve. Usually, we would have written a review exposing the case, the dial, the finishing or the wearability of the piece. However, with the Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon, this would ...

2016-10-05

Several New Vacheron Constantin Harmony Models, Including Complete Calendar Moonphase and New Iterations - Monochrome Watches

When in 2015 Vacheron Constant presented the Harmony, it was already an entire collection, comprising a?simple Dual Time, a small size chronograph (women-oriented), a Monopusher Chronograph (the superb 3300), a Tourbillon Chronograph and a stunning ref. 3500 ultra-thin, automatic, split-seconds chronograph. Even if there was?no new editions at the 2016 Edition of the SIHH, which was entirely focus...

2016-10-04

Patek Philippe Nautilus 40th Anniversary Editions, including Platinum 3-hand 5711/1P and WG Chronograph 5976/1G (with price) - Monochrome Watches

40 years ago, Patek Philippe introduced a watch that has become an icon over the past 4 decades. This watch was designed by the legendary watch-designer?Gerald Genta. Inspired by the porthole, legend told it was?drawn on a restaurant table?in 5 minutes. It was the Nautilus ref. 3700, the first sports watch of the brand, which, in 1976, created the lineage, and which?is today celebrating its 40th a...

2016-10-03

5 Cool Finds - 5 Robust and Bold Sports Luxury Chronographs to consider - Monochrome Watches

To follow with last week’s article, we continue our 5 Cool Finds selections, still with our trustful partner?Chronext. We already explained to you all about this London-based?online marketplace for buying, selling, and servicing of luxury watches - and here, online goes together with the same?security and service as any high-end boutique. What about the 5 Cool Finds? Simple: 5 watches, not n...

2016-09-30

Introducing: Zenith El Primero Range Rover Special Edition - Price and Specs - Monochrome Watches

If you’re looking at the photo above, you could think that we’re about to show you a new Zenith model named “Range Rover”. Well, that isn’t exactly the case, however it’s not far besides the truth. Today Zenith launches the Zenith El Primero Range Rover Special Edition, and they do that together with British car brand Land Rover (the makers of the iconic Range R...

2016-09-29

The Montblanc Patented ExoTourbillon explained by Davide Cerrato, managing director of the Montblanc Watch Division - Monochrome Watches

In January of this year, at the SIHH 2016, Montblanc continued to impress with good looking and pleasantly priced watches. The ExoTourbillon Slim, an elegant, luxurious and technically complex timepiece, which includes the brand’s patented tourbillon, the ExoTourbillon. This watch not only features a tourbillon regulator that clearly stands out from the crowd, but it is also an extremely goo...

2016-09-29

Introducing the Hamtun H1, an affordable titanium dive watch - Monochrome Watches

Since we did one of our first survey’s among you, our readers, we heard that you love our selection of high-end to ultra high-end watches. However you would also like to see an affordable watch from time to time, and we completely understand that. Like with cars, we all love Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Koenigsegg, Pagani, Aston Martin and of course Porsche. These super cars are admired b...

2016-09-28

The versatility of the Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'Ile in steel - Monochrome Watches

Pretty much every watch is introduced with one specific strap, or bracelet, and usually that’s what determines its looks. Of course, watch brands design the watch for a specific purpose, ?and therefore the watch must have a matching look / style, so that’s all fully understandable. But it can also be kind of boring, especially for those who feel that their watch might also look good on...

2016-09-28

The Speake-Marin Magister Tourbillon, the back to basics watch - Monochrome Watches

Peter Speake-Marin is going back to his roots with a tourbillon, after an incursion in the world of sports watches. This complication is of very special significance for him. This is a good reason to take a closer look at his Magister Tourbillon, bringing together a host of details characteristics of his watch design we have been enjoying for some 15 years.Background / Reminder about Peter Speake-...

2016-09-26

Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph Monaco Limited Edition - Monochrome Watches

Monaco… The French Riviera, the pleasant?weather, James Bond, the sea, the Casino, the luxurious cars and nice ladies! Certainly one of the most attractive places to spend some relaxed time. And above all, there are the super-yachts. Now, if you ask me what would be the watch that best defines this world, I’d easily say a Ulysse Nardin. In fact, i’m not that far from the truth an...

