Latest Watch News

Baselworld 2015 - Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award (specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches

That’s the one we (almost) predicted. We were 90% sure that Omega would come with a new edition of the Snoopy Speedmaster Professional. The one we imagined is however quite far from this new?Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award ref.?311.32.42.30.04.003. Using the iconic Speedy Pro base, it however brings not only a new dial but also several little details that will defin...

2015-03-18

Introducing the Tudor Pelagos Blue and Black with new In-House movement - Monochrome Watches

In 2012 Tudor introduced the Pelagos ref.25500TN, a watch that we consider Tudor’s answer on the Sea-Dweller. The ultimate tool watch, made in light and technical looking titanium, and water resistant to 500 meters. Here at Monochrome we have a thing for proper tool watches and the Pelagos perfectly fits the bill. Last year we predicted that Tudor would launch a blue Pelagos and, since the...

2015-03-18

On the Road to Baselworld 2015 - Monochrome-Watches

Here we are, the day before?the official opening of the most important week of the watchmaking industry, Baselworld. Two month ago was already an important moment, the SIHH. However, Baselworld remains the biggest watch fair around the world, the one that all the journalists, the collectors and the industry is looking for. To bring you the best of the Basel watch fair, we’re on the road to B...

2015-03-17

Pre-Baselworld 2015 - Oris Divers Sixty-Five - Specs and Price - Monochrome-Watches

Oris is known for creating interesting, solid, affordable but classical tool watches, including a bunch a very good dive?timepieces, such as the recently revealed Oris Aquis Depth Gauge. However, for this edition of Baselworld, the brand will strike hard and as they are?about to introduce a very cool watch, inspired by a practically unknown (and it’s a shame) vintage diving tool. It is calle...

2015-03-16

Pre-Baselworld 2015 - Eterna Super KonTiki - Specs & Price - Monochrome-Watches

The name KonTiki should sound?familiar?to vintage collectors and dive watches aficionados. Since 1958, Eterna had a KonTiki watch in its collections, a watch made to celebrate?a daring expedition across the Pacific. Since 1962, there’s also the Super KonTiki, a professional edition with rotating bezel made to dive in deep salty waters. For Baselworld 2015, Eterna comes back with a vintage-in...

2015-03-16

Monochrome Shakes Its Cup For The AHCIs 30th Anniversary Fund-Raiser - Monochrome-Watches

If you know us (you're here aren't you?) you know that we have a fondness for the Academie Horlogere des?Createurs Independants (AHCI). The AHCI are the body of independent watchmakers established to preserve the tradition of watchmaking. This year they celebrate their 30th Anniversary and are raising money to sponsor their initiative to digitize key watchmaking documents and make them available t...

2015-03-16

Pre-Baselworld 2015: The Arnold & Son TBTE Tourbillon - True Beat Tourbillon Escapement (Price and Specs) - Monochrome Watches

Arnold & Son is on a roll. The other day they we could show you their Constant Force Tourbillon?–?a magnificent piece of horological achievement in precision timekeeping – and today we can show you another spectacular highlight, called the Arnold & Son TBTE Tourbillon. Not many watch brands have the prowess to introduce two timepieces with a tourbillon in one year. Let alone tw...

2015-03-15

Pre-Baselworld 2015 - Chopard L.U.C Regulator - Specs and Price - Monochrome-Watches

Chopard is a brand too often seen as a jeweler or a creator of simple ladies watches. However, in the range of watches, there is collection that we, at Monochrome-Watches, especially praise. The Chopard L.U.C timepieces are all manufactured in-house with an exceptional attention to details and superb finishes. The latest of them is to be revealed at Baselworld 2015 and it’s called the?Chopar...

2015-03-14

Oris 110 Years Limited Edition - Hands-On Review with Live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

Oris is a brand that you might especially know?for their affordable but really qualitative sports watches, including a bunch of interesting dive watches, like the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge, and several Pilot Watches, like the?Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter. However, Oris is not just about creating rugged tools. Last year?the brand celebrated its 110th anniversary with something highly noticeable, ...

2015-03-13

Event Recap: An Exclusive Evening with the Montblanc SIHH 2015 Novelties - Monochrome Watches

Two weeks ago, shortly before we launched our newly designed website, Monochrome had the unique opportunity to invite our readers to an exclusive event that usually is never open to the public. The responses were overwhelming, and the event, called Montblanc’s Black & White Weeks, was, as they say, a big success. The beautiful event room in the Amsterdam Richemont offices was packed and ...

