Latest Watch News

GIVE AWAY: Ulysse Nardin Wall Clock - Yes, that's the full size wall clock that you can see at retailers - Monochrome Watches

Here’s our fourth give-away action, and boy, what a magnificent one. Ulysse Nardin kindly made available one of their BIG wall clocks for one of our readers! Monochrome is celebrating its 10th anniversary and we’re giving away some of the coolest ‘goodies’ that brands have to offer. This latest proposition is certainly a superb gift for any watch aficionado and we will be s...

2016-05-17

Panerai - Dive into Time Exhibition: The History and Future of Panerai on Display in Florence - May 18th - 21st 2016 - Monochrome Watches

Whether you'll be on a trip to or live near Florence, you now have an added reason to go! (Or just a very good reason to visit this superb Italian city). Officine Panerai will run an exhibition Panerai - Dive into Time, from 18 to 21 May 2016, in the crypt of the former Basilica of San Pancrazio, which hosts the Marino Marini Museum. So when you like dive watches and watch history and your spouse ...

2016-05-16

The Sound of Time - An introduction to alarm, hour-strike, repeater, musical and other chiming watches - Monochrome Watches

You wish to see; listen. Hearing is a step towards vision Bernard de ClairvauxThe word clock comes from Middle Dutch clocke, itself deriving from late Latin clocca, meaning bell. The first mechanical clocks did not have faces but were solely striking timekeepers. The days were divided considering the chime of these bells, as mechanized timekeeping spread through Medieval Europe, during the 14th ce...

2016-05-13

The return of the Eberhard Scafograf 300 - overview of an Iconic dive watch - Monochrome Watches

Eberhard occupies a great chapter in the history of the Swiss watch industry. However, it belongs to a segment rather obscure and less known from a wider audience. A segment which contains companies likes Venus, Martel, Leonidas, Lemania, Minerva, Excelsior Park, Gallet, Nivada, to name a few but a few that were right from the start instrumental for producing calibres and watches that have propell...

2016-05-13

New brand - Vortic Watch Co. mixing antique American pocket-watch movements and 3D printed cases (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

Brands come and go, but history remains, we all know that. And that is exactly what Vortic Watch Co. embodies as a product. Instead of designing, engineering and building an innovative new product, Vortic Watch Co. feels that we had it right the first time and decided to go from there. The American Artisan Series by Vortic Watch Co. was born, roughly a hundred years ago - well at least for the mov...

2016-05-12

An Exclusive Evening with Montblanc SIHH 2016 Novelties and You're Invited - Monochrome Watches

In January of this year Montblanc showed their novelties to the retailers and watch press at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. Of course we kept you informed during and after the SIHH trade fair, to be able to touch and try the watches yourself you will have to wait some time. The new watches will gradually be arriving into retail stores and Montblanc’s own boutiques, as of end...

2016-05-11

Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500V & Chronograph 5500V now with brown dials (inc. price) - Monochrome Watches

Yesterday we showed you the new Vacheron Constantin Overseas?World Time, and today we’re showing you some more news from the Overseas collection. This time it isn’t a new complication, however a new dial colour for both the?Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500V 3-hand watch and the Chronograph 5500V. These two models were introduced with a?blue and silver dial, and now there’s a thi...

2016-05-11

The Collector's Series - Our new contributing editor, Peter and his elegant A. Lange & Sohne 1815 - Monochrome Watches

Today, the collector's Series is about Monochrome's?new contributing editor, Peter. Most likely you’ve already read some of his stories;?Peter will mainly focus on review and events. He has a special talent for event reports as he knows how to make you feel if you were with him at the event he’s covering for Monochrome. After a long and fruitful career, Peter now has more time to focus...

2016-05-10

Introducing: Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time 7700V, the luxury worldtimer sports watch - Specs and Price - Monochrome Watches

This year, at the SIHH 2016, Vacheron Constantin came with?a brand new Overseas collection, and they introduced no less than 5 models: the?automatic?3-hand 4500V, the?Chronograph 5500V, the?Ultra-Slim 2000V, the?Ultra-Slim Perpetual Calendar and a ladies’ version (that we didn’t cover.) That’s already a complete collection, you could say. Especially for a newly introduced collect...

2016-05-10

Book Chronographs for collectors by Joel Pynson and Sebastian Chaulmontet - Monochrome Watches

Today, we have something different for you, as we would like to share a very interesting book, written by Jo?l Pynson and Sebastian Chaulmontet (the man behind Arnold & Son and Angelus), named Chronographs for Collectors. The authors conducted thorough research into the origins of the chronograph and 30 chronographs. Chronographs have always been among the most difficult movements to design, a...

