Mido has done a commendable job updating its Multifort collection to 21st-century technical standards and contemporary tastes. As the brand's best-selling automatic model from 1934, boasting resistance to magnetism, shocks and water, the refreshed Multifort M is a rugged, accessibly priced, all-terrain watch powered by Swatch Group's Powermatic 80 movement. An attractive new dial colour expands th...
Introduced over 10 years ago (time flies…), Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo collection has become one of the most successful sagas in recent watchmaking history. Not only did these watches break one record for thinness after another, but they also redefined the concept of the ultra-thin watch with a contemporary design and a casual attire. For the 10th anniversary of this collection, Bulgari ...
The roots of Chopard trace back to 1860 when Louis Ulysse Chopard founded his company in Sonvilier, Switzerland. The Scheufele family took over the company in the 1960s. Under their stewardship, Chopard experienced a renaissance and evolved from a traditional watchmaking company into a globally renowned luxury brand. Chopard is a vertically integrated, family-owned company, hence with the entrepre...
Since the launch of the Diastar, the world’s first scratchproof watch made from ultra-resilient tungsten carbide in 1962, Rado has become a byword for high-tech materials, especially high-tech ceramic. In tune with the latest trend for skeletonisation, Rado has issued a host of openworked models, ranging from golden oldies like the Captain Cook and Diastar to more contemporary models like th...
Last week, we covered most of the new models introduced by Audemars Piguet, as part of the 2024 collection – which included a new ROO time-and-date, a handsome new alloy named Sand Gold and a striking collab watch with John Mayer. There is one watch that we’ve kept away for now, but it’s a stunner. Based on our all-time favourite, the Jumbo Extra-Thin case (the original Royal Oak...
Whenever we compile lists for our weekly Buying Guide, we tend to look at common denominators between watches. One such element can be colour, material, a complication or even a price point. As suggested by one of our readers, we are now looking at sporty-chic watches on stainless steel bracelets priced under EUR 3,000. After doing some digging, we’ve come up with genuinely surprising watche...
Considered the precursor of the luxury sports watch category, the Royal Oak turned fifty in 2022. As expected, Audemars Piguet went to town to fete its icon with a host of celebratory models. However, the excitement grew when AP unveiled the first 39mm Jumbo to be fitted with an ultra-thin flying tourbillon (calibre 2968). Officially known as the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin ...
When Audemars Piguet‘s iconic Royal Oak turned fifty in 2022, the brand announced that the permanent range of Royal Oak models would be updated aesthetically and mechanically. With this in mind, the 37mm Royal Oak was one of the beneficiaries of the ‘new design evolution’ and reappears in 2024 in two luxurious editions in gold cases with a generous sprinkling of diamonds and gems...
Audemars Piguet reveals new models that showcase the evolutionary design introduced on the first stainless steel Code 11.59 references in 2023. To update the more subdued and widely criticized design of previous dials, a unique “signature” embossed dial pattern has been specially created for this collection, together with different hands and markers, in collaboration between the AP des...
While the Royal Oak was initially born in stainless steel – which, in our opinion, remains the material of choice for the classic Jumbo – the emblematic Audemars Piguet collection rather quickly embraced gold. Since then, precious metals have become integral to the series, always leaving a memorable impression. In its latest venture, the brand introduces a novel 18k gold alloy labelled...
While there have been time-and-date and triple calendar versions since the mid-1990s, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore or ROO, has always been primarily known as a chronograph watch. It was actually designed as such when it launched in 1993. In modern days, non-chronograph ROO watches were mostly known as the Diver version, which was recently revamped. Well, things have changed because now t...
It’s no secret that Audemars Piguet has long been involved with celebrities and influential people from the world of music. It usually goes well beyond ambassadors and AP has launched several watches in collaboration with musicians – the latest to surface was the chocolate ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “Cactus Jack” made with Travis Scott. Now, it’s time for a ...
The Tissot T-Race series holds a prominent position in Tissot’s catalogue, a testament to the brand’s history in sports timing, including motor racing. Tissot has been the official MotoGP timekeeper since 2001, and colleagues report Tissot’s T-Race watches are frequently spotted at race events globally, underlining their association with the fast-paced world of racing. Special Ti...
Watches have always been intertwined with big historical events all over the world. Many are connected to pivotal events or influential people, such as the Omega Speedmaster and the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the Moon or the watches worn by King Charles III of the British royal family. But some watches are not special because they are tied to a single person or event in time, but for having ...
The P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam is considered “the Golden Mile” for luxury brands in the Netherlands. Not only will you find plenty of high-end designer brands from the fashion industry there, but it’s also home to prestigious watch and jewellery boutiques. The next in line to open a boutique on this prized stretch of retail real estate is TAG Heuer, a brand with a strong histo...
