Industry News: Richemont Reports Record Sales for 2023-2024, Appoints Nicolas Bos as new CEO
While the global economic situation might feel rather pessimistic, the luxury business and the watch and jewellery industry continue to post strong results for the year 2023. Following the announcement of a record year for Swiss watch exports in 2023, as well as strong revenues for both LVMH and?Swatch Group, it is now time for the other giant of the industry, the Richemont Group, to report record sales for the year ended 31 March 2024, with revenues up 3% at actual exchange rates to EUR 20.6 billion. The group also announces important changes with the appointment of Nicolas Bos (currently CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels) as the new Chief Executive Officer of Richemont, effective 1 June 2024.For the year ended 31 March 2024 (Richemont Group’s financial year starts on 1 April), the company reports sales up 3% at actual exchange rates and 8% at constant exchange rates, driven mostly by its jewellery brands and retail, each representing 69% of the group’s sales. The revenues of

First Look: The new Chopard L.U.C Qualite Fleurier in Lucent Steel
A compact, elegant, and sublimely discreet L.U.C Qualite Fleurier heralds two firsts for Chopard. It is the first watch to receive the coveted seal since Chopard became the sole guardian of the Qualite Fleurier Foundation in 2022, and it is also the first watch of this elite family to be made in Lucent Steel.The Qualite Fleurier Certification was created in the early 2000s by three high-end Fleurier manufactures – Parmigiani Fleurier, Bovet and Chopard. It differs from the COSC or Geneva Seal because it evaluates the whole watch, from the quality of the finishing to the accuracy and from the assembly to the durability and reliability of a model. One of the most rigorous certifications in the industry, to obtain the Qualite Fleurier seal, the watch must have first passed the COSC chronometer certification, and the head of the watch (not including the bracelet or buckle) must be 100% Swiss-made. Following the withdrawal of three Maisons from its advisory board, Chopard became the s

Recap - The Entire "Speedmaster Chronicles" Series and a Comprehensive Speedmaster Timeline - Monochrome Watches
Recently, we had the pleasure to publish what has been one of our most demanding projects of the year, “The Speedmaster Chronicles”. We wanted to celebrate an icon of the watchmaking world, a watch that is known by most of us, a watch that carries an immense history, a watch that made it to the moon and, overall, a dream machine. You name it: the Omega Speedmaster. 5 movies, 5 guests, 5 points of views, all with a personal look at the Speedy. Today, we wanted to recap this series of videos in one single article, and also to bring a comprehensive and user-friendly?Speedmaster Timeline, looking back at the main models and the evolution of this watch from 1957 to today.This project started with a simple idea: how to celebrate the 60th-anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster, in our own way, with our own perspective and with a unique approach. The idea, which we created together with Omega, was to have a look at all main aspects of the watch, through the eyes of those who have exp

A Day at the Races: with Tudor at the Historic Grand Prix in Zandvoort - Monochrome Watches
Cars and watches, a great combination, and this combi?comes with a very legitimate historical background. For the second year Tudor was sponsor of the Historic Grand Prix in Zandvoort and we got the chance to enjoy a great day with them in the Paddock Club, and of course strolling through the paddock to see so many awe-inspiring cars. From pre World War II cars, to recent Formula 1 race cars, from heavily tuned Mini Coopers, to dozens of vintage BMW 2002Ti’s and CSL’s, a marvellous Ferrari 250GT, many AC Cobras, and even a Shelby Daytona! And they all raced like the devil was chasing them. Old or not, these cars raced like crazy. We got to enjoy the best of two very interesting worlds: cars and watches!?As you’re probably well aware off, watches used to be purpose build mechanisms. As of the early 1900’s the watch, until then worn in a small vest pocket, and attached to a chain, slowly found their way to the wrist. And since cars also emerged around that time, m

Panerai Luminor Chrono Monopulsante GMT Blu Notte PAM01135 Hands-on
With its Monopusher chronograph, Panerai managed to integrate the chronograph function into its powerful Luminor design in a rather elegant way. This distinctively Panerai take on the chronograph is now released in a 200-piece limited edition combining a black ceramic case and a deep blue sandwich dial. Meet the Panerai Luminor Chrono Monopulsante GMT Blu Notte PAM01135.This new limited-edition chronograph is presented in a matte black, sandblasted ceramic Luminor case. The single-push piece to start, stop and reset the chronograph is located at 8 o'clock, creating a counterpoint to the signature crown protecting device. The imposing 44mm x 19.55mm case is fitted with a deep blue dial with a sunburst finish. A sandwich construction, it features Arabic numerals and indexes in white Super-LumiNova with green luminescence. The watch is water resistance is rated at 100m. Ad - Scroll to continue with article