2016-05-09

EZA Watches Sealander, an interesting and affordable dive watch from a startup brand (live photos & price) - Monochrome Watches

Young startup brands are often presented to us via press materials. Not necessarily a bad thing of course, but it gets so much better when they can show you the final product (or one as close as 99% to production ready). EZA Watches (already introduced here) is one of those young brands, which managed to let us go hands-on with their first collection, the EZA Watches Sealander. So, after the intro...

2016-05-09

Montblanc TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept, one of the lightest mechanical timepieces (just under 15 grams!) - Monochrome Watches

When introduced, the?TimeWalker collection by Montblanc was a modern and urban line of watches, characterized mainly by its sculptural lugs – see here. However, overall, the watches remained rather classical and clean – like this one. Since a year or two, the collection has greatly evolved, bringing a much bolder and much more technical look and feel. Montblanc showed us last year the?...

2016-05-08

A Guide to the different types of Calendar Watches - Monochrome Watches

Horology is a child of astronomy. Ever since man wondered about the passage of time, the schedule of our lives has been shaped by the movement of heavenly bodies. Time was measured by the sun, the moon and the stars. Their regulated and measurable cycles lead to the creation of most calendars. Early mechanical clocks aimed at reproducing these cycles and beyond hours, they showed the date, days of...

2016-05-06

Hands-on Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar (Live pics & price) - and why a QP is relevant in such a sports-watch - Monochrome Watches

The new Overseas collection by Vacheron Constantin, introduced this year at the SIHH, ticks all the right boxes. The watch’ design is pure, inspired, the finish is exquisite, and overall it’s desirable and luxurious… It is actually difficult to find flaws here. Whether we talk about the?normal 3-hander, the Chronograph or the Ultra-Thin edition; when we got to see these new model...

2016-05-04

Hands-on - Anonimo Nautilo Bronze Blue dial (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

Anonimo is a brand that is most known for their dive watches. In the last few years, they have been producing, for example, the well-known Millimetri, which is waterproof to 1,000 meters, or the Polluce, another example of reliable and functional diving tool. Nowadays, Anonimo is refocusing the collections mainly on two references;?the Militare and the Nautilo watches. With this new focus in mind,...

2016-05-03

Hands-on - Patek Philippe 5204R Split-Seconds Chronograph Perpetual Calendar - Baselworld 2016 (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

At Patek Philippe, there are the chronographs. There are also the super-chronographs. There’s a uber-chronograph too. And finally, there’s the 5204, which?could be called the “king of chronographs“, a beautiful blend of a split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar, so-to-say, the proper essence of what Patek Philippe is. This watch is complicated, it is extremely demo...

2016-05-02

The dilemma of Constant Force in Watchmaking - Monochrome Watches

Constant force is a holy grail of watchmaking and chronometry. The varying driving force delivered to the regulating organ of watches affects their rate, because balance wheels are not perfectly isochronous - isochronous means that the period of oscillation is independent of the amplitude of oscillation. Modern barrels and the Swiss lever escapement offer satisfactory regularity. Still, in their o...

2016-04-29

Comparative 3 affordable & vintage-inspired dive watches from Tudor, Oris & Longines (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

Returning visitors of Monochrome are certainly aware of our speciality: reviews of watches. We believe that reviews are essential in the process of buying a new watch, or any luxury item for that matter. Of course, we encourage you profoundly to test the watch yourself… however?that will most likely be in the luxurious ‘ambiance’ of a retailer, and for a short (very short) period...

2016-04-28

Hands-on - TAG Heuer Monza 40th Anniversary Calibre 17 - Baselworld 2016 (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

The TAG Heuer range of watches is now composed mainly around two axis. The modern watches first, with the Carrera 01 & 02 Tourbillon, for example. The vintage-inspired watches then, with the Monaco or the Carrera Telemeter. We also know that TAG Heuer will offer collectors a very cool re-issue of the Autavia next year (and you probably chose it via the Autavia Cup). However, this year was the ...

2016-04-27

The Collector's Series - Philipp Man, CEO of Chronext, and his icon, a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 - Monochrome Watches

There are two phrases that guarantee to send a shiver down the spine of any watch geek: Holy Trinity and Gerald Genta. This week – the Collector's Series covers both – in one watch. Hold onto your seat belts and tighten your NATO straps – this interview may leave you feeling jealous. Very jealous. Here is Philipp Man, CEO of Chronext, and his Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711.You will...

