The English phrase pigs might fly is used to express the impossibility of something happening. Well, Oris has just given wings to one of the most famous pigs in popular culture with its new ProPilot X Miss Piggy. Combining the sharp looks of the ProPilot X Collection in a reduced 34mm steel case with a hot pink dial, the new watch would have provoked a rush of compliments (in French) from Miss Pig...
2024 was all about the Portugieser at IWC, the brand’s most classic and elegant collection. Of course, the star of the show was the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, a secular calendar watch that made it to our list of the best watches of the year. There were many more updated versions of this emblematic watch launched at W&W 2024, including superb colours for the chronograph, updated QPs an...
About a month ago, out of the blue, Omega released a new, rather polarizing and unique-looking version of its emblematic chronograph, the Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified.?Well, it wasn’t really out of the blue, but we’ll come back on that in a few. Colourful, tool-oriented and with a dial full of references to the world of aviation, it is a watch with a completely different style fr...
The Chinese Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and on the 29th of January, the Chinese zodiac welcomes the Year of the Snake. To celebrate the event, Longines unveils a 2,025-piece limited edition of its Conquest Heritage with a rich red gradient dial and a special engraving on the caseback of a snake designed by renowned Chinese artist Wu Jian'an.The Chinese Lunar New Year sparks a spate o...
In an unexpected move and with great noise, LVMH officialised a partnership that was rumoured to be closed for several weeks in October last year. Indeed, LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, officially signed on as a Global Partner of Formula 1 in a groundbreaking 10-year deal, with what was certainly one of the most important sports sponsorship deals ever. This was the big picture, as ...
Very surreptitiously, Omega released a pair of Aqua Terra models just before Christmas that really caught our eye. As Omega's everyday all-rounder capable of tackling most environments and still look classy, the new turquoise models are descendants of the more colourful and dressier Aqua Terra 150m Shades sub-collection – no texture on the dial, fully polished cases. Standing out with their ...
Everyone is familiar with Zenith's high-frequency El Primero automatic chronograph movement, released in 1969. However, not everybody is familiar with the world's first high-frequency diver. The laurels, in this case, go to Longines with its 1968 Ultra-Chron ref. 7970 with a 5Hz frequency and a depth rating of 200m. Reintroduced in 2022, the Ultra-Chron returns in 2025 in a carbon fibre case.No st...
This is it… Here’s the last retrospective article of the year, retracing 2024 through the best watches per category. Following the best chronographs, the best dive watches or the best dress watches, we’re now unleashing the beasts. What if money was not an issue? What if there was no limit to either watchmakers’ creativity or your purchasing power? Think about this article ...
Talking about calendar watches is a vast topic, which can range from fairly simple mechanisms to some of the most complex movements watchmakers have invented. Indeed, this category ranges from the classic triple calendar (mechanically, an evolution of the date complication with no self-adjustment of the length of the months) to the finest version, the secular perpetual calendar, watches that can a...
While the industry might not be in its best shape (all things considered…), 2024 was nevertheless a highly prolific year in terms of new models, with brands once again showing creativity and mechanical ingenuity. As far as things go for us here, at MONOCHROME, and specifically regarding our video production. Over the entire 2024 year, we have published over 90 videos (our record so far) on o...
A trend that started in the early 2010s, vintage-inspired watches have been one of the main focuses of the watch industry ever since. And, to our biggest surprise, the trend is not over. It might have slowed down a bit compared to the late 2010s, but we’re still seeing dozens of “heritage”, “retro”, or “vintage re-edition” watches appearing every year R...
While we tend to be amazed by highly complicated, luxurious watches, the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of enthusiasts are generally shopping for watches with a much more down-to-earth budget. And it turns out people looking to spend their money sensibly were in for a treat this year and genuinely spoilt for choice. From captivating vintage-styled dress watches to very capable dive w...
Watches with an integrated design, elegant sports watches, luxury sports watches… Call them what you want, but we’re talking about one thing precisely: watches that play on the vibe created by the AP Royal Oak in 1972, watches with integrated bracelets and a combination of sporty elements and elegance. We're all well aware that the luxury sports watch segment has exploded over the past...
The Pilot’s Watch has always been one of the most popular types of watches, and for good reason. The utilitarian nature of the aviator watch lends itself perfectly to everyday life, thanks to excellent legibility (often), striking looks and robust construction. This year is no exception, as plenty of very cool new pilot watches entered the market. But which are the best ones? And do we see s...
There’s hardly a category of watches that is as disputed as the diver. Every year, in all price ranges and all possible styles, we’re seeing hundreds of new dive watches released by watchmakers from all over the world. Choosing the best models in this segment of the watch industry is not an easy task and is always subject to long internal discussions. But the MONOCHROME team has made i...