2015-03-12

Konstantin Chaykin Genius Temporis - more than just a single-hand watch - Specs and Price - Monochrome-Watches

Konstantin Chaykin‘s latest watch, the Genius Temporis, is filled with quite its dosage of uncommon features. In an industry ruled by?large?brands, it’s still made by an independent watchmaker. In a world where Switzerland lead the game, it’s produced in Russia. In a world where hours and minutes are indicated by two separated hands, it comes with a single hand. Oh wait, there...

2015-03-11

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity - Full Review with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

It's not often we cover Maurice Lacroix on Monochrome, but over the past few years we've seen a number of interesting watches being introduced by this manufacture. We showed you the Masterpiece Gravity as a Baselworld 2014 introduction, but now we bring share our extensive review just prior to Baselworld 2015, in anticipation of the novelties to come.Founded in 1976, the Swiss brand of Maurice Lac...

2015-03-11

Glashutte-Original Senator Chronometer - Reviewed with Photos, Specs and Price - Monochrome Watches

It was actually because of one specific timepiece, that I got to know about the German high-end watch brand Glashutte Original. That specific watch was the Senator Sixties, which was introduced in 2007. It triggered me because I had just bought an old watch that was the spitting image of exactly that new watch, although mine was not labeled Glashutte-Original, but only Glashutte as ‘brand...

2015-03-10

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere - The rebirth of the brand & the introduction of a new complicated watch - Monochrome-Watches

Angelus had been a very influential manufacture for more than 125 years. Founded in 1891?by the brothers Albert and Gustav Stolz in Le Locle, it created deeply interesting watches and movements – that some are known to power the very first Panerai 8 days. Unfortunately the brand was lying dormant for more than 30 years and was only alive in collectors’ memories. However, in 2011, the w...

2015-03-09

Smartwatch or smart watch: Frederique Constant & Alpina stumble onto the stage of smart-tech - Monochrome Watches

Ever since the dawn of the smartphones and Ctablets, the discussion of smartwatches' has been looming in the dark. Over the past 12 months though, we have seen the concept solidify in the form of several smart-only watches (i.e. a watch that is fully smart and non-mechanical) and a few attempts of blending technology with tradition. For the hardcore enthusiast this is something of a concern, which...

2015-03-06

Omega 2015 Novelties - Omega Baselworld 2015 - The watches we hope to see (including the new Railmaster) - Monochrome-Watches

Yes, we plead guilty! We are recidivists. We’ve been doing it before with . We did it again with Tudor. Now, it’s time for us to share with you our predictions for what could (very well) be the watches that Omega will introduce this year at Baselworld. Last year, the brand teased us with several videos and darken photos that suggested a new Omega Seamaster 300. Fortunately, our predic...

2015-03-05

HYT H2 Titanium Black DLC - Full Review with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

In 2012, when introducing the first of the Hydro-Mechanical watches, the H1, the young and mad brand called HYT created quite a mess in the watchmaking world. Those guys get the strange idea to equipped their creations with the worst enemy of a watch: liquid. We tested this watch and we felt in love with it, just because of the rationality and serious of the concept. Back in 2013, only 1 year afte...

2015-03-03

Letter from the Editor - Introducing the new Monochrome-Watches - Monochrome-Watches

Hi and thanks for visiting Monochrome. As of today we switched to an entirely new look, with many new navigational options. It should serve you better and enable you to find what you're looking for much easier than before. And of course, we hope you like our new website! Let me briefly say a few more words about what's going on here at Monochrome-Watches and what we have planned for the coming mon...

2015-03-02

Richard Mille RM 61-01 Yohan Blake Limited Edition - Hands-on with live photos & price - Monochrome-Watches

SIHH 2015 was a ladies year for Richard Mille. The brand introduced one of the most impressive watches for women ever seen, the Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur with a flying tourbillon hidden in a flower – and that appears?every 5 minutes. However, in the crowd of flowers, diamonds and poetic feelings, there was another novelty at the SIHH that is more our material here, a new limite...

