Our guest contributor Angus shares his views on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Forged Carbon that was released earlier this year. Not only the Royal Oak had something to celebrate this year, but the Royal Oak Offshore, or ROO called by collectors, had something to celebrate; it was first launched 20 years ago.My son is 13 years of age and a precociously developed Adonis. I may appear somew...
For the sixtieth anniversary of the Navitimer, Breitling releases the Blue Sky. This limited production of five hundred pieces celebrates what might be from the standpoint of versatility, THE pilot watch. The Navitimer is a timeless classic, and the Blue Sky upholds the tradition.It is impossible to think of the aviation chronograph's history without Breitling's iconic Navitimer, whose name is a c...
The subject of this week’s Weekly Watch Photo has a very long name, IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar. It was released in January of this year at the SIHH 2012, as part of an entirely revamped Pilot’s collection and it is among the first of this collection to feature IWC’s in-house caliber 89365.?Like last week’s Weekly Watch Photo, the Roger Dubuis Pulsio...
Panerai just released a new Special Edition in?honour of the Panerai Transat Classic 2012, a classic yachts challenge that is sponsored by Panerai. The new watch is the Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days Titanio; limited to 500 pieces and exclusively available from the Panerai boutiques around the world.?The new Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante 8 Days comes in a titanium case and inside ticks...
Not every dive watch is the usual tool watch that you’ll easily take for a plunge in one of the world’s oceans. Although technically it’s possible, I simply cannot imagine that someone would take one of the following three unique Richard Mille Diver’s watches to depths where humans can only breathe with a?self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or scuba set).The set ...
In 2013, everything is bigger in Basel. From April 25 to May 2 of next year, the watch industry will gather at the center of its universe: Basel, Switzerland. This is when and where all the latest innovations will be shown, and visitors will be able to hold the newest models and walk past an encyclopedia of brands – all in a new expanded facility to house the excess.Baselworld is the horolog...
Lately many brands are opening brand boutiques. It seems like multi-brand retailers are being replaced by brand boutiques, especially in the emerging markets of the Far East, Middle East and the occasional metropole in the US and Europe. And there’s a special side to this new development.?After he visited the new Hublot boutique, our Shanghai resident contributor Mario, now visits the new Pa...
Roughly ten years ago I fell in love with a watch that I saw in an ad in a watch magazine. At the time I had no idea about complications, different levels of finish or just the basic functioning of a mechanical watch. I just knew that watch was STUNNING. It was the Roger Dubuis Golden Square Flying Tourbillon, with a white dial and huge black roman numerals.?While this still is a watch that I̵...
Grieb & Benzinger are known for the?mind-blowing masterpiece they create, based on the most lovely old pocket watch movements from Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Minerva chronographs?and others.The newest masterpiece from the “masters of skeletonized watches” is the Blue Whirlwind, an amazing skeletonized tourbillon minute repeater based a rare Patek Philippe caliber in a pla...
There was a time when men hardly dared to carry an attache briefcase and suddenly we see men with bags?everywhere.?In all the cosmopolitan cities around the world, men wear their bags proudly and most major?brands offer a wide range of bags for men.Let’s take a step back… It probably started in the seventies when men often carried a small hand-bag (a pochette). These small bags with a ...
This isn’t the first time that we feature some of Jocke’s photos in our Weekly Watch Photo. It was actually the legacy of his ‘wet Sea-Dweller’ photo?that inspired the Weekly Watch Photo.?Judging from the photos he shares, Jocke is a fan of German watch brands. Besides the A. Lange & Sohne 1815 that we already showed you here, he also owns a Dornbluth & Sohne (later...
As you might have noticed, Monochrome is expanding. We’ve welcomed a few very enthusiastic new contributors and we’ve started writing about other ‘lifestyle’ related topics?as well. The pith of the matter will be watches, beautiful and stunning watches. And from time to time, we will share other topics, like the Tutto Italiano car show that our contributor Mario visited in ...
Marcus Watches in London had something to celebrate and that lead to them to create the Marcus Anniversary Exhibition. This is the kind of exhibition you definitely want to visit! Visit London, sent your wife/girlfriend over to Harrod’s, tell her she’s got the entire afternoon for herself, then head over to Marcus Watches…. to indulge yourself in a true watch heaven.?You’ll...
I guess most watch collectors already know that sending a watch for service usually ends with an impressive invoice, usually after months and months of waiting. Hublot comes with a unique new service, providing a loan watch for the duration of the service.?This is a first in the watch industry! Although most watch collectors will easily grab another wrist watch from their collection, this “A...
Distinctive… that word is very applicable for the Graham Chronofighter. Together with the Panerai Luminor Marina – with its recognizable crown guard – it is perhaps one of the most recognizable watches of the last decennia. Graham just released a new, more discrete, version of the bold Chronofighter.?It’s mainly because of the prominent chronograph pusher, that it stands so...