Towards the end of the year, the MONOCHROME editorial team gets into Santa Claus mode by “making a list and checking it twice, and gonna find out who’s naughty and nice”, referring to watches, of course, As we all have our individual preferences and don’t get our hands on every single watch, some get all the attention, whereas others are grossly overlooked. So, looking back...
As the end of the year draws nigh, the festive season kicks off with Christmas parties, New Year's Eve celebrations and gatherings that dominate our agendas. In short, it is the perfect time of the year to suit up. And that means having the right watch to match your fancy attire, pairing it with your cocktail dress or tuxedo. And yes, the classic dress watch, as we’ve come to know it for man...
They say the face of a watch can be regarded as a canvas. A canvas to display time first and foremost, but in some watches, it is also a backdrop for a discerning and mesmerising complication like a tourbillon or a perpetual calendar indication. But what if you would take the dial as a canvas more literally? What if you actually use it as a blank canvas to produce a work of art? Well, magic can ha...
Mercedes-Benz and racing go hand-in-hand. After all, it’s one of the most successful manufacturers in both pre-war Grand Prix, post-war Formula 1 and Endurance Racing, birthing many legendary cars. From the very early days of motor racing, the brand has been active in all sorts of categories. It won the 1914 French Grand Prix with the Blitzen Benz, it won the Targa Florio in 1922 and 1924, a...
Swiss watchmakers are ushering in Chinese New Year with exclusive limited-edition models inspired by zodiac animals and Asian cultural traditions. To celebrate the year 2025, which is believed to bring personal growth, strategic planning and embrace transformation, Oris releases a special Year of the Snake timepiece, a modern, highly technical 44mm watch featuring a skeletonized dial and equipped ...
A couple of weeks ago we did a rundown of what we felt are some of the best dress watches for the festive season. A time when we get together with our loved ones to celebrate, enjoy, and take a little break from our daily concerns. While a dress watch certainly seems like a fitting choice for celebrations, there is another way to do things. Why not let loose a little and go for something outrageou...
As you know, we rarely talk about auctions on MONOCHROME. We prefer to focus on what we know best: independent watchmaking, explaining fine mechanics and talking about new watches. Yet, from time to time, something sparks our interest – and in the present case, it did on a personal level, maybe due to a certain chauvinism of mine as a Frenchman. Auctions always generate doubts regarding the ...
It has become a pretty recurring thing for Omega to release new models, or at least new editions of existing watches, with very little or no fanfare. While this has happened in the Planet Ocean and Speedmaster collections, it’s mostly the Aqua Terra family that sees these discreet releases dropping regularly. Following the addition of a green dial to the 38mm AT and an array of Moonshine Gol...
Recently, we’ve introduced a rather promising all-rounder watch coming from the North, the Windseeker made by a young Swedish micro-brand named Tuseno Watches. On paper, everything seemed good: nice design, an extensive list of specs, a pleasant blend of casualness and refinement, a Swiss movement and a truly attractive price. But that was on paper. So we decided to put this Tuseno Windseeke...
For its latest collaboration watch, NYC-based design studio Massena LAB is teaming up with venerable, alarm-specialist watchmaker Vulcain, bringing its own take on an emblematic model, the Cricket Nautical. This watch, which relied on the brand’s signature chiming complication, was one of the first of its kind, merging diving credentials with the alarm feature that proved to be highly practi...
If you’re reading this article and MONOCHROME on a regular basis, you should certainly all about the tourbillon, this device where the regulating organ is placed in a constantly rotating cage, counteracting the negative effect of gravity. But we have to keep in mind that the tourbillon, conceived and patented by Breguet in 1801, was designed for pocket watches, timekeepers spending most of t...
While the Speedmaster started its life as a racing chronograph destined to measure average speeds (hence its name), it quickly changed vocation when, during the 1960s, it became the watch of choice for US Air Force pilots and, of course, NASA astronauts. From there, the Speedmaster became one of the most famous pilot’s chronographs and this Omega watch enjoyed a long history in the skies. No...
The Unitas, known under the names ETA 6498 and 6497 (depending on its configuration, Lepine or Savonette), is without a doubt one of the most important and most long-lasting movements of the Swiss industry. This simple, no-nonsense but reliable hand-wound movement has been produced since the 1950s, yet originates from classic pocket watch calibres. Often seen as an entry-level and quite mundane al...
In the world of watches, the crystal is one of the most crucial yet often overlooked components of a timepiece. This thin transparent cover protects the dial from dust, moisture, and external damage while allowing clear visibility of the watch’s timekeeping functions – and, in many modern watches, its movement, too. Over the years, watchmakers have developed various types of crystals, ...
In our fascinating little bubble of mechanical watchmaking, attention often goes to high-dollar watches, and most of the time, that’s for a perfectly logical reason. The arms race in complexity is partly to blame, as brands try to outdo one another for the sake of winning over the public. But adding a complication on top of telling basic time doesn’t necessarily have to equate to ludic...