2015-02-27

Alexandre Meerson Altitude Premiere & Altitude Officier - Review with live photos & price - Monochrome-Watches

A few months ago, we introduced to you a new luxury brand with a simple but highly enjoyable design and an interesting horological content: Alexandre Meerson. By only looking at the press photos and reading the press release, we found that both the story was highly captivating and that the timepieces were not denied of elegance. However, nothing?is better than?a try and all the photos, as good as ...

2015-02-26

Introducing the Andreas Strehler Papillon d'Or - Monochrome-Watches

In the world of independent watchmaking, there are the big names, such as MB&F, Richard Mille or Urwerk and there are the confidential manufactures, like Kari Voutilainen, Gronefeld or Sarpaneva. One of them has to be seen as extremely exclusive, first because of the very limited production figures?but also because of the unique beauty of his watches. His name is Andreas Strehler and?his lates...

2015-02-24

Unique Ulysse Nardin Marine Diver to be auctioned for KiKa - Kids without Cancer Foundation - Monochrome Watches

KiKa is a Dutch foundation that wants to increase the cure rate of kids with cancer to 95% in 2025. To reach that massively important goal, they need money for the necessary research. The good news is that the specialists involved are convinced that new treatments can be developed. Ulysse Nardin makes a unique Marine Diver available for an auction to be held during the KiKa gala event on 26 March....

2015-02-22

Omega Speedmaster X-33 Skywalker - In-Depth Live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

The Idea of reviewing a watch powered by a quartz caliber might be an anathema here at Monochrome-Watches. The mechanical beauty of the watches presented here, the complexity of their calibers, their finish, their overall design and their layout are parameters that drive Frank and the team to insist on presenting solely mechanical watches. Undoubtedly, mechanical watches have a certain prestige, a...

2015-02-20

Introducing the A. Lange and Sohne 1815 Limited Edition for the 200th Anniversary of F.A. Lange - specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

The year 1815 had seen the birth of an important man, a man responsible for the introduction of fine watchmaking in Glashutte, Germany. At the age of 30, Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded the manufacture Lange?near Dresden, in the eastern state of Saxony. He highly contributed to the creation of an whole industry that is now a real pride?for Germany. In order to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its...

2015-02-18

Pre Baselworld 2015: Introducing the Breitling Chronoliner - Monochrome Watches

There are few companies in the watch industry that have the impact Breitling has. It is a well-known fact among watch?aficionados?that the company might be solely responsible for creating the shape and form of the chronograph wristwatch as we know it today. In parallel the name of the company is clearly interlinked with the world of aviation, and the new Breitling Chronoliner, a chronometer-certif...

2015-02-16

Music To Our Ears: Ulysse Nardin Performs Vivaldis Violin Concerto in E - Monochrome Watches

For us, this is the most wonderful time of the year. The manufactures have all been working so hard to prepare their latest offerings for Baselworld. Everyone honing and refining his or her novelties to capture the most attention from the press. Sometimes, the urge to show-off (or maybe psyche-out their competitors) is just too strong and we get a little peak under the tent as we have today. Ulyss...

2015-02-13

Laurent Ferrier Celebrates 5 Years with Anniversary Series in Red Gold with Chocolat Brown Dial - Monochrome-Watches

There are just a handful of retailers of this small, but very exclusive watch brand, formed around mr. Laurent Ferrier. He worked for Patek Philippe for 37 years – since 1974 as Creative Director – and raced in the 24-hour of Lemans, back in the seventies. And five years ago he set up his own business to make extraordinary beautiful, superbly finished classically styled timepieces. To ...

2015-02-12

Back To Basics With The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 18 Chronograph - Monochrome-Watches

TAG Heuer is a sentimental favorite for me. The black and gold 1000 Professional Diver 980.029N was one of the first watches I can remember lusting after. A beat-up pre-owned Formula 1 watch was as close as I ever got to the 1000 Pro. Over the years I've watched the brand go through some funky gyrations as they experimented with smartphones (groan!) and leather goods (not such a groan) culminating...

2015-02-10

SIHH 2015: IWC Portuguese Annual Calendar ref. 5035 - hands-on with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches

For the 75th anniversary of its emblematic model, the Portuguese (or Portugaise in French /Portugieser in German), IWC chose not to totally renew the collection but instead to improve some of the (visual and technical) aspects and to add some interesting complications. The star of the show this year was the?IWC Portuguese Annual Calendar ref. 5035, that keeps the original feeling of the Portuguese...

2015-02-09