Our contributor GEO is not only one of the world’s most knowledgable experts on Cartier timepieces, he’s also an absolute fashionado and ultra stylish ‘dandy’. After he inspired me to write about the newly released Cartier Nail Bracelet, he now shares his knowledge about men’s bracelets and lists the coolest for you.?Bracelets for men have been around since ages.?At t...
More then a year ago, in June 2011, Vacheron Constantin launched the most complicated watch in the Overseas collection.?The first Overseas Chronograph Perpetual Calendar?came in a titanium/steel case, one of the three choices of metals that Vacheron Constantin offers. Yesterday VC launched another version of the Overseas Chronograph Perpetual Calendar, but now in pink gold.?Because the photo of th...
?Some real die-hard watch aficionados just have to see a small detail of a watch, to recognize its brand and model. However when a recognizable details becomes recognizable for the majority of watch collectors, then perhaps it’s time to acknowledge it has become iconic.?Vacheron Constantin just released a new version of the stainless steel Overseas Chronograph with a gorgeous deep blue dial....
Hublot, a brand always closely associated with sporting culture has opened a new store in the heart of Shanghai's watch and luxury goods epicenter. Let's take a look inside their new West Nanjing Road Boutique to see the latest additions to their starting line-up!Right from the company's inception in 1980, Hublot watches, featuring their distinctive natural rubber straps, have been on the wrists o...
Bremont has been launching several new limited editions lately, most of them haven’t been announced officially and will probably not be officially announced… except on the Bremont forum ALT1TUDE.?One of these watches is the North Sea SM500, a limited edition, which is by the way the first non-military special project from Bremont.?The North Sea SM500 is variation of the Bremont Superma...
One of my favorite watches of all times is the rather exceptional UR-CC1 from URWERK. A highly remarkable timepiece that remind of the dashboards of cool 1960’s cars. That’s at least part of the inspiration for URWERK’s UR-CC1.?Recently I came across a photo of an old Patek Philippe, that looks very much like the UR-CC1. After some more research it appears to be a prototype, crea...
As a watch brand you’re usually sending information. Advertisements, endorsements, press releases and much more. Audemars Piguet does something entirely different this summer. They asked their Facebook fans to share their summer photos.?The ideal result are photos showing an Audemars Piguet timepiece and a beautiful background, in this case related to your vacation/summer. Mood shot, that...
It's morning. You are getting ready. You've got dressed. You're picking a watch, a belt and a pair of shoes. All of the sudden you get that feeling': there is something going on today, but you can't put your finger on it. Client meeting? (No.) Trash day? (Nooo.) Scheduled maintenance on the car? (Nope!)Then you hear the faint melody…? Ad - Scroll to continue with article ...
Dive watches have come and go throughout history; the most recognizable of them are pieces from and Omega. Submariners and Seamasters have graced the wrist of many, with some even saying it's the perfect tool watch to wear. But the folks from the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) would beg to differMuch has been said about Seiko watches in the past, but for the likes of Seiko's PROSPEX line, it has...
This Weekly Watch photo is dedicated to our friends of Hodinkee. They have been sharing the coolest watch news and the best finds of vintage watches with us for years. The other week they changed the design of the blog in a rather unusual way…. but I love it.?Like this photo that Ben Clymer, founder, owner and executive editor of Hodinkee, posted on his Facebook page. It actually says it all...
You don’t need a watch. At least not for just telling the time. That’s what I hear from time to time and I’m the first to admit that’s entirely true. For me a watch is a piece of jewelry or a fashion statement.?Maybe you didn’t see this coming, at least not from me, as I’ve been passionately writing about the beauty of mechanical wrist watches for more then 6 ye...
Is IWC a dangerous watch company? IWC has an obscure connection with one of the pioneers of psychoanalysis, Carl Gustav Jung. David Cronenberg's film, A Dangerous Method, charts the early collaboration between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung and the subsequent demise of their friendship.One aspect of the Freud/Jung rivalry is the discrepancy between their financial means. I married rich, is Jung's exp...
Yes indeed, like the title says: Steve’s McQueen’s vintage Heuer Monaco was recently auctioned for $ 799.500 USD! An amount that might sound insane for some, others will think a price like this is more then justified. It just depends on how you look at it.Three years ago another vintage Heuer Monaco and a 5512, both owned McQueen, were sold for ?63.000 Euro (Heuer Monaco) and the ...
It always has been a love-hate relationship among collectors with regard to Panerai timepieces: the use of Unitas and ETA movements had been frowned upon by many. Yet Panerai enthusiasts, or Paneristi as we like to call them, praise the brand for its uniqueness, heritage and no nonsense look. As such, there is only one direction for a brand that is so revered and reviled at the same time, and that...
Ochs und Junior is the brain-child of Ludwig Oechslin and Beat Weinman and recently Ulysse Nardin came on board as the third partner. A logical third partner, if you know more about Oechslin’s achievements in the horological world. Since 2009 his ideas take shape in Ochs und Junior timepieces.?Ochs und Junior watches are recognizable by their clean and almost industrial design, lacking any k...