The luxury sports watch is one of the most dynamic categories in the watch industry. In 1972, with the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta defined the genre: a sporty but clearly expensively-crafted steel watch with an integrated bracelet and shaped case. Most high-end brands gave their take on the category. Patek Philippe with the Nautilus, Vacheron Constantin with the 222 and the Oversea...
Last week, Omega introduced a new Bond-themed Seamaster Diver 300M, inspired by the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. When we posted this watch on Instagram, the reactions were telling. One comment read: I'm a die-hard Omega fan (own 3) and I do not like this watch. There's 4 colour combo's going on with it. One other comment read: Too much. () Looks like brainstorming in a Kindergarten. ...
The concept of tool watches isn’t clearly defined: it can be a diver, it can be a chronograph, it can be a pilot’s watch. But what we’re looking at today are instrument pieces for adventure, watches that can perform under duress in most situations: on land, in the air or below the waves. Tools in their purest form. And you’ll see, for our latest buying guide, we have select...
The new Audemars Piguet Millenary Frosted Gold Philosophique challenges the conventional way of reading time with just one hand for the hours and minutes. Clearly not a watch for people obsessed with chronometer-grade precision, time is meant to be read approximately, give or take a few minutes here and there. Original and bristling with unusual textures and finishes, the Millenary Philosophique s...
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and its iconic octagonal case and integrated bracelet need no introduction. It is one of the most iconic watches of the industry and the one that sparked the “Luxury Sports Watch” concept (and its subsequent fame). This watch has been revisited in hundreds of editions, complications and materials. Ceramic, a trendy and modern composite, also made it to the...
Ulysse Nardin unveils a new version of its Marine Torpilleur to coincide with the annual Monaco Yacht Show (MYS). Renowned as the most prestigious superyacht show (to give you an idea of the kind of crowd it attracts the MYS offers a helicopter shuttle service), Ulysse Nardin will sail into Port Hercules for the event with a limited-edition Marine Torpilleur model. Capitalising on this high-profil...
As we anticipated, the tenth and final 25th Anniversary Lange 1 watch is a spectacular one-minute tourbillon. First introduced in the Lange 1 watch family in 2000, the Lange 1 Tourbillon was the world's first wristwatch combining a tourbillon, an outsize date, a three-day movement and power-reserve indicator. Revisited by A. Lange & Sohne in 2014 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Lange ...
In late August, extreme explorer Victor Vescovo achieved the culmination of his Five Deeps project becoming the first human to dive to the bottom of the deepest point of all five of the world's oceans. Not just once, but multiple times at each site. Joining him for each dive were three Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional models conceived specifically for this mission. One of the w...
Since the 1995 film Goldeneye, Omega has been James Bond’s official watch. In this film, actor Pierce Brosnan wore an Omega Seamaster 300M Professional Quartz, featuring a blue dial with the signature wave pattern. This model and all its modern iterations would earn the nickname the “Bond Watch” (see our Retrospective of the Entire Omega Seamaster x James Bond 007 History here). ...
Today, TAG Heuer celebrates the unveiling of the fourth timepiece in the Monaco 50th Anniversary saga in the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at the Tokyo National Museum in Japan. After a funky 1970s Green version and a bold, fiery red racing-inspired model for the 1980s?and a sleek, industrial-like edition for the 1990s, it is time to move to another decade and thus, another rare limited edition. Bl...
The abbreviation MIH probably doesn’t mean much to most of our readers, except to our hardcore watch enthusiasts (or WIS, which stands for Watch Idiot Savant – another horological abbreviation) who will immediately recognize the acronym. MIH stands for Musee International d’Horlogerie and during the time that Mr Ludwig Oechslin was the curator of the museum, he introduced the MIH...
Among the many unique pieces introduced for Only Watch 2019, there was one surprising watch, made by Tudor, in an unprecedented colour scheme and material. Based on the signature Black Bay model, the brand presented the first full-black, ceramic version of this popular dive watch. We had the chance to have this watch in our hands and we wanted to share this with you… but also to talk about f...
Complications, when it comes to horology, are all the functions of a watch in addition to the display of the time. Complications are what make mechanical watches attractive – and indeed, horology might be the only place where we can enjoy complication upon complication. Regarding calendar indications, multiple functions have been created but nothing can beat the beauty of the perpetual calen...
TAG Heuer is hugely popular for its automotive heritage and its racing chronographs. But the brand also has rich nautical and water-sport credentials, in particular with the Aquaracer dive watch collection. Launched in 2004/2005 as a direct descendant of the 2000 series, the Aquaracer line is now one of the pillars of the TAG Heuer portfolio. It comprises a variety of relatively accessible models....
Laco is a brand that sometimes flies under the radar (notably in America), overshadowed by German counterparts like Sinn, Junghans and MeisterSinger. It should definitely not be overlooked as it offers compelling, military-inspired watches at attainable prices. The brand is also older than two of the three mentioned above and is perhaps best known as one of five producers of the B-Uhren Observatio...
