VIDEO - The Vacheron Constantin Overseas - Part 1, the Origins, the 222 and the Evolution of an Icon
In 1977, Vacheron Constantin, the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation, celebrated its 222nd anniversary. For this reason, the brand?decided to create a special watch, right in the middle of what was known as the “quartz crisis”. Swiss brands needed to reinvent themselves, making necessary and often, disruptive changes. This is when the Vacheron Constantin 222, a true luxury sports watch,?was born – a watch that would later become an icon under the name Overseas. In our latest series of videos, we talk with Christian Selmoni, the brand’s heritage and style director, about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas. Today, in this first part, we focus on the origins, which includes the 222 and the first generations of Overseas.The Vacheron Constantin Overseas is a topic we’ve explored several times here, at MONOCHROME, especially in this article, which looks at the whole history of the collection. The story of the Overseas starts with a watch named the 2

Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Grey Dial - Hands-On (Specs & Price)
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 Calendars and new grey-coloured dials. And of course, the price remains quite a lot lower than you might imagine.?Frederique Constant has always made understated watches but has always been out to make some noise in the world of horology. It fought hard against the almighty Swatch Group to maintain access to ETA movements and brazenly situated its manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, right next to the illustrious elders like Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept - The World's Thinnest Mechanical Watch Ever - Review
To follow with the video we just published, it is now time for us to go into all the details about what certainly is THE main technical achievement of the beginning of the year. Piaget smashes all previous records and unveils the ultra-lean 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept. What you see in front of you simply is the thinnest mechanical watch ever created… And by far. Ultra-thin redefined!BackgroundThe domain of a few specialist watchmakers, the creation of ultra-thin watches is a challenging art uniting elegance and the most precise horological technology. It requires a focus on the essentials while working with the most extreme tolerances.Piaget started life as a watchmaker. Edouard Piaget set up his workshop in 1874 in La Cote-aux-Fees, a small village in the Jura Mountains. Since then, the brand has cultivated a unique horological legacy, specializing in the crafting of ultra-thin watches. Following decades of investment on technical and aesthetic levels, Piaget's mastery of ult

The Archimedes by Milus, Now in Wild Green (Specs & Price)
The fluid-tight “compressor” or “super-compressor” technology was patented during the 1950s, by Ervin Piquerez SA, a famous watch case manufacturer from Bassecourt in the Swiss Jura. Cases equipped with this technology have given birth to iconic dive watches across many brands, including Jaeger-LeCoultre, Hamilton, Longines, or Bulova. The most famous “compressor” EPSA cases had a dual-crown style, one to wind the movement and set the time (and the date, if any), the other to operate the internal rotating bezel. This distinctive look remains highly popular with dive watch aficionados. Among the watches with such design is the Archimedes by Milus, a modern take on one of the brand's 1960s divers. The model is now presented in a cool green hue.One of the original Milus Archimedes that inspired the modern versionNamed upon the ancient