Latest Watch News

Hands-on with the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph with Minerva Monopusher Chronograph - Monochrome Watches

Before and during the SIHH 2014, in January of this year, we showed you most of the new Montblanc timepieces. We owe you some good hands-on reports about the new pieces, especially of the Meisterstuck Heritage collection. During the SIHH we sat down with Ben Clymer, founder and executive editor from Hodinkee, to discuss the new Meisterstuck Heritage collection and today we’re going to review...

2014-03-07

Tudor 2014 News - Or What Would Love To See At Baselworld 2014 - Monochrome Watches

A few days ago, we gave you our thoughts on what could be ’ offering of novelties at the upcoming Baselworld fair. Tudor, having been in the shadow of big brother for some decades, have been working on a rather successful come-back in the past years. While doesn’t dwell on the past, Tudor on the other hand did do that and resurrected brilliantly by using their past. And like its b...

2014-03-04

What Does Peter Speake-Marin Have To Do With James Bond? - Monochrome Watches

Yesterday we received a short message, saying that we should check out Pierce Brosnan’s Instagram account, so we did. And to our surprise we see that he (Brosnan) is showing off one of our favorite watches: a Speake-Marin Resilience. It’s of course great news that Pierce Brosnan, the man who played James Bond four times, has a great taste for watches. However flipping through Brosnan&#...

2014-03-03

Habring2 Doppel 3 Reviewed - Monochrome Watches

Today we’re going to review a very special watch. It is a double chronograph, with a single-pusher chronograph function and an additional pusher for the split-seconds function. This alone sounds interesting, however if you consider that the watch is made by Habring2, and also consider that Richard Habring played a major role in developing IWC’s Doppelchrono, the importance of the Habri...

2014-02-28

IN DEPTH: The Omega Flightmaster - The Special One - Monochrome Watches

The recent announcement of the revamped Speedmaster MkII from Omega seems to highlight a return to the company's glorious past- and rightly so, in my honest opinion, since Omega has a large number of design gems in its vaults. However, it was the introduction of the Z-33 spacemaster that made me want to dig some more and present to you the highly radical Flightmaster, a watch that, when it was int...

2014-02-27

Introducing a new Kickstarter-like project, the Elie Watch by Olivier Jonquet - Monochrome Watches

Pre-registration projects are booming actually and Kickstarter-like method seems to be the way to create a new brand. So does for example Vincent Plomb with the newly introduced VicenTerra Luna. Here is another of these projects presented by a French team, a 1930's inspired cushion case that features an old (but restored) movement. An interesting approach of watchmaking that infuses some fresh air...

2014-02-25

Pre Baselworld 2014: Introducing the Ulysse Nardin Perpetual Manufacture - Monochrome Watches

The Non-Plus-Ultra when it comes to perpetual calendars has always been the GMT +/- Perpetual from Ulysse Nardin, and developed by mastermind Ludwig Oechslin. It was the first perpetual calendar that allowed the time zones and date to be adjusted both forward and backward. While most other perpetual calendar watches had to be sent to the service center, when you adjusted the date wrongly, not so f...

2014-02-24

Introducing the VicenTerra Luna - Monochrome Watches

Some three years ago we first introduced you to VicenTerra, a new watch brand that launched their first timepiece, the VicenTerra GMT-3, via pre-registering. All GMT-3’s of the pre-registration, which were sold for 1/3th of the normal retail price, have been delivered and we’ve seen some photos of happy new owners on the web. Now VicenTerra have opened a new pre-registration for their ...

2014-02-18

Pre Baselworld 2014: Introducing the Bvlgari Octo Chrono - Monochrome Watches

Fifteen years ago, in 1999, luxury brand Bvlgari bought Gerald Genta’s watch company and until this day they manufacture watches and introduce new watches, which are (heavily) inspired on Genta’s designs. Just like the Octo Automatic, which was introduced last year, and so is the new Octo Chrono that we can introduce to you today. A bold and rugged design – typical Genta – ...

2014-02-13

SPOTTED: Prototype AP Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon in STAINLESS STEEL - Monochrome Watches

Admit it, we all do it. Trying to find out what other people have strapped to their wrist while we are on the go, or at a party of some sort. Oogling, if you will. Perhaps the place to be oogling ones wrist, without coming across like a total creep, is a watch fair! During the recent storm of novelties coming out of the SIHH, we spotted a very special one-off: a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anni...

