For long, the formula of Panerai watches was simple: rugged watches inspired by the sea, with Italian design, simple mechanics and large cushion-shaped cases. And, at the beginning a relatively accessible price that helped to create a huge community of fans. And then, things changed and Panerai became more complicated, more luxurious, more focused on limited editions. But as the brand’s CEO ...
The Tourbillon is, without doubt, one of the most spectacular and prestigious complications – a must-have in the collection of a respectable watchmaker. Invented to counteract the effects of gravity on the regulating organ of mechanical watches, this now-ubiquitous mechanism has remained long the preserve of a few watchmakers. The past few months have brought their share of new tourbillon wa...
When you think Omega, you’ll probably have in mind iconic watches like the Speedmaster or the Seamaster – and rightfully so. You might think even about James Bond or the Olympic Games. All in all, you’ll often have technicality and sports in mind. Well, there’s more (much more) to Omega, including complications and chronometry. Remember that Omega had a massive influence on...
Last year a small German brand won the Petite Aiguille category at the GPHG, a category dedicated to watches priced between CHF 4,000 and CHF 10,000. Kudoke is now introducing a new variant of its award-winning Kudoke 2, the Nocturne. The Kudoke 2 is part of the HANDwerk collection in Kudoke's line-up, together with the Kudoke 1. It is a humble yet interesting watch with some very nice touches and...
Following the monthly announcements made by the FHS regarding Swiss watch exports and half-year results by Swatch Group a couple of days ago, it is now time for the other giant of the Swiss watch industry, Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, to announce its first-quarter 2020 results… And, as expected from the current coronavirus situation, lockdown policies and closure of manufactures during...
Partnerships with designers are a strong trend in the watchmaking industry today, a move designed to give watches a fresher, more contemporary face and appeal to fashion-conscious men. IWC partners with British apparel brand Orlebar Brown for a special edition of the Portugieser Yacht Chronograph decked out in smart navy blue with red and white accents and a new strap. Let’s have a look at t...
The Patek Philippe 5270J is the latest version of a lineage that perfectly sums up the brand, and that started in 1941 with the reference 1518, the first-ever perpetual calendar chronograph. Introduced in 2011, this watch is now in its third iteration – all of them are explained here. Currently available in 18k pink gold on matching bracelet and in platinum with a salmon/gold-coloured dial, ...
Patek and the chronograph complication is a long-lasting love story. The brand has been manufacturing stopwatches almost since its inception… And when it comes to chronographs, there’s one type that rules them all, the Split-Seconds or rattrapante, the King of chrono watches. This a complication that Patek masters since 1923 – surprisingly first built in a women’s watch. Th...
Last year at Patek's Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019, the brand unveiled its Minute Repeater Tourbillon Singapore, an elaborate minute repeater and tourbillon complication designed for Singaporean collectors and limited to just 12 pieces. To cater to local tastes, the flange of the dial was picked out in red and the flange for the hours and minutes was printed with stars to evoke the sta...
One year ago, Audemars Piguet launched what is probably its most important watch in the last 25 years: the two other major launches were the 1972 Royal Oak and the 1993 Royal Oak Offshore. An entirely new collection, a watch that we described as “the discreet Audemars Piguet, made for accomplished collectors” in our review, a watch with important new movements… and a watch that a...
Chronographs are a long tradition at TAG Heuer and several of the brand’s stopwatches occupy top spots in the list of iconic watches, in particular, models associated with the golden age of motor-racing, such as the Carrera or the Autavia. As the brand celebrates its 160th anniversary this year, TAG Heuer has released several ultra-cool limited edition chronographs that we have put together ...
It might be smaller than your average Royal Oak, but there is no mistaking the lineage of these 34mm models. All the salient Royal Oak traits are now housed in a more condensed case, an ideal size for smaller wrists and a solid unisex proposal. Although 34mm might strike you as small in a line-up of watches represented in diameters of 44, 42, 41, 39, 38 and 37mm, there is another even smaller mode...
Sadly, it seems that Tudor will only be presenting one new model in 2020… However, this model is a good one, a very good one indeed. Much anticipated and already acclaimed by the collecting community, this watch is the Black Bay 58 Navy Blue, the smaller version of the brand’s iconic model and bestseller, now with a ‘very Tudor-ish’ dark blue bezel and dial. We’ve dec...
The celebration for TAG Heuer's 160th anniversary continues with the release of four Carrera chronographs that capture the iconic DNA of the original model but in a contemporary light. Unlike the limited, vintage-inspired editions – the handsome Silver Carrera 160 Years and Carrera Montreal – these new Carrera Sport Chronograph 44mm will form part of the permanent collection and run on...
Earlier this year, Omega revived one of its iconic watches, the 1980s-inspired Constellation watch with its characteristic case shape, its bezel with claws and a trendy integrated bracelet or strap. Based on the bold Constellation ‘Manhattan’ concept, the 2020 models brought a cleaner design, some textured dials and mostly a mechanical update with Master Chronometer movements. Availabl...
