The classic Reverso Chronograph, a watch initially presented in 1996, is a piece of great historical importance. It was the first manually wound integrated chronograph to be developed in the post-quartz era, marking the return to classic watchmaking. Last year, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, a Duoface model looking back at this 1990s classic, equipped with an evolution...
Ulysse Nardin has legitimate, historical maritime credentials, supplying more than 50 navies and merchant marine companies with precision marine deck chronometers in the 1870s. Proud of its seafaring past, Ulysse Nardin is back in the official timekeeping helm of the legendary Vendee Globe single-handed, non-stop, non-assisted round-the-world sailing race. To celebrate its second partnership with ...
Earlier this year, Tissot introduced a revised version of its classic 1960s watch, the PR516 Chronograph Mechanical. Stylish with just the right retro touch, well-proportioned, featuring a hand-wound movement and offered at an accessible price, it got very positive reactions from the watch community – and from us, too. Lo and behold, another model is treated to the same winning formula, this...
Time is relative Not all cultures conceptualize time in the same way. With their newest metiers d'art series, Les?Cabinotiers?Le Temps Divin?(the divine time), Vacheron Constantin explores the perception of time through the prism of different cultures. Nine one-of-a-kind creations invite us to travel to Ancient Greece, Asia and Japan. This new lineup follows last year’s Les Cabinotiers Recit...
It’s a given that the vast majority of mechanical watches rely on round or circular cases to portray the passing of time. After all, it makes the most sense, right? Hands rotate in a circular motion, which leads to circular dials and cases. But what if you’re looking for a different vibe in a more edgy style? Well, you’re in luck since watches like the Cartier Tank, TAG Heuer Mon...
Normally, I don’t get overly excited by an electric car, especially when talking about the run-of-the-mill electric SUVs that flood our streets these days. The lack of sounds, vibrations, the smell of gasoline being burnt… that sort of thing. But when a manufacturer takes one to the tracks or modifies it with that intent, things start to get interesting for me. The performance an EV ca...
Switzerland-based luxury conglomerate?Richemont Group has just issued its trading update for the six months ended 30 September 2024. The Group delivered an overall stable performance with flat sales at constant exchange rates and -1% at actual rates, at EUR 10.1 billion. At EUR 2.2 billion, profit is down 12% at constant rates and down 17% at actual rates. This resilience of sales in a challenging...
It is pretty impressive to see how Tudor’s Black Bay models have established themselves as more accessible options to the Submariner in a relatively short period of time without compromising on quality. But more than just being a more accessible Submariner, the Black Bay has gained its own status over the years, becoming an independent collection. The series also drastically helped redefin...
New watch micro-brands are created almost every day, with dozens of them surfacing and many disappearing as fast as they came. This is why we tend to be slightly selective about what we cover here on MONOCHROME. From time to time, however, one of these new ventures catches our attention, such as Tuseno, a relatively young Swedish brand created in 2015. One of its latest creations is a rather hands...
We’ve talked about the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin on multiple occasions already, and for obvious reasons. When first presented as a prototype watch named RD#2, it was the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch, with an impressive 6.2mm thickness. Despite Bulgari re-gaining the title a year later, this Audemars Piguet remains truly impressive and is now offered in a...
The new Omega Speedmaster FOiS (for First Omega in Space) is the perfect example of a watch that’s not particularly spectacular, groundbreaking or innovative. But more often than not, a great watch doesn’t need to be a game-changer. The 2024 Speedmaster FOiS comes in continuity to a concept introduced in 2012, a vintage-inspired watch celebrating the first space flight of an Omega watc...
Ten years ago, Bulgari's launch of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon spearheaded the Italian brand’s march across the watchmaking landscape, razing records in the battle for ultra-thin movements/watches. Currently the holder of nine world records, the Octo Finissimo's incredible mechanical feats are matched by the formidable geometry of its case, securing it a seat in the pantheon of iconic cont...
Certified Pre-Owned, also known as CPO, has gained great traction over the past few years, with more and more brands exploring the concept. The second-hand market for watches is growing steadily, with a current value in the region of CHF 20 billion and consulting firm?Deloitte saying it could be worth CHF 35 billion by 2030. It is thus with great interest that brands such as or Longines, as well...
In 2019, Ulysse Nardin introduced the Freak X, an entry-level to the innovative and convention-breaking Freak series, maintaining the brand’s “no-dial, no-hands” design, showcasing its signature flying carousel construction within the newly developed UN 230 movement. Though simpler than the original Freak and featuring a crown, the Freak X retained the DNA of its iconic predecess...
Lovers of complex mechanical watchmaking can rejoice with this week’s Buying Guide selection, as all of the watches on show come with openworked dials and movements. Not content with the most classical styles of skeletonization, we’ve opted for a range of contemporary and bold watches instead. On top of that, they reveal their most intricate details while also packing a level of innova...