2016-09-26

5 Cool Finds - 5 Luxury Watches that look good, in every situation, everywhere... - Monochrome Watches

The “5 Cool Finds” are back, however?with a few changes… the biggest one being is that we changed to?a new, more reliable partner whom?we have a profound trust in: Chronext. We already explained to you all about this London-based?online marketplace for buying, selling, and servicing of luxury watches – and here, online goes together with the same?security and service as any...

2016-09-23

A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Pour le Merite White Gold Black Dial

When the words “Pour le Merite” are attached to the name “A. Lange & Sohne“, you know it’s going to be hard to resist and you know it’s going to be complicated. Why? This nomenclature in Lange’s collections means a watch equipped with a fusee and chain transmission (like this one or the outstanding?Tourbograph) – and that is far from being an usu...

2016-09-22

Farer Automatic Watches - British Design, Swiss Made, Vintage Look, Reasonable Price - Monochrome Watches

Wouldn’t it be pleasant if all the youngsters around would involve progressively in real watchmaking, meaning mechanical watches, if most of them grew as collectors, instead of looking at massive and not-so-distinguished fashion brands watches? Well, we don’t live at “candy land” and things won’t change that fast. However, every collector must have a starting point an...

2016-09-22

Hands-On Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 in stainless steel - High-end made accessible - Monochrome Watches

It all began 20 years ago, when in-house and independent sourcing of movements were not yet in vogue across the watch industry. The presentation of a splendid micro-rotor movement manufactured in Fleurier, a watchmaking town of Val-de-Travers, gave birth to the Chopard L.U.C series, a highly respected collection among watch connoisseurs. This Chopard collection now celebrates its 20th anniversary,...

2016-09-21

The devil is in the details... of the dial (case study with the Patek Philippe 5496P-015) - Monochrome Watches

You see, here at Monochrome-Watches, we always praise the complexity?of movements, we always emphasize on the amount of work done by watchmakers to assemble complications or to achieve a perfectly polished bevel, to finish?an internal angle or to obtain?black polishing – we even did a technical guide about it. We also look at “metiers d’art” – engraving, enameling, mi...

2016-09-21

Dietrich O.Time now in colored forged carbon (and even a luminescent carbon one...) - Monochrome Watches

In watchmaking, who thinks?innovative materials usually says high price. That’s somehow a rule. Look at recent watches with?sapphire crystal cases. Most of them are over half a million CHF – even the cheapest one isn’t cheap… Same goes for complex ceramics, or watches associating different kind of solid, ultra-light or ultra-resistant materials. Carbon fibre isn’t alw...

2016-09-20

In-Depth: Why the TAG Heuer CH80 (now named Heuer-03) comes back? (and a visit of the relaunched Chevenez Manufacture) - Monochrome Watches

One week ago, we introduced to you?the first prototype of the TAG Heuer Autavia “Jochen Rindt”?reedition, one of the first customer-designed watches made by the industry in a long time. That’s already a good news on its own, and this watch was not the only point of interest, as inside its case ticks something we didn’t expect to see anymore from TAG Heuer: the Calibre Heuer...

2016-09-20

REVIEW: IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Vintage Editions - tons of photos, specs and price - Monochrome Watches

When the three new IWC?Ingenieur Chronograph models were shown to the watch press for the very first time, Monochrome was there, however we were not allowed to talk about it, nor to photograph the watch. And when we were allowed to cover the new Ingenieur Chronograph models, we only had the official PR?photos and no hands-on photos. This type?of photos that shows so well how a watch actually looks...

2016-09-19

Roger Dubuis adds colored stones to the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon - Monochrome Watches

What do we know about Roger Dubuis? Well, to make it short, Roger Dubuis is a proper?manufacture of Haute Horlogerie, creating extremely refined skeleton movements, and being the only brand to have its entire production stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva (and that alone must already give an indication of the beauty of the production…). Roger Dubuis is also a combination of complex mechanism...

2016-09-19

The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Moon Phase, or the Essence of German Symmetry - Monochrome Watches

When A. Lange & Sohne is mentioned, it is easy to dream. It is easy to dream because of names like Datograph, Zeitwerk or Double-Split. These watches can be found on so many watch collectors’ wish-list (and not only Lange aficionados), and for extremely good reasons, as clearly, they are all watchmaking?pinnacles, grail watches, dream-machines… and they are all rather inaccessible....

