Announcing - Watch the GPHG 2021 Tonight, Live on MONOCHROME
Tonight, as every year, is the celebration of watchmaking, watchmakers and watches in general It is the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (or GPHG 2021) – the Oscars of the watchmaking industry. Several categories are represented (ladies, men, complicated and even affordable watches) and the best watches of the year will be awarded the coveted Golden Hand prize - and of course, the prize we're all waiting for, the Aiguille d'Or or the best of the show, celebrating the best watch introduced in 2021. As MONOCHROME is one of the official press partners of the show, we'll be broadcasting the event live from 06:30 PM (Europe Time) tonight. Stay tuned on MONOCHROME!As a reminder, here's the complete list of the GPHG 2021 finalists.Ladies’ Armin Strom Lady Beat Manufacture Edition White Bovet 1822 Miss Audrey Sweet Art Chanel Mademoiselle J12 Acte II watch Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Se?le?ne Rose Gold White Mop 33 mm Piaget Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow Van Cleef & Arpels Alh

Cartier, Shaping Elegance - The History of Cartier through Shaped Watches - Monochrome Watches
Jeweller-watchmaker or watchmaker-jeweller, Cartier excels in both. From this rich tradition, and as evidenced again recently with the introduction of the Drive, the Parisian Maison has drawn an unrivalled legacy in creating fascinating shaped watches. MONOCHROME brings together some of the most iconic Cartier masterpieces born from a unique perception of masculine elegance: sheer dandyism and the mastery of shapes.The first mention of a watch in the Cartier records dates back to 1853. The creation of pocket watches, chatelaines, table clocks, mystery clocks and other horological objets de vertu quickly became one of the most important activities for Cartier. At the beginning of the 20th century, watches started to be worn on the wrist – first for military use, before fashion spread, in particular after the Boer war and even more after WWI. Cartier is intimately associated with the migration of the watch from the pocket to the wrist. The first wristwatch created by Cartier, in 19

5 Questions for Guillaume T¨ºtu, COO of Ralph Lauren Watches
In 2009, a new brand made its debut to the SIHH, the?Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co, a joint venture between the iconic lifestyle?brand and the Richemont Group, the watchmaking giant. Yet, the path?has not been simple and after several?unclear collections and hesitations in positioning the brand, the?brand was absent from the SIHH 2016. Though,?this was not the end of the story. New?teams,?repositioning of the collections,?appointment of industry?veteran?Guillaume T¨ºtu, first as?Product Development Director and as COO since October, finally a discreet comeback of the brand at the SIHH 2017. It was perfect timing for us to sit down with our long-time friend Guillaume and to understand his vision for the?Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co.Before we let Guillaume explains his vision and the strategy Ralph Lauren?wants to implement for its Watch and?Jewelry division, the big news (as reported by our colleagues Watchonista here) is that the brand will be officially back at?the SIHH in

News: IWC Ceralume, The First Fully Luminous Ceramic Watch
The use of luminescent materials on watches is far from new… Soon after the discovery of radium and its properties (and dangers…) by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, watch dials – markers, numerals and hands – have been coated with radium and then different substances (tritium, Super-LumiNova) to produce light in the dark. Fully luminous watch dials are a far more recent trend, and fully luminous watch cases are still a rarity that we only covered twice in this magazine – with Bell & Ross and Tockr. IWC, which has already shown its appeal for lume, now unveils Ceralume, a proprietary luminous ceramic technology and the first fully luminous ceramic watch… But don’t get crazy too soon, it is still a concept and isn’t commercialized.While the idea of a fully luminous watch case isn’t new, the difference with IWC is that the brand’s engineering division XPL has developed an unprecedented luminous ceramic compound – Bell &

Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 Mid-Size 36.5mm - Review (Specs & Price)
Recently, Vacheron Constantin unveiled a mid-size version of one of its most appealing watches, the desirable and highly original?Historiques American 1921. Yet, there’s something tricky with this watch, and it’s all about its name, and the size that is implied by this “mid-size” appellation. Such watches have always been complex in terms of market segmentation… Large feminine watch, smaller masculine timepiece? It often falls between two stools, but in the case of the?American 1921 Mid-Size, my decision is now clear… I needed to wear it and here’s what we (a unanimous decision from the Monochrome editorial team) think.Quick thoughts about “mid-size” watchesMid-size? What does this name imply? And why has this name been created? We have to go back to the mid-1970s when some of the high-end brands created their now iconic luxury sports watches – and that does also include Vacheron Constantin, with the ref. 222 (the predecessor