Briston is an independent French brand created in 2012. It was founded by industry veteran, Brice Jaunet, who worked with different brands, including Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Raymond Weil and Zenith. Briston offers accessible, sporty-chic watches with a twist. The brand's quirky designs rely on a cushion-shaped case with the Clubmaster collection, while another of the signature features has b...
Contemporary, geometrical-shaped watches have been a part of Rado's repertoire since 1967, a tradition that was continued with the release of the rectangular Anatom watch in 1983. While the Anatom initially relied on a similar Hardmetal material to the one used on the DiaStar, Rado celebrated its relaunch in 2023 with high-tech ceramic bezels. Expanding the family, Rado introduces five new Anatom ...
Longines is renowned for its dedication to sports, so it’s no surprise that as the leading partner of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and Official Timekeeper for both the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and the FIS World Championships, the brand chose to celebrate the upcoming 48th FIS Alpine Ski World Championship in Saalbach, Austria, by launching a special Ski Edition of the Longines Conq...
Thanks to a licensed collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Piaget has been permitted to rename its cult 1970s Black Tie dress watch, which is now officially “the Andy Warhol watch”. Celebrating this meaningful association with the undisputed King of Pop Art and long-time watch collector and friend of the brand, Piaget introduces the Andy Warhol Clou de Pari...
Sector dials, with their unique segmented layouts designed over a century ago for improved readability, have a lasting appeal that continues to inspire modern watchmakers. Today, many brands incorporate sector dial watches into their collections, and Louis Erard – founded in 1929 during the peak of this design’s popularity – is no exception. Its Excellence Petite Seconde series o...
TAG Heuer and Senna Brand team up to celebrate Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna with a limited edition chronograph and tourbillon. As the watch brand most closely associated with motorsports, TAG Heuer's partnership with Senna began in 1988 and continued until his tragic death in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix. On the 30th anniversary of his passing, and in light of the upcoming Netflix ser...
This was, by far, the most anticipated launch of the year, but also (and unsurprisingly) the most discussed and commented new release of 2024. In fact, I can’t recall witnessing such an amount of reactions from the watch community since the launch of the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 collection – which, for several reasons, shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’re here to talk, of ...
Tudor‘s connection with military forces is no secret anymore. The most famous of these partnerships is, without a doubt, the co-creation of specific dive watches for the French Marine Nationale, which resulted in some of the most appealing mil-spec models ever made by Tudor. Revived in 2021 with the launch of the Pelagos FXD platform, initially developed with a French Navy specialist unit, t...
Roger Dubuis, the “Hyper Horology brand” (as it calls itself), has embraced a Middle Ages myth since 2013 with the launch of its Knights of the Round Table series, crafting several metier d’art pieces since. The first edition featured 12 intricately engraved micro-sculptures of the legendary knights, their swords drawn and pointing towards the centre. Cast in gold, the knights se...
While the Submariner, Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and Omega Seamaster ruled the 1950s enthusiast and military diving scene, it was the Triton Spirotechnique in 1963 that briefly became the most expensive dive watch of its times, although never the best known. It was developed for the Spirotechnique company (Aqualung), founded by oceanographer/filmmaker/French naval officer Jacques Cousteau in 1946, ...
Ochs und Junior (in reality, it should be written ochs und junior, no capital letters) was founded in 2006 by Ludwig Oechslin, Beat Weinmann and Kurt Konig – the former being one of the most revered inventors of the Swiss watch industry, the former Director of the International Museum of Horology and the man who conceived the groundbreaking Ulysse Nardin Freak. The very first watch to be pre...
Following our Buying Guide of watches that go “DING” or even produce an entire orchestra of dings to signal the time, we’re now shifting focus to a very different but equally captivating complication, the Heures Sautantes, or Jumping Hours! This departure from the typical indication of time often relies on a hand or disc to show the correct hour for the full hour before making a ...
Headquartered in Holstein, at the northern edge of the Swiss Jura, Oris sits on the outermost boundary of Switzerland's traditional watchmaking region. This area had a long history of specialising in affordable pin-lever watches. And although the brand had to reinvent itself, this heritage has naturally shaped Oris's philosophy of Go your own way. With the launch of the revamped Aquis Date collect...
The other day, we went to Switzerland to film one of the most important and influential watchmakers of the last few decades. It’s not a name that is on everyone’s tongue, but it actually should. Let’s look at this objectively… A watchmaker who created the most complex astronomical watches in times when computer-aided designing and calculations were not widely available. A w...
Pop culture icons are increasingly in vogue and luxury watch brands have been surfing the wave of comic?or cartoon-themed timepieces.?Raymond Weil is the latest brand to join this trend with a limited edition inspired by Largo Winch, the gentleman-adventurer created by Belgian cartoonist Philippe Francq. Yet instead of featuring the iconic character on a dial of one of its watches – as is of...