Arnold and Son flies the Union Jack with pride, continuing a British watch making tradition that goes back to John Arnold (1736-1799) and his son John Roger Arnold (1769-1843). The company supplied marine chronometers to the Royal Navy for navigating longitude. The Instrument Collection, which boasts the Time Pyramid among others, harkens to the past, but recasts this past in innovative interpreta...
During the 2013 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, a lot of stunning new timepieces have been released. News from the top brands is always exciting especially when they all want to outdo one another; bigger booths, more elaborate shows and more intricately designed timepieces. Lately many brands are grabbing back on their own history, to find inspiration for new models. Grabbing back on t...
Seven years ago IWC started their commitment to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a perfect way to?demonstrate IWC’s commitment to philanthropy by releasing a limited edition timepiece in aid of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Part of the proceeds resulting from the sale of the watches go to help needy children all over the world. ?Every year another timepiece from another collec...
If you can get a car in green, yellow or black, what color do you choose? Black. Why? Because black is badass. Pair that black with a Bentley, and you are ready to thrown down, 0 to 60 (or 0 to 100 km/h) in a flash, drag race at the next stop light against whatever oversized muffler attached to a four cylinder happens to be handy, not because you are looking to race, who does that in a Bentley, bu...
When two celebrities step-out onto the same red-carpet wearing the same dress it can create an awkward and sometimes ugly scene. Then the folks in the blogosphere star asking Who wore it better? or Who Rocked' a certain look. What happens when two names synonymous with uber-Horology produce uncannily similar designs? Let's find outWhen you spend all day trawling through different online watch foru...
[Loud voice] AND THE WINNER IS… Winner? What winner? Winner of what? The winner of the Timezone Watch of the Year 2012 Award is the A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. A well deserved victory for the most legible tourbillon perpetual calendar.?For the Watch of the Year 2012, the Timezone moderators pre-selected seven, instead of the usual six, nominees, and members of...
In 2010 Montblanc launched the ExoTourbillon and at this year’s SIHH Montblanc treated us on two new version, in 18 carat white and red gold. The ExoTourbillon is Montblanc’s first combination of a chronograph (not just a chronograph) and a?tourbillon (not just a tourbillon).?All classic watchmaking expertise of Montblanc’s Villeret manufacture, the former Minerva manufacture, is...
A quick reminder… you still have a chance to win a trip to the Montblanc watch manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland! Together with me, you can visit to the place where the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph and the TimeWalker TwinFly Chronograph are created.?I’m looking forward to visiting Montblanc’s watch manufacture in Le Locle and see the production of Montblanc’s i...
Oris just unveiled something remarkable, a mechanical dive watch?with depth gauge for a retail price of just 2.600 Euro! Compared to the few other mechanical watches with a depth gauge, this is spectacular.I must admit that Oris didn’t?get much attention here at Monochrome. That is because we usually focus on much more high-end timepieces. I say usually, because?when there’s somethin...
Here we go again, time?to vote for the TimeZone Watch of the Year 2012! All member of watch forum TimeZone can vote for one of the seven preselected finalists.?While you usually can choose between 6 finalists, pre-elected by the Timezone moderators, this year Timezone shows us seven finalsist to choose from. Again a most impressive line-up! The finalist with the most votes on March 8 shall win the...
Sometimes we at Monochrome get help, unasked and unexpectedly, and highly appreciated. Kal, a Genevan based watch lover, has supported us for a long time through Twitter. I hope many of you will support us through social media, by re-tweeting like Kal does, liking on Facebook or sharing our photos at Pinterest.?Kal not only supported us through Twitter, he also told us that he would love to share ...
Chopard has a long-standing relationship with motorsports, and most collectors are aware of the brand’s partnership with the Mille Miglia classic car rally. Since 2002, Chopard has also been the official timekeeper of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, a biannual event in which classic ’70s race cars race through the Monegasque streets. We aren’t surprised that Chopard dedicate...
I have, sadly, never met Richard Mille in person, however, I have a feeling he would provide interesting company. I would enjoy hearing him regale me with his obsession regarding perfection. It is something which accords with my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He clearly is drawn to examples of prodigious power and phenomenal performance. Mille has sought Ambassadors who are blessed with natural ta...
In case you missed it: two weeks ago we announced that you can win a visit to the Montblanc watch manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland. It not too late and you still have time to sign up, so what are you waiting for??Le Locle is a small village in the Swiss?Jura mountains and situated north of Lake Neuchatel. It is in the heart of the Swiss watch industry and this is where you can find the Montbla...
Last year Panerai introduced two Special Editions with a vintage Minerva movement; the?rose gold PAM00398 and the stainless steel PAM00399. These are Radiomir variations with more solid lugs and a a different crown, however with the recognizable cusion-shape case. Already during the SIHH it was clear that there was a small mistake, because “stainless steeel” was engraved with one too m...
When De Bethune creates a new timepiece, it is always something special. Technically all De Bethune timepieces are peerless and mix cutting-edge technologies with classical watchmaking techniques. But also aesthetically they feature the same mix of high-tech and classical elements, required to create a De Bethune.?Whether we’re talking about the futuristic?ergonomically shaped lugs of the DB...
