Latest Watch News

Pre-SIHH 2016 Hands-On - Montblanc TimeWalker ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph LE100 (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

A year ago, at the SIHH 2015, Montblanc surprised us by introducing a watch featuring both a tourbillon and an automatic, column-wheel, monopusher chronograph for less than 40,000 Euros – and that’s really impressive! This watch, the?Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph, will soon see its movement used in the TimeWalker collection, with the new, more concept...

2015-12-11

Hands-on - A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, celebrating the 200th anniversary of F.A. Lange (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

This year was quite special for the magnificent manufacture A. Lange & Sohne, celebrating the 200th birthday of its founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange (see the history of watchmaking in Glashutte here). 2 first watches had been introduced, 2 special editions dedicated to this event, the 1815 Limited Edition for the 200th Anniversary of F.A. Lange with black dial and the 1815 Limited Edition for t...

2015-12-09

REVIEW: Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum Worldtimer - Monochrome Watches

The world of high-end watches has seen several new releases of worldtimers in the last years. Until a decade ago, the worldtimer wrist watch, originally developed by Louis Cottier, was a complication that was dominated by brands like Patek Philippe and Girard-Perregaux (with their WW.TC). In the past years a few more contenders entered the market of world timers, however with the launch of the Mon...

2015-12-09

The Collector's Series - Sam and his Bremont AC 1 for the America's Cup - Monochrome Watches

They are the first official British timing partner to the America's Cup since 1851. To celebrate, Bremont have created a special edition series of timepieces to celebrate its involvement. This series of watches have been inspired by the legendary J-Class yachts of the 30s. For this reason, we felt it was only appropriate to sit down and talk to a gentleman as passionate about the ocean as he is ab...

2015-12-08

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 Tourbillon - Hands-on with the Worlds Thinnest Automatic Flying Tourbillon with Micro-Rotor (live photos, specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

Achieving a record thinness is one of the watchmakers’ favorite games. We’ve seen the world’s thinnest watch being launched recently (that also is a skeletonized one), we’ve seen the world’s thinnest tourbillon arriving on the market and finally the world’s thinnest hand-wound flyback chronograph. Brands are clearly pushing the boundaries of watchmaking with the...

2015-12-04

Arnold and Son Constant Force Tourbillon - Review with technical explanations (live photos, specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

What you’ll see in this review is not “just” a watch, it’s much more, it’s a chronometry lesson that can be worn on the wrist. For a few years now,?we’ve?seen ultra-complicated watches with stunning displays, crazy complications and a stupendous amount of finishing. However, we do have to remember that first and most important goal of a watch is to display the t...

2015-12-03

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Bruce Lee - Commemorating the Masters 75th Birthday (specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

Hublot dispense with their traditional octagonal port-hole' form to pay tribute to the late Kung Fu icon on what would have been his 75th birthday.? Have the playful brains at Hublot disgraced their ancestors? Will this watch of truly epic proportions' be able to restore the honor of their monastery? ?Overview of the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang for Bruce Lee Chronograph.In the year 2015 it is almost...

2015-12-02

Pre-Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio PAM00655 (specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

What to say about Panerai if it’s not to talk about its eternal, timeless design that has been the hallmark of the manufacture since its proper commercial introduction in 1997 (the Vend?me-era). A Panerai is a Panerai and will always be recognized as such. Of course there are several collections, the most famous ones being the Radiomir and the Luminor. In-between these two sits the Panerai R...

2015-12-02

The Collector's Series - Frank's classical side with the iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute to 1931 - Monochrome Watches

The Collector’s Series has already hosted?our dear Editor-in-Chief Frank in the past. However?until now, you probably had in mind that this Dutch guy?mainly has a?passion for independent watchmakers and superb but bold designs, knowing he owns?a?Sarpaneva Korona K1 and a?Hautlence HL Ti 01. Two watches that are not?from a?classical and old manufacture and that are not the type of timepieces?...

2015-12-01

Introducing the Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi "Year of the Monkey" - Monochrome Watches

Every year, certain brands dedicate some of their watches to special editions, celebrating the Chinese Zodiac signs.?The next Chinese year which begins on February 8th 2016 is to be ascribed to the Monkey (this year was the Sheep) and soon we'll see some watches adorned in every which ways possible with this Zodiac sign on their dials. First to pull the trigger is Chopard, that introduced to us a ...