Affordable luxury has become the byword at Frederique Constant proving that you can have your horological cake and eat it too. Dispelling a lot of snobbery regarding the price of a well-made watch with complications, Frederique Constant demonstrates that you don't have to flog a kidney to enter the complications market. We've recently seen the new and improved FC Perpetual Calendar retailing for u...
While browsing on Instagram the other day, I noticed a post from the popular watch account @Patekaholic about a particular Patek Philippe posted through the portal website 1stdibs, which showcases various luxury items for sale to be posted to a wider audience. After clicking through to the website of the seller – Xupes – about the watch in question, the previous owner of the timepiece ...
Feeling bold today? Good. Now meet a pilot's watch with camouflaged hands, a day-date indication, a ceramic case and a normal-sized crown. Except for the triangle at 12 o'clock (and yes… a few other things to be honest), there's not much that makes this an actual Pilot's watch. But is it any good? We took IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert and wore it on the wrist to...
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin, which started its life as a prototype watch named RD#2, is one of these watches that look so right. It is at once a superb design object and a highly engineered piece of horological ingenuity. Of course, it is the thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch. But interestingly, its development was not initiated to break any record....
Despite what the masses think, there’s no need to amass an incredible budget to enjoy the “tic-tac” of a mechanical watch on the wrist. In fact, the past years have been great for watch lovers, even those with a tight budget. The rise of crowd-funded projects (most of them not worthy of being mentioned though) and the effort of some brands to offer entry-level pieces allow young ...
It’s rather unusual for Tudor to launch a watch outside of Baselworld… What is even more unusual is a Tudor limited edition (except one done with Harrods and one with Bucherer). This explains why today’s launch is a bit of an exception. As one of the official sponsors of the All Blacks (New Zealand's national rugby team) and as the 2019 Rugby World Cup is about to start in a few ...
There are moments in life that call for an elegant, time-only watch. Situations in which a strapping tool watch with protruding pushers and a glowing dial won't look quite right. If you are in the market for a handsome, straightforward time-only watch we have two very interesting candidates as different in looks as their cultural backgrounds. The Drive de Cartier is a tres French take on elegance ...
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for the Turin-based club Juventus. He is also one of the most famous players on the planet alongside Argentinian player Lionel Messi of Barcelona. And as you can expect from him, he plays some serious “foot game”… but also some serious “wrist game”, as he’s been seen yesterday with “just̶...
When Geneva-based brand Frederique Constant introduced its first Perpetual Calendar in 2016, it came as a surprise for the entire world of Haute Horlogerie. How could a watch brand make such a complex movement for a price that didn't even hit the EUR 10,000 mark? Well, we explained that to you here. Today, the brand presents two new references in its Slimline collection, both with Perpetual Calend...
Cartier is the undisputed master of the shaped watch and for the last century has launched some of the most emblematic and unforgettable watch collections for men and women alike. But Cartier also offers something above and beyond unusual shapes and has become the byword for refined French taste. Le go?t Cartier, as it is known, describes a quiet, self-assured elegance that has no need to shout. I...
It all started with the thinnest tourbillon in 2014. Later followed the thinnest minute repeater and the thinnest automatic watch. In 2018, Bvlgari unveiled the thinnest automatic watch ever (also the thinnest tourbillon). This year, the brand breaks its fifth record in ultra-thin watches, with the thinnest mechanical chronograph ever made – and it is automatic and features a GMT function...
Founded in 1888, Bucherer is one of the oldest houses specializing in watches and jewellery. The world's largest retailer continues its expansion strategy. Following the acquisition of The Watch Gallery, Tourneau and Baron and Leeds, Bucherer launches its “Certified Pre-Owned” (CPO) program. On the occasion of the opening of their dedicated space at the Bucherer Gallery in Geneva, we w...
If you are into watches and happen to visit sales points or watch fairs, there are chances you have seen some of Xavier Dietlin's creations, without even knowing about his small company (watch the following demo video). Dietlin Swiss Showcases is a 12-person business specializing in creating exceptional display cases and windows. As the company celebrates its 165th anniversary in the metal work in...
For our latest instalment of “Spotted”, we are featuring Han Dieter Potsch. Potsch is the Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE. And on his wrist are watches that are linked to the cars he produces or to the world of motor racing (surprisingly…), by Omega and IWC/Porsche Design.Porsche SE is owned by the Porsche and Piech families, descendants of Porsche...
Your weekly dosage of electricity-infused car news is up… That’s how we will probably start our automotive-related articles in a decade from now! For guys of passion like us, here at MONOCHROME, the topic of electric cars is still quite far from our usual standards of petrol-loaded dreams. Passion is what makes us love cars and watches. Passion is our own fuel, and fuel is what powers ...