It has been too long since we last posted a HIBAW story. But no worries, just in time for Valentine’s Day, our contributor Mario comes to the rescue!?St. Valentine's Day is upon us again. Time to tell our inamoratas that we love them! Shall we say it with chocolate? Too many calories! Shall we say it with roses? Roses fade and turn brown and sickly. Shall we say it with a poem etched into a ...
Vacheron Constantin celebrates the opening of the new Parisian boutique with the launch of two new mens versions of the Vacheron Constantin 1972. One regular and one limited edition, both in white gold and both feature the iconic assymetric case. Remember the beautiful black & white photos, dedicated to the new VC boutique,?that we showed you in December of last year? If not, check ’em o...
Especially for the inauguration of the new Chopard Boutique on the Rue de Rh?ne, Geneva, Chopard have created a new interpretation of the classic and stylish L.U.C XPS.The new L.U.C XPS is a limited edition of 25 pieces and it’s the first L.U.C XPS in platinum.?Its dimensions of?39.50 mm in diameter and just 7.13 mm in height (!!) make the L.U.C XPS into an uber-stylish timepiece. With its g...
Although it is still a full year ahead, Omega already?introduced?two limited edition?Seamaster Planet Ocean models, to commemorate the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to be held in Sochi,?Russia, in February of 2014.The two models are?the?large 45.5 mm Planet Ocean and a white ladies model, measuring 37.5 mm in diameter. Both?are fitted with a matt black ceramic ring dive ring, with?the colour...
A. Lange & Sohne is one of the most covered brands in Monochrome’s Weekly Watch Photo. No wonder, with the world’s most beautiful movements as featured in the A. Lange & Sohne Double Split,?exquisite?dials as the Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst?or stunning complications as in the Zeitwerk Striking Time.?And then consider that it is “just” 23 years ago since this brand?was r...
Have you ever dreamed about visiting a watch manufacture? Well, dream no further, here’s your chance. Together with our friends of Montblanc we’re giving you the chance to win a trip to the Montblanc Watch Manufacture in Le Locle!?In the historic villa in Le Locle, is one of two Montblanc watch manufactures and this is the place of birth of the iconic Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph and t...
With the leadership of Carole Forestier-Kasapi at Cartier, you might expect Aretha Franklin to belt out, “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves”. In a field dominated by men, she rises to the top of the heap, winning the prestigious 2012 Best Watchmaker Prize at the Grande Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG). The win is a well-deserved accolade for Forestier-Kasapi, and a tremendous boon ...
Montblanc has two watch manufactures; the manufacture in Le Locle where (among others) the Nicolas Rieussec collection and its in-house movement is conceived. The other manufacture is the former Minerva manufacture, where time seems to run in a slower pace and watches are still entirely hand-made.?It is this place, the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, where the Collection Villeret 1858 finds its...
This year's SIHH offering from Panerai has something for everyone! Historical cases, innovative tech, and Special Editions designed to tempt. Let’s start the week with a look at all new Panerai’s at 2013’s SIHH.?In the music industry there is an expression: You can't fool the fans. Critics, (and hacks like me) spend all day looking at and reading about new models and new brands. ...
For the third year in a row, our friends at Montblanc invited me to the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or SIHH. This allowed me to have a look behind the scenes of?the most prestigious luxury watch fair in the world.?Montblanc CEO mister Lutz Bethge talks with us about the SIHH and the Montblanc resident photographer?Pascal Le Segretain, who captured the atmosphere in stylish black &am...
Last year, we saw something out of the ordinary from Hublot. An?extra-thin Classic Fusion?with a skeletonized dial that even stalwarts of the brand didn’t see coming. This year they up the ante even more with one simple addition, something that was missing from last year’s model, a black ceramic case. A nice looking addition to the titanium and rose gold versions that were introduced l...
Ok. How do we do this?? Where do we start?? I suggest you sit back, take a deep breath, set aside anything you might have seen in the past couple of years, hold tight and enjoy the following three (Yes, THREE!!) timepieces by Le Grande Maison: Jaeger-LeCoultre.Jaeger-LeCoultre was founded in the Swiss Vallee de Joux region back in 1833, and for you quick thinkers that means that this year they exi...
The last days of the SIHH turned out rather strange for me, as I was down with a severe flu, and unable to publish anything about the new timepieces. In the coming weeks I’ll publish the most outstanding, and remarkable pieces. I’ve had time to do some more hands-on photos, and the reviews will?follow over the?next weeks.?One of the remarkable introductions, or actually two introductio...
Progress can be an unsentimental and unforgiving thing. Sometimes we must move on and forsake the past in anticipation of the future. Fortunately for IWC and their Ingenieur line - the past is not such a bad thing!? Instead of obliterating it IWC have chosen to evolutionize it!To hardcore watch fans, few names elicit a primal response like the IWC Ingenieur. Drawing back to the middle of the last ...