2015-12-01

Introducing the Ulysse Nardin FreakLab Boutique Edition, black titanium & carbon fiber (specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

14 years ago, Ulysse Nardin launched a watch that was, at that time, a proper blast, an ultra-innovative timepiece, both for its technology and its design. The Ulysse Nardin Freak was and still is unique in many ways and even after all these years, it remains a watch?extremely bold and recognizable among every other. This year, at Baselworld 2015, UN came up with the newest version of this groundb...

2015-11-30

Introducing the ochs und junior moon phase (blue patina) watch now in a 39mm silver case with platinum hands and moon phase - Monochrome Watches

Today we’re introducing the new ochs und junior moon phase that is now available in a 39mm sterling silver case, and that comes with a patinated blue dial. Since the very beginning of the brand, in 2008, there have been ochs und junior watches in both 39mm and 42mm, although the sterling silver 39mm case has never been used for the moon phase –?it’s?precise for the coming 3,478 y...

2015-11-30

Hands-on - The Arnold and Son UTTE - Ultra Thin Tourbillon Escapement, with hand guilloche dial (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

When you think Arnold and Son, the first word you might have in mind is: complicated. We, watch-collectors, are certainly the only kind of people to like when things are complicated. And at Arnold and Son, people like it when it’s very complicated – think here dead-beat second, mixed with a chronograph, constant-force devices, skeletonized movements,?tourbillon chronograph?and, of cour...

2015-11-27

Review - The Oris Carlos Coste Mk IV - and a view on the Oris Carlos Coste series of watches (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1976, Carlos Coste is a legend amongst the free-diving community. To give you an idea of his achievement's, in 2003 he became the first person to break the 100-meter barrier in the free immersion category. Carlos set the world record for free-diving in the variable weight category with a crazy depth of 140 meters in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on May 9th 2006. In 2010, Car...

2015-11-27

Introducing the Oris Divers Sixty Five, now in Grey and "Deauville Blue" (specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

Remember Baselworld 2015… One of the most?discussed watches and one of our favorites was, surprisingly, a watch priced below 2,000 Euros – and not one of the ultra-complicated pieces from Patek or one of the latest es. Frankly, the Oris Divers Sixty Five is a tremendously cool timepiece, mixing?perfectly vintage elements with a modern and ultra-stylish look. We showed it to you in adv...

2015-11-26

The A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Striking Time (video, live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches

It was in 2009, and it was a total blast. A. Lange & Sohne, a conservative member of the German School of Watchmaking, a strong actor of our beloved industry, more used to create sublime but classical, understated dress watches, known all around the community of collectors for being the creator of the desirable Lange 1?and the superb Datograph, this exact company launched the Zeitwerk, a disru...

2015-11-25

The Collector's Series - The Horophile and his glowing Sarpaneva Northern Lights - Monochrome Watches

This is not the first time that the Indy brand, Sarpaneva has featured on the Collector’s Series. We covered our Executive Editor Frank Geelen's here. Sarpaneva watches are all designed in-house, by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva himself. He creates bold watches in small numbers. He is generally known for his stunning moonphase (weather the face is happy or sad is up for debate, but tha...

2015-11-24

Case study about the Chronometer - the Zenith Calibre 135 - Monochrome Watches

In a previous article, we explained you a bit more about what is a chronometer, why they were so important and why the chronometry contests had been so crucial for the evolution of the industry, for the innovation. A chronometer (in the noble way, meaning a watch created with?one single goal, being as precise as possible) is certainly one of the most complicated type of movement to create for a wa...

2015-11-20

Hands-On - New Armin Strom Skeleton Pure in White Gold (live pics, specs & price) - Monochrome Watches

The Armin Strom Skeleton Pure is no stranger to us, as we’ve already seen it several times, in multiple editions: the Skeleton Pure Water (stainless steel with blue movement plates), the?Skeleton Pure Water Fire (red gold with grey movement plates) or the Unique Piece for Only Watch 2015 (stainless steel with black movement). We even demonstrate you the customization possibilities that Armin...

2015-11-20

Omega and METAS - The start of a new Era - Visiting the Omega Manufacture & the METAS certification (Part 2) - Monochrome Watches

In the first part of this article, we showed you the importance that METAS certification has for Omega and, through the words of President Nick Hayek and CEO Stephen Urquhart, what are the challenges, ins and outs and issues of implementing such a new, proprietary and innovative certification. It's time now to transport you in the heart of the Omega Manufacture and to have a detailed look at the f...

