Recap - The Best Watches Introduced by AUDEMARS PIGUET in 2021
In a year of transition and of mild creativity, many luxury brands have played on the safe side and released only minor new models, or simply evolutions of existing watches. Think new colours, new materials, the addition of complications, but not much was groundbreakingly new. Yet, in these days of conservatism, some brands have shown audacity and haven’t held back their launch schedule. Among them was Audemars Piguet, which has clearly been on the active side of things this year. And new models are to be seen in every collection, from the classic Royal Oak to Code 11.59, but the focus of the year has certainly been the Royal Oak Offshore range, with evolutions to be seen all over the place. Here are what the MONOCHROME team thinks are the most notable new models of Audemars Piguet in 2021.Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202PT Smoked GreenOne of the first watches launched by Audemars Piguet in 2021, this smoked green RO Jumbo in platinum might also be one of the most

Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377 - Hands-on with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches
Recently, Breguet sent a reminder to the world: the manufacture had always been involved into innovation and will always be. This reminder came in early November 2014, as Breguet won the much cherished top prize at the?Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve, a.k.a. the GPHG, with a superb and truly modern watch, the Classique Chronometrie 7727. Another Breguet?was nominated?(in the tourbillon?category), a timepiece?that shares the same innovative spirit, the?Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377. We had the chance to get our hands-on with this stunning timepiece.This watch may be extremely classical design-wise, it has to be seen as the pure definition of a Breguet. The visuals are indeed typically Breguet – fluted case, engine-turned dial, soldered lugs or?open-tipped blued hands are here – and so is?the movement. Just keep in mind that some of the greatest inventions in watchmaking are due to Abraham Louis Breguet: the tourbillon, the first wristwatch in

Longines 24-Hours Single Pusher Chronograph - Monochrome Watches
The Longines Heritage collection offers a great opportunity to own an affordable timepiece, that has many of the looks of important vintage timepieces, yet the reliability of a modern one. The new Longines 24-Hours Single Pusher Chronograph is clearly inspired by Longines’ longstanding history in dedicated pilot’s watches. Many of the Longines pilot watches from the Heritage collection have been covered by us before, however this is the first with a 24-hour dial.?Longines’ important role in the development of aviation watches is of important historical value and was of course covered extensively in our series about the History of the Pilot Watch (the very first pilot’s watch was however made by Cartier.) Especially the Longines Hour Angle Watch and the Weems Second-Setting Watch played an important role in the first days of aviation. Similarly, a large single pusher pocket watch chronograph, adapted to be worn on the wrist, also played an important historical ro

Fortis sends its manufacture calibre Werk 17 into the stratosphere
Field-testing is something we talk about regularly, but we rarely test a watch beyond normal, everyday use. Sure, on occasion, we send a dive watch into the depths of the ocean on the wrist of our resident diver, but that's about it. The (sad) reality is that most testing takes place in boring, sterile laboratories under very specific conditions. Yet, there's something immensely cool about pushing a watch, or movement for that matter, to the extreme in a real-world situation. Case in point, the Werk 17 manufacture chronograph calibre developed by Fortis. Closely tied to aviation and space in its own right, the brand has now sent a batch of this new manufacture movement into the stratosphere to see how the watches hold up.November 2021, Kiruna, Sweden. This location is home to the Esrange Space Centre, a facility used by the Swedish Space Corporation. Initially dedicated to scientific research on the Aurora Borealis phenomenon, it is now also used to launch helium balloons, rockets and

Weekly Watch Photo - Citizen Automatic Divers - Monochrome Watches
After a slow week I’m gonna start of the new week with a set of magnificent photos. Monochrome’s Weekly Watch Photo shows a watch that brings back memories, a Citizen Automatic Divers, my first watch with an automatic movement.?The Citizen Automatic Divers was specifically bought for vacations and served as reliable vacation watch on many occasions. The Citizen strapped on a NATO strap has joined me to great depths (at least to a max of 35-40 meters) and great heights.?The photographer,?Martin Krocil, shows us more of his amazing photos of his watches in water. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Martin Krocil has been collecting watches for more than 20 years and he has done this in a way that is familiar to many of us, buying, selling, trading and exchanging. He has always wondered how those beautiful watch photos (most people who frequent forums