2014-02-07

The Longines Column Wheel Chronograph - Monochrome Watches

Since its launch in 2009, Longines’ Calibre L688.2 has become the engine for The Longines Column Wheel Chronograph collection. ?Longines, who invented the column wheel (1878) as well as the flyback function (1936), knows a thing or two about chronographs. ?The Calibre 13.33Z (1913), the famous Calibre 13ZN (1946) and the Calibre 30CH (1947) have all employed a column wheel. ?The L688.2 autom...

2014-02-07

Julien Coudray 1518 - Part 1: Monochrome meets Fabien Lamarche - Monochrome Watches

Recently Monochrome had the opportunity to sit down with Fabien Lamarche, the founder of Julien Coudray 1518. The brand is relatively new in the business of ultra high-end watchmaking, as their story began in 2007. This manufacture of Haute Horlogerie can boast the incorporation of some very distinctive features, such as movements made entirely of the same metal as the case (yellow, pink or white ...

2014-02-05

TAG HEUER 50 Years of Carrera - Monochrome Watches

Ever since the public viewed the first Carrera chronograph, affectionately named “the Panda” for its black and white color scheme, collectors have vied for possession. Named for the Carrera Panamericana Mexico Road Race, the Carrera was the first chronograph designed for motorsports, and race car drivers and enthusiasts responded. In 1996, TAG Heuer re-introduced the Carrera; in 2010, ...

2014-02-05

Pre Baselworld 2014: Introducing the Ulysse Nardin Dual Time Manufacture with In-House Movement - Monochrome Watches

For many years Ulysse Nardin have been making one of the most convenient dual time zone watches in the market. Typically one of Ludwig Oechslin’s inventions, which makes it possible to adjust the second time zone and DATE both forward and backward! During Baselworld 2014 Ulysse Nardin will launch the newest version featuring their in-house movement: the Dual Time Manufacture. Earlier Ulysse ...

2014-02-04

FOUND: a Proper SPY-TOOL For The Big Kids That We Really Are - Monochrome Watches

Who never dreamed of owning and playing with James Bond's watch (and incidentally, who didn't also dream of having the Bond girls but that's another story)? While searching for interesting things trifles to buy on Ebay, we've stumbled upon THE object to tickle our spy-kid minds: a true revival of the Cold War, a fascinating object that would have to be used with a trench coat, a hat and sunglasses...

2014-02-03

The GREAT Britain Watch by Roger Smith - Monochrome Watches

The GREAT Britain campaign is the most ambitious international marketing campaign for the United Kingdom ever. GREAT promotes the very best that Britain has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, invest, do business with and study in the British Isles. Roger Smith, one of the world’s best watchmakers and a Brit, should of course be involved to promote his country. So he created t...

2014-01-30

SIHH 2014: Recap of all the A. Lange & Sohne novelties (with LOTS of photos) - Monochrome Watches

Apart from the Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna we've presented you last Monday (see here) and the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase that you have discovered through Frank's hands-on (see here), A. Lange & Sohne revealed more new timepieces at the 2014 edition of the SIHH. Monochrome-Watches looks back on the new models of the Saxonian brand, and adds a LOAD of hands-on photos.1815 Tourbillon...

2014-01-28

Making of the Tudor Black Bay commercial - Monochrome Watches

In 2013, Tudor returned to the land of opportunity, the United States of America, which meant that the previous year’s release of the?Heritage Black Bay?became available to Yanks with an interest in watches with a historical design. Cheers resounded across the pond.The Black Bay is part of Tudor’s Heritage collection, which re-conceived the company’s past in a modern adaptation. ...

2014-01-27

SIHH 2014: Audemars Piguet reveals 6 updated versions of the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph (live photos) - Monochrome Watches

The Royal Oak is one of the most iconic watches in the industry. In 1972, Audemars Piguet decided to break the rules of luxury watches in presenting a steel and sports watch that was more expensive than a gold watch. The original design, by Gerald Genta, had been reinforced in 1993 when Audemars Piguet presented the so called ROO or Royal Oak Offshore, a 42mm chunky variation of the most legendary...

2014-01-24

When Not Fighting The Laws of Physics Richard Mille Measures Them: The New RM 36-01 Sebastian Loeb - Monochrome Watches

In an industry where beauty and exclusivity can count as much, if not more than technical precision it's not uncommon to feel as though all of the life is being sucked out of the room once discussions begin to use words like torque' or inertia'. Think back to your days in school: did you sit with glee listening to lectures on the laws of Physics as told by Isaac Newton? I'm just speculating, but m...

