Patek Philippe Aquanaut - Complete History Part 1 (in-depth)
It's taken some time, but the Patek Philippe Aquanaut has become sought after by watch collectors – especially in steel (no surprises there). That will probably sound strange if you're relatively new to the world of high-end watches and are accustomed to seeing Aquanauts advertised at double retail. After all, based on the way the market is behaving now, it's hard to imagine these watches weren't always in red hot demand. The reality is a little different, however. In fact, the story of the Aquanaut by Patek Philippe is an interesting one. That's why we've put together this in-depth, two-part series on the history of the Aquanaut.In Part 1, we'll be talking about the origins of this collection, the environment in which it was conceived and launched, and how the design was influenced by the Nautilus. We'll also take a closer look at some of the key early models. There's a lot to cover but we hope you'll stick with us. In true MONOCHROME fashion, we've done our best to be as thorou

Buying Guide: 6 Unconventional Mechanical Watches
Even though the watch industry is often regarded as quite conventional, and focused on tradition and history, there is a far more forward-thinking side to it as well. People and brands that are not afraid of experimenting to bring never-before-seen stuff genuinely excites us. The resulting watches might not be to everyone’s liking, but you have to admire the audacity of some of these watches! With that in mind, this week’s Buying Guide is all about breaking with conformity and doing something others might have never thought possible!SpaceOne TelluriumSpaceOne is a fledgeling brand by Guillaume Laidet (Nivada, Excelsior Park, Vulcain) and independent watchmaker Theo Auffret. The Tellurium brings the cosmos to your wrist, as it accurately shows the relative positions of the sun, earth and moon in orbit. In addition, central hands tell time, and there’s a date and month indication. The movement uses a Soprod P024 as its base, with a patented module for the tellurium on t

Longines Spirit Green Dial Time-and-Date Watches
Introduced in mid-2020, the Longines Spirit collection was not only a highly important launch for the winged hourglass but also marked an entirely new line from the brand. Inspired by legendary aviators and explorers who rely on Longines watches and combining historical references with modern mechanics and contemporary codes, it is a more “mainstream” collection than the hardcore Heritage models, but still features multiple retro-inspired elements, as we’ve seen in our video review. Following the black, silver and blue inaugural versions, the brand enlarges the collection with the addition of the trendiest colour currently, green… Meet the new Longines Spirit Green Dial, available for the time-and-date models in 40mm and 42mm.The Longines Spirit is a collection of classic, nicely executed pilots-inspired watches – a speciality of the brand – with old-school design cues, contemporary execution and higher-end features. It isn’t a hardcore re-edit

Introducing: The Denim-Toned Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980G
One trend that has asserted itself at Patek Philippe this year is denim, or rather, the colour of blue jeans, appearing on the dials and straps of several novelties, like the Worldtime with Date and Aquanaut Travel Time. A much sought-after model, the Nautilus Flyback Chronograph 5980, was discontinued earlier this year. Much to the delight of collectors, Patek introduces a white gold version of the Nautilus Chronograph 5980G with a casual denim-textured strap and a matching denim-coloured dial.Launched in 1976, the Nautilus is part of the famous holy trinity of luxury sports watches. In 2006, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Gerald Genta's winning design for Patek, the Nautilus was fitted with an in-house chronograph complication (reference 5980/1A). Ad - Scroll to continue with article As a demonstration of Patek's ability to make complications user-fri

The Oris Williams FW41 Limited Edition Full Carbon - Monochrome Watches
For the last 15 years, Oris and Williams F1 have been enjoying a mutually beneficial union. As the world-renowned Formula 1 team's official watch partner, Oris periodically releases special edition models to celebrate significant milestones for the team. A perfect example is the recently launched Martini Racing Limited Edition Chronograph, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Martini Racing Team, Williams' principal sponsor. Now, another special edition joins the line-up; the Oris Williams FW41 Limited Edition.Unless you're a hardcore F1 fan, it's probably not immediately obvious what significant Williams F1 milestone this watch is celebrating. FW41 is the name of William's 2018 Formula 1 car, which was officially launched back in February of this year. It's also the first car that Williams’ chief technical officer Paddy Lowe and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer have been involved with from the start. They only joined the team at the beginning of last year. Ad -