2016-04-26

GIVE AWAY: Win Panerai book Orologeria - Monochrome Watches

Today we’re starting with a new gave-away action and again the rules are simple. Fill out the form, answer a few question, register to the newsletter and your name can be drawn from all participants to be the winner. For the coming two weeks you will have the chance to win Panerai’s new book (introduced last year) that comes in a hard protective cover. And all this… because we...

2016-04-26

The New Vacheron Constantin Quai de l'Ile in Stainless Steel - Hands-on Photos, Specs and Price - Monochrome Watches

When?I first laid eyes on the Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile, when it?was first introduced in 2007, I didn’t exactly know how to position it. This watch, or better these watches, were a tad more sporty / casual than the average classic dress watch, and also a bit more chic than the average sports watch. Maybe a perfect allrounder? The unique mix-n-match case options offered customer...

2016-04-26

Monochrome's 10th Anniversary Raffles - A Letter from the Editor - Monochrome Watches

It’s strange for me to realise it has been 10 years since I installed the database and other files necessary for a WordPress blog on my own domain. And it has also been 10 years since I posted the first words on Monochrome. What started as a personal blog to keep friends and family up to date of what kept me busy, soon evolved into lyrical musings about beautiful timepieces. And subsequently...

2016-04-25

A Complete Guide to the Regulating Organ - Monochrome Watches

The regulating organ of a watch is certainly amongst the most important parts. It is what defines the speed at which the watch will run – and because time is defined by rules, this speed has to be controlled with great care, in order to have the most accurate watch possible. The?regulating organ can take several forms, it can use several materials, it has been a field for innovations since w...

2016-04-22

Comparative 3 Modern Worldtimer Watches from Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Montblanc - Monochrome Watches

In this day and age the worldtimer is likely to be one of the most useful complications to be found in a mechanical timepiece. When?Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian professor and philosopher of?communication theory,?wrote ‘The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man’ in 1962, not many could have foreseen how McLuhan’s description of the “Global Village” would beca...

2016-04-21

Hands-on - MeisterSinger Phanero - Baselworld 2016 (live pics & price)

When you think MeisterSinger, you certainly have to think single-hand / mono-aiguille kind of watches – ?only one?single hand that displays the time, in a slow and not-so-precise way, which actually brings a certain?charm to these watches. This is what?MeisterSinger is good at – besides being an interesting and affordable proposition for watch lovers in a need of something different. F...

2016-04-21

IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation - Monochrome Watches

Each year, IWC selects?one of its newest timepieces and fits it with a beautiful blue dial and a special engraved caseback… and there’s a good reason for that, a reason called charity, to be precise to fund the?Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Thus, this year, IWC comes with one of these blue dial watches, and for the first time in 10 years, it will be a ladies watch. Here is the?IWC...

2016-04-20

Video Interview - Patrik P. Hoffmann, CEO of Ulysse Nardin, about Baselworld 2016 and the 20th anniversary of the Marine Collection - Monochrome Watches

Marine Chronometers are a major part of the DNA of Ulysse Nardin. 100 years ago already, UN was already one of the leaders in the market for deck chronometers (marine chronometers to be used on boats deck) and since then, this spirit has been kept alive by the brand as a motto. This year, Ulysse Nardin is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Marine Collection,?its most important range of watche...

2016-04-20

The Collector's Series - Our first female collector and her glorious vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso - Monochrome Watches

It happened. Although, quite frankly, I am rather ashamed to admit it, as it simply shouldn’t have taken so long. This week, it gives me great pleasure to welcome our first female collector, Lara Berry and her glorious vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso to the Collector's Series.In a previous life, Lara worked for Experian in the finance data industry. Having spent several years in Hong Kong, ...

2016-04-19

Winner of the Autavia Cup announced - TAG Heuer to reissue the Autavia 2446 Mark 3 Jochen Rindt in 2017 - Monochrome Watches

Earlier this year, we introduced you to what was certainly one of the coolest ideas the watch industry had for a long time. TAG Heuer wanted to reintroduce the famous Autavia in 2017.?What was totally?new and unique with the Autavia Cup?was?that readers, collectors, followers… were?able to vote to know which vintage Heuer Autavia was about to be reissued in 2017. And here are the results. Pr...

2016-04-19