2015-11-19

Omega and METAS - The start of a new Era - Visiting the Omega Manufacture & the METAS certification (Part 1) - Monochrome Watches

Omega revolutionized the watch industry in 1892 by industrializing the production of the components of a pocket watch, enabling faster delivery and larger volumes. Omega has won precision awards and were the primary supplier of time measurement devices for the Olympics. During the past ten years Omega managed to mass produce a reliable co-axial movement that requires considerably less servicing. I...

2015-11-19

Pre-Introducing the Richard Mille RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat - Monochrome-Watches

Recently, we had a close look at a special watch from Richard Mille, the RM 033 Extra Flat, a watch that, even though it was?more refined, more elegant, slimmer and featured a round case, was?certainly recognizable as a watch from Richard Mille?–?mainly because of the skeletonized movement, the design clues and the execution, all respectful of the brand’s DNA. This same recipe is now a...

2015-11-18

The Collector's Series - An industry insider and his IWC Portugieser Automatic 7-day - Monochrome-Watches

As a watch lover, I find it fascinating asking those who work in the industry what they choose to wear from the particular brand they work for. It tends to be quite revealing given they spend the majority for their day discussing their respective ranges and the pro's and con's. This week the Collector’s Series moves to my home city of London. As we sat in the IWC London boutique I couldnR...

2015-11-17

Hands-on with the Montblanc Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres NightSky (live pics & price) - Monochrome-Watches

Contemplate the?entire?world… through the eyes of a watch collector. With the?Montblanc Tourbillon Cylindrique Geospheres, you’ll be able to do so but not only. What you’ll contemplate is superb, high-end watchmaking, a piece that shows what Montblanc?can do best. Already introduced at the SIHH 2015 in a warm red gold case with a bright dial, the?Montblanc Tourbillon Cylindrique ...

2015-11-16

The Race for Accuracy - The definition of a Chronometer - Monochrome-Watches

A few months ago we reviewed here in Monochrome the new Omega Globemaster introduced in Baselworld this year. The specific model continues the company’s ever-lasting quest for accuracy squeezed out from a highly tuned mechanical wristwatch platform. From the 1948 Century model, to the Constellation series and then to the Globemaster and from various chronometer competitions to COSC and then ...

2015-11-13

Introducing Kristian Haagen's new book 'Hashtags and Watches' (Interview) - Monochrome-Watches

This is his sixth book and his first in English. I am of course referring to one of the finest watch photographers on the planet, Kristian Haagen. For the launch of his new book, ‘Hashtags and Watches‘ we thought it would be cool to find out a little more about the man behind the lens. The book consists of 176 pages of original horological photography. In this short interview we find o...

2015-11-12

The Collector's Series - Gavin Foo and his more-than-special Cabestan Luna Nera - Monochrome-Watches

He's a father, part of the Deployant.com team and collector. An interesting fact about Gavin Foo (that he happened to mention before our interview), is that despite his best efforts, he still can't seem to complete level 53 of Metal Gear Solid V Good to know Oh, and in his collection, he happens to own the mind-blowingly cool Cabestan Luna Nera.So for those of you new to Cabestan let's start from ...

2015-11-10

Re-birth of Patek ex-partner with the Czapek Quai des Bergues collection (specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches

In the world of watchmaking, there are some historical names that are not to be denied: Abraham Louis Breguet, Ferdinand Berthoud,?Hans Wilsdorf (founder of ), Georges Daniels or?Antoni Norbert Patek. Talking about Patek, he was not alone when founding the company but accompanied by a talented watchmaker, polish like him, Fran?ois Czapek. History made?both men?split careers but?Czapek continued t...

2015-11-10

Hands-On Review of the Zenith El Primero 410 Triple Calendar and MoonPhase Chronograph (live pics, specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches

Admittedly, calendar watches are convenient, especially when it comes to full calendars (the one that display the day, the date and the month). In a glance, it allows you to have a look at all the calendar datas. So, when you mix it with an icon like the Zenith El Primero?(yes it is, both the movement and the watch that includes it), with an inspired look and a great quality, it brings you quite a...

2015-11-09