At Baselworld 2017, Rado surprised the audience with a very appealing diver’s model named ‘Captain Cook’. While the brand has gained its modern notoriety by mastering high-tech materials, mostly by using coloured ceramics, Rado has a rich history of interesting vintage models. Based on a watch released in 1962 with a distinctive case/bezel design, the brand reintroduced the Capta...
Czapek expands its Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph collection with the incorporation of this California Dreamin' model. Although its name will have you humming the Mamas & the Papas 1965 hit song, it has nothing to do with nostalgia for California sunshine. Nor does it have anything to do with the historic figure of Fran?ois Czapek, whose name is honoured by the brand. The latest chronograph ...
A year after its introduction, Audemars Piguet’s controversial yet entirely novel collection, Code 11.59, sees its first major evolution with the introduction of five new time-and-date models and five new Chronograph models. When we reviewed the watch recently, our main complaint came from the lack of ‘spices’… Well, here they are, as AP spices up its collection with smoked...
With its numerous joint creations, Bucherer BLUE has given birth to a series of truly unique and disruptive timepieces. Think about the IWC Portugieser, the Panerai Luminor Marina or the Oris Sixty-Five Chronograph. The most recent member in this BLUE collection was created with Ulysse Nardin and is a true horological UFO. Meet the new Freak X Bucherer BLUE.In the early 1980s, the encounter betwee...
Atelier de Chronometrie is something special in the watchmaking scene… Truly special. And what these Barcelona-based guys are doing is absolutely fascinating. ‘Handmade’ takes on its original meaning here and wristwatches in the Atelier are crafted in the good old traditional way. Specialized in 1940s-styled watches based on revived vintage Omega calibres, what you’re about...
Laurent Ferrier is coming up for its tenth anniversary this year and celebrates with the release of this Classic Origin Opaline watch in a 40mm Grade 5 titanium case and the pared-down elegance we have come to associate with Laurent Ferrier. The first time the brand recurs to titanium, this straightforward time-only model with small seconds at 6 o'clock has an elegant dash of sportiness with touch...
Last year saw the introduction of Genus Watches, a new brand on the independent watchmaking scene with a novel way of displaying the time. While the vast majority of watches display the time in a classic way (with 2 or 3 hands rotating over a round dial), Genus came up with something radical in the form of a horological ‘centipede’ to indicate the hours and tens-of-minutes. This year, ...
This is it… Somehow unexpected but also envisioned by some collectors, the new Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue. We thought Tudor was not introducing new models this year, and they proved us wrong. First in line for 2020 (and maybe the only new model), a rather simple but efficient animation of an existing watch. Based on the praised and well-executed model introduced a couple of years ago, t...
A watch introduced in 1992 and that, back then, was met with extreme reactions with its unprecedented approach to luxury watchmaking, the Royal Oak Offshore has since been Audemars Piguet sportiest, most masculine piece – a far more robust version of the octagonal iconic model launched in 1972. From the earliest days, this watch played on contrasts and materials and it still does in 2020, as...
On 24 October 2019, A. Lange & Sohne introduced something entirely new, an important step for this usually rather conservative high-end watch brand; it was a sports watch, made in stainless steel, with a bracelet – three unprecedented features for ALS that made this very watch, the Odysseus, a hot topic of conversation. During the recent digital Watches & Wonders, the German brand in...
The figures speak for themselves: over the last 30 years, scientists calculate that 50% of the world's coral reefs have died and without direct action could be extinct in 80 years. Coral reefs are now the most endangered ecosystems on the planet and their extinction would mark the first time humanity has faced the loss of an entire ecosystem. The upside of these gloomy facts is that coral can be s...
If you’re a frequent reader of MONOCHROME, you probably know that we’ve already produced more than 100 videos, mostly in-depth movies to share the secrets of the industry and to take you inside some of the best watch manufactures. Today, here and on our YouTube channel, we start a new section with detailed video reviews. Guided by Leo, one of our video editors, you’ll discover wa...
We've covered several Dietrich watches in the past, which showcase edgy, avant-garde designs like the DD-1 and 1969. Founded in 2010 by Emmanuel Dietrich, the brand focused on affordable eccentricity, but also flexed some horological muscle with the Perception in 2017, a complicated and sophisticated Swiss made piece with a high price to match. Dietrich also launched the Time Companion collection ...
Last year, when unveiling its new pilot’s collection at the SIHH 2019, IWC also announced its partnership with a very cool project named “The Longest Flight”. On 5 August 2019, British pilots Matt Jones and Steve Boultbee Brooks embarked on their flight around the world in an antique, restored Spitfire plane. This was the occasion for IWC to unveil a dedicated timepiece, the Time...
For those of you living in countries where restrictions have been lifted for air travel and even for those of us who can't travel but like to keep an eye on the time in some other country, a GMT or second time zone watch is of the essence. As part of its 2020 novelties, A. Lange & Sohne revisits its Lange 1 Time Zone with a new manufacture calibre, ring-shaped day/night indicators and a new da...