2014-01-24

Orange is the New Black: the new Seamaster Planet Ocean Orange Ceramic - Monochrome Watches

Omega introduces the new Seamaster Planet Ocean Orange Ceramic. If Piper Kerman's book, Orange is the New Black, or Netflix's popular series adapted from the book, hadn't seared orange into the cultural consciousness, then Omega brings this orange world premiere of only eight pieces. After a slew of 2013 black watches from various companies, Omega's Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster being one of t...

2014-01-24

SIHH 2014: Introducing the Montblanc Homage to Nicolas Rieussec Limited Editions - Monochrome Watches

Montblanc’s Nicolas Rieussec collection can easily be called a classic by now. After 7 years it has become one of the most iconic Montblanc timepieces and I’m pretty sure that most people will immediately recognize the signature Montblanc style elements. This year Montblanc reveils the Homage to Nicolas Rieussec and it could well be the coolest of the lot.The new Homage to Nicolas Rieu...

2014-01-22

SIHH 2014: Introducing the Vacheron Constantin Malte Small Seconds and Malte Tourbillon Openworked - Monochrome Watches

Nearly as old as the art of horology itself, Vacheron Constantin cemented its position as the father of the barrel-shaped watches known as tonneau cases, an iconographic design feature that has stood the test of time for over a century and continues to be a sign of prestige. The “tonneau” Malte collection is without question one of Vacheron’s gifts to the horological industry.Wit...

2014-01-22

SIHH 2014: A. Lange & Sohne presents the Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna - Monochrome Watches

After the presentation in 2013 of the Grand Complication and more recently of the Grand Lange 1 Moon-Phase, the 2014 edition of the SIHH is the time for A. Lange & Sohne to reveal another masterpiece, showing once again the expertise of the manufacture in complicated movements and innovation. The Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar Terraluna combines a perpetual calendar, a regulator display, a 1...

2014-01-20

SIHH 2014: Introducing the Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar and Moonphase - Monochrome Watches

Montblanc has an entirely new collection, called the Meisterstuck Heritage collection. A collection that can be recognized by its timeless, classic looks, and elegantly shaped lugs. The new Meisterstuck Heritage collection comprises four models: Date Automatic, Moonphase,? Perpertual Calendar and the Pulsograph. And all of the above come at an extremely attractive price!Central in the collection a...

2014-01-20

SIHH 2014: Introducing the New Panerai Radiomir 1940 Chronograph - Monochrome Watches

SIHH 2014 is on fire and Officine Panerai is part of the game. The Italian brand just reveals a new series of vintage-inspired chronographs based on a wonderful Minerva movement. The Radiomir 1940 Chronograph will be available in three versions, platinum (PAM00518), red gold (PAM00519) and white gold (PAM00520). A new limited edition to inflame the Paneristi's mind?Panerai's first chronograph was ...

2014-01-20

Monochrome is on the road to SIHH 2014: Follow us for live reports and photos - Monochrome Watches

The season of the Swiss' shows is open. Frank and Robin are on their way to Geneva for the SIHH 2014 (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie), and it's with an incredible enthusiasm that they will bring you fresh news, instant reports and live photos. This year, 16 of the most interesting and high-end brands, will present their new models. We will make sure to deliver it while it’s still...

2014-01-18

Panerai 2014 Chrono Collection Teaser Video - Monochrome Watches

With SIHH fast approaching, Panerai has released a teaser video for its 2014 Chrono Collection. ?Though we get a quick glimpse of the caseback, what is most intriguing is the day/date graphic for the beginning of SIHH, January 20. ?Does this mean that the new 2014 Chrono Collection will feature a day/date complication? ?If so, this complication would mean a ?departure from previous models and make...

2014-01-17

Pre SIHH 2014: Introducing the Montblanc Star Twin Moonphase - Monochrome Watches

In the past years we could see various trends in the watch industry. Last year blue dials popped up at various watch barnds, which almost made it look like they agreed on doing the same. A trend we’re seeing for some time now, is recreating the inconic watches of the various brands and this has led to quite some interesting re-issues. The latest trend seems to be watches with a moon phase in...

2014-01-16

When Omega Re-Issues The Speedmaster Mark II, Monochromes Knights Sit Round The Table To Duke It Out! - Monochrome Watches

From January to April, the world of watchmaking is beating at the rhythm of press releases, before SIHH and Baselworld. Yesterday, we've received from Omega an interesting piece of news, the presentation of the Speedmaster Mark II re-issue. At Monochrome's offices (not that far from Wayne Tower) this kicked-up more than just a little dust. It set off a mini debate between young lion (Brice) and Mi...

2014-01-15