As someone working in the industry seeing hundreds if not thousands of watches each year, I often label a watch as a potential “yes” or “no” based on a press release or a couple of images. I’m sure, to some extent, that the same goes for collectors and enthusiasts. Sometimes, I’ll dismiss a watch for myself – not saying that it’s a bad watch whatsoev...
You've probably already seen that watch But up until today, it was not officially there. For decades, besides special and limited editions, the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch in stainless steel has primarily flaunted a black dial watch. Yet, at an event hosted by Omega in November last year, Daniel Craig, whom we are more accustomed to seeing wearing a Seamaster when portraying James Bond, was...
During our very busy lives it’s very easy to be late for a meeting, to forget to top up a parking meter or even be tight on time for a departing flight. And despite the fact we have a device called a smartphone with us to set a (very intrusive) beeping alarm, how about a nice mechanical buzz on the wrist to serve as an audible and sensible reminder of a specific moment in your day? With that...
The first test flight of the Concorde, the moon landing, the Woodstock festival, and Monty Python’s Flying Circus first aired on BBC One… just a few of the major historic events that happened in the year 1969. In motorsports, a lot happened too, as Sir Jackie Stewart won his first of three Formula 1 World Driver Championships, Bruce McLaren dominated the Can-Am series in a car built by...
Last year, IWC unveiled a pair of Big Pilot watches inspired by the iconic Mercedes G-Class, particularly the powerful AMG G 63 version, a completely excessive and irrational EUR 200k machine boasting 585 horsepower and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds, all of that in a 2-meter high body that was once designed as a military off-roader. Similarly, the IWC Big Pilot was initially ...
If you’re one of the lucky few to own a perpetual calendar watch (or even rarer, a secular calendar watch), this is the day you have to wear this watch. It’s not even an option, it’s an order. Why? Because your movement is going to perform a mechanical ballet that only occurs every four years – well, almost… more on that in a few – and your dial will be showing ...
Pulling out all the stops before Watches & Wonders 2024, watchmaker Arnold & Son presents two skeletonised models powered by one of the world's thinnest flying tourbillon movements, now dubbed Ultrathin Tourbillon Skeleton. While these new models have been treated to some design tweaks and a new tourbillon carriage, these editions of the Ultrathin Flying Tourbillon Skeleton are similar to ...
The world of independent watchmaking has always been a place of passion, inspiration and excitement for us. It has been at the heart of MONOCHROME from the get-go, and even today we find joy in discovering new and intriguing watchmaking adventures from all corners of the world. This time we stop in Morbihan, France, to discover the work of Simon Lefran?ois. Setting out under the name of Montre Lef...
Partnering with auctioneer Sotheby’s, Omega has recently offered for sale 11 unprecedented MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold suitcases. Surfing on these vibe of the Moonshine gold watches wasn’t the idea, however. There was a good cause behind these sales, as all of the auction proceeds are to be given to Omega’s long-term partner, Orbis International. And with Sotheby’s online sal...
Operating out of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, for several years now, the brand Edouard Koehn carries four distinct collections. Of particular interest is the model introduced in 2021 as part of the World Heritage line, blending two practical complications: world time and alarm functions. While several mechanical watches offer combinations of an alarm with a GMT or dual time display, the fusion ...
When it comes to mechanical watchmaking, it’s common practice to split it down to the middle and group together manual winding watches on one end, and automatic ones on the other. But, as we will showcase in this Buying Guide, there’s a whole range of systems developed to provide energy to a watch. Sure, manual winding is the most historic way to do things, but over time some pretty in...
Did you ever get stopped in your tracks by a single moment or a picture? Did you ever have an irresistible urge to drop everything and frantically try and find out more about it? I have, and I’m sure a lot of you will also have such memories. For me, the most recent time it happened was when I received a newsletter from Bonhams Cars, the famous auction house that is hosting another Amelia Is...
Hanhart, the German brand that started life in Switzerland as a manufacturer of stopwatches before relocating to Germany in 1902, gained renown as a producer of Flieger (pilot's) chronographs. In the mid-1950s, Hanhart built the 417, the first pilot's chronograph for the German Armed Forces, with an emphasis on robustness, reliability, and readability. In circulation until 1963, the 417 was retire...
Drawing from over 170 years of watchmaking heritage, Tissot frequently delves into its archives for inspiration. The company has a penchant for reviving iconic models that have left an indelible mark on its history. Consider any timepiece from the Heritage series – the 1973 Chronograph, the 1938 Heritage COSC, the Visodate, or the 1938 Telemeter – each serves as a contemporary homage t...
The watch industry and its market are in constant evolution, with new brands appearing almost daily. The distribution has to face intense volatility due to the duplication of selling channels, the increased pressure of business combinations and the recent rise of certified pre-owned (CPO), which concerns but also many more brands. A handful of retailers, however, have a strong influence on their...