How shall?we define our Weekly Watch Photo series? Nice photos of nice watches. Today, though, we’ve taken it up a notch, with incredible photos of an incredible watch. Thanks to our friend Jacques-Olivier,?professional photographer of Passion-Horlogere, we are proud to show you the A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Up-Down and its stunning?movement. If the A. Lange & Sohne Double Split can...
Usually, when we write?reviews,?they are for watches that the brands lend to us. But here, let me be a bit more personal as I will write about one of my own watches. I've had this Breguet Type XX for more than 5 years now and I love it. However, before being part?of the Monochrome-Watches team, I was close to calling it ‘the perfect chronograph’. Now that I’m used to seeing, touc...
Vacheron Constantin has just opened a new boutique in Moscow. As the brand traditionally does when opening a new flagship store, new limited editions are being introduced. They did it for the?Parisian boutique with a series of very nice pink gold and guilloche-dial watches?and with the very stylish 1972 Prestige. For their new Russian store, VC is coming with?black dials for 4 of their most iconic...
In 2005 Omega launched its Planet Ocean collection, a second collection of dive watches, positioned above the Seamaster Professional collection (the James Bond watch) and it has been a huge success since day one. The Seamaster Planet Ocean is available in two sizes, 42mm and 45.5mm, and in 2011 Omega introduced the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph 9300, which we reviewed and photographed for you...
Watch winders are very useful objects that every collector must own. Already helpful for a simple automatic watch, such a device is absolutely?essential for an?owner of several watches, especially complicated ones – e.g., those with annual or perpetual calendars that are not always easy to set. A various range of watch winders are available on the market, from the cheap Chinese ones to bespo...
Jaeger-LeCoultre just opened their first boutique in Amsterdam, beautifully located at the “Golden Half Mile.” This is the new nickname for the Pieter Cornelisz. Hooftstraat (short: the PC), Amsterdam's luxury shopping street, which is just around the corner from Amsterdam's most important, and recently renovated and re-opened, musea. Daniel Riedo, Jaeger-LeCoultre's new CEO, was in Am...
Why do we insist on vaunting technology from the 18th, 19th and 20th century when we are resting on the cusp of a technological revolution in time keeping? Don't throw away your dumb old watch. Make it a Smart Watch with a Modillian Smart Strap!Historians and watch nerds can debate who was the first to actually produce a watch that was meant to be worn on the wrist but the heart of the matter is t...
It won’t be the first time we say it: buying vintage watches can be risky. If the trustworthiness of the seller has already?been established, one’s attention has to be turned toward the authenticity of the watch itself. By that, we mean verifying it has the right pieces, the right hands or dial and not replacement ones – or even worse, pieces from another reference. In order to d...
Finding the right watch is a quest. When a watch fits one's lifestyle like a hand to a glove, and not by some artificial marketing association, but the fit of real-world application, then a symbiosis ensues. What is the right watch for the boat owner? Be he the captain of a flying tower fishing boat, or an open air bow rider filled with eager skiers, or a sport cruiser complete with galley and ove...
At Baselworld I’m always running (OK, speed-walking) from one meeting to the next, in order to see all the brands that we like to cover for you here, on Monochrome Watches. One of the last days of the fair I’m being stopped by a friend who shows me some watches and introduces me to the owner of the brand. The watches look pretty awesome, and features some recognizable design cues. And ...
Searching for vintage watches is both an exciting odyssey and a dangerous, risky path. We are pretty sure you’ve been in that situation, when?the enthusiasm?of finding the right timepiece is facing the question of authenticity and trust of sellers. As we love all watches here at Monochrome, we wanted to share with you our?interest for iconic, historical, important timepieces, sometimes far f...
‘TV Screen’ watches (we should name it ‘Cathode Tube Screen’ watches now, in our era of LED TVs) were a phenomenon that showed up in the 1970s, that were only manufactured during that decade, and that we didn’t see anymore, except for the Patek Philippe Nautilus. But in the early 2010s, it became old enough to be cool and vintage, and Glashutte Original reintroduced i...
Richard Mille’s RM 010 is an all-time classic by now and most watch connoisseurs recognize its tonneau-shaped case, with skeletonized movement and sapphire dial, instantly. Handling the red gold version for a few minutes, several years ago, was enough to be convinced of the superb quality and comfort. Yet Richard Mille believed it was possible to improve the RM 010, by adding a big date, res...
Watches and sports cars?are?two universes that match perfectly. Heuer and Ferrari: two iconic brands that dreams are made of. For this Weekly Watch Photo, we put a gorgeous vintage Heuer Camaro on our own exclusive Monochrome Rally Strap, and strapped it on our wrist.?And with the help of one of Monochrome’s?friends, we drove a stunning red Italian car, a Ferrari 599 GTB. Great times call fo...
At?Baselworld 2014, TAG Heuer’s main novelties were Carrera models with 3 hands and a day/date window. Not really something that we here at Monochrome-Watches get extremely exited about. However we already got a bit of a pre-announcement of the new Carrera, which would be introduced after the summer, and that got us on the tip of our chair. TAG Heuer’s?new Carrera is heavily inspired b...
Amsterdam is booming! Especially the ‘Museum District’ is taking the lead, with new luxury mono-brand boutiques popping up like tulips in spring, and the re-opening of two of Netherland’s most important museums – the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Just around the corner from the aforementioned musea is the Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat, or short the PC. That’s w...
Recently we visited the Richard Mille in Switzerland. However it’s difficult to say that we visited THE manufacture, because there are several locations where the various parts are manufactured, finished, and assembled. Part “in-house” and partially not; so in the typical Swiss horological tradition. This gave us the chance to learn more about the brand, the manufacturing, the fi...
During Baselworld 2014 we had an opportunity to sit down with the AkriviA crew, including its master watchmaker and founder Rexhep Rexhepi. The young brand stepped up to the plate back in 2012, with quite a complex first creation: The AkriviA Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph. Under the Swiss sunlight at this year's fair, we got some hands-on time with this debut model and with two new prototype d...
When IWC opened its new boutique in Amsterdam last month, we had the chance to get some hands-on time with the new IWC Pilot Watch Chronograph Edition ‘Le Petit Prince’. This latest edition of the Pilot Watch Chronograph features a striking blue dial and is the third edition to support the Antoine de Saint-Exupery Youth Foundation, in its commitment against illiteracy.Last year IWC int...
If you look at the last few Longines we've written?about, you’ll immediately notice that they are all part of the Heritage collection, the tribute watches?to Longines’ great history. For instance, we’ve presented you with the Heritage Diver,?honoring?1970’s diving watches; the Conquest Heritage, a faithful re-issue of the original 1954 Conquest; and?the Heritage 1973?that r...
The Navitimer is Breitling’s most emblematic watch. Presented in 1952 with?the reference 806 as the ultimate pilot chronograph, equipped with a very useful slide rule, it was endorsed as the official timekeeping instrument of the?AOPA – the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. At that time, with its 42mm, it was already huge, especially when you consider that most watches were sized...
Introducing the new Panerai Luminor 1950 3-Days GMT 24h, ref. PAM00531, that comes with a new in-house movement, with a 24-hour second time zone function. Typical Panerai, this isn’t the smallest timepiece. It’s 44mm large case is quite massive, and isn’t easily overseen when on the wrist. But it makes sense, this type of watch was once designed to be submerged in cold and salty ...
I think we don't have to explain the concept of brand ambassadors and that most high-end watch brands have a “few” celebrities that can be considered “Friend of the Brand. Globally IWC has quite a few friends of the brand, and also in every market there are some local friends of the brand. We had the chance to sit down with Richard Krajicek, former tennis champion who won Wimbled...
Earlier this year Formula One driver Romain Grosjean was added to Richard Mille’s stable of top sporters, or official partner’s as they prefer to call them. Grosjean will be wearing, and thus testing, the?new RM 011 Lotus F1 Team-Romain Grosjean?automatic flyback chronograph movement in the colors of the British racing team. The case is made of NTPT carbon, a new, light and ultra stron...
Longines’ history is full of highly collectible watches and the brand is clearly?aware of that. With its Heritage collection, Longines?pays tribute to some of the most important timepieces of its past, as the Heritage 1973 Column-Wheel inspired by 1970’s racing chronographs, the Conquest Heritage that pays tribute to the original 1954 Conquest or the Legend Diver, one of the nicest and...
This year at the?Baselworld?watch fair,?Blancpain presented a chronograph version of its Bathyscaphe, the clean and vintage inspired version of the Fifty Fathoms. A very seductive dive watch available in full black ceramic or in?stainless steel, now?proposed with a flyback chronograph caliber. And the main point of this watch is here: its new hi-beat in-house movement, calibre?F385. Let’s se...
Blue is the new black. That was something we heard a lot this year at the SIHH and Baselworld. Many watch brands introduce watches with a blue dial and we at Monochrome do fancy some of them. IWC on the other hand, introduces an annual limited edition with a BLUE?dial that is dedicated to a good cause, like this one. Now Omega also introduces a watch with a striking blue dial, and dedicated to a g...
We were all so excited with the idea of the re-edition of the Seamaster 300 that we actually didn’t expect?a new version of the Speedmaster in Baselworld 2014. Last year, Omega went the extra mile: playing the vintage card?with the Seamaster 300 and the?Speedmaster Mark II?or?being innovative with the introduction the first fully antimagnetic movement?and the spreading of the co-axial escape...
When Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin Tribute to 1931, at the SIHH 2011, it was an instant hit. The legendary and iconic Reverso might just have found its perfect dimensions, with the ultra-thin case that is just 7.2 mm in height. With the newest version, the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1948, JLC harks back to the 17th anniversary of the Reverso and the time when ‘Fabr...
Every year IWC redesigns / updates one of the six ‘families’ in their collection and this year that was the Aquatimer family. Last year it was the Ingenieur family of watches that we extensively covered?here, here, here and here. Although this is the ‘Aquatimer year’, IWC has just announced two new members of the Ingenieur family of watches: a carbon/ceramic Ingenieur Autom...