2016-09-16

Oris adds a Green Dial to the Divers Sixty-Five (Specs and Price) - Monochrome Watches

It is only one-and-a-half year ago. That’s when Oris introduced the Divers Sixty-Five, a new kid on the “vintage diver’s watches block”, and collectors around the world embraced this very cool, and very affordable, vintage inspired divers watch. After the first model, with similar hour markers as an old Oris from 1965, a second model with?Grey and Deauville Blue was introdu...

2016-09-16

EXCLUSIVE: First look at the TAG Heuer Autavia 2017 (the result of the Autavia Cup) - Updated with Price and Availability - Monochrome Watches

If you remember, earlier this year, in March 2016, TAG Heuer came with a superb idea: the opportunity for?collectors to vote and to decide which vintage Heuer Autavia will be the inspiration for a modern reedition of this mythical watch. The audience chose?one of the coolest editions, the?Autavia 2446 Mark 3 “Jochen Rindt”. The result of the development was to be expected at Baselworld...

2016-09-12

Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon - A lightweight skeleton tourbillon for a reasonable price - Monochrome Watches

Ulysse Nardin… quite a manufacture, with bold designs, inspired by the world of Marine. But that’s for the visual side. Technically, this brand has so much to offer. They are from the most innovative of them all. They introduced silicon in watchmaking, they created complex watches with extremely simple mechanisms (thanks to master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin) but they also have traditio...

2016-09-09

A Day at the Races: with Tudor at the Historic Grand Prix in Zandvoort - Monochrome Watches

Cars and watches, a great combination, and this combi?comes with a very legitimate historical background. For the second year Tudor was sponsor of the Historic Grand Prix in Zandvoort and we got the chance to enjoy a great day with them in the Paddock Club, and of course strolling through the paddock to see so many awe-inspiring cars. From pre World War II cars, to recent Formula 1 race cars, from...

2016-09-09

Hands-on - Richard Mille RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph, the facelift of an icon - Monochrome Watches

The Richard Mille RM 011 is a watch that perfectly sums up the Richard Mille spirit. We know this watch for almost?10 years and we’ve seen it in dozens of editions – some linked to certain events (Le Mans Classic), made for special friends of the brand (Felipe Masse, Roberto Mancini…) and manufactured in all possible colors or materials (red quartz, ceramic, carbon fiber, titaniu...

2016-09-08

A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Timezone - a Personal Story pt. 2 - Monochrome Watches

A few weeks ago we published the first part of my personal story with A. Lange & Sohne. To me, this brand has played an important role in the past one-and-a-half decade of watch collecting, learning about mechanical watches and making Monochrome into what it is today. After that memorable weekend back in 2007, there was another memorable weekend. Another weekend that was important for me, and ...

2016-09-07

Introducing the revamped Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Chronograph Perpetual Calendar (new dial, improved movement, ref. 5000T) - Monochrome Watches

We have always said: there are huge analogies between the luxury car industry and the watchmaking industry whether we are talking about marketing, sponsorships,?typology of collectors. In terms of products, we can also find similarities. It is extremely common for cars now to have their middle-life facelift, and this happens more and more in watches. Not entirely a new model, however slightly diff...

2016-09-06

Historical Perspective - The Doxa Sub 300, The Dive Watch Personified - Monochrome Watches

Back in Baselworld 2016, Doxa introduced its 50th Anniversary Sub model, a great dive watch with unquestionable pedigree. We will discover why this dive watch is so important by looking back at an early Doxa Sub 300, belonging to one of the preeminent Doxa collectors – and a great friend of Monochrome and me, personally – Mr. Marco Thier. By examining the story behind its creation, I h...

2016-09-02

Hands-on with the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300m Black Titanium - Monochrome Watches

Built for the extreme, dive watches were born from an utilitarian purpose: diving is all about time and depth. Yet, their most important promise might very well be that strapping a rugged dive watch around your wrist, gets you ready for the next adventure or adrenaline fix. The perfect option if you want to test your ability “not to crack under pressure”. Celebrating the brand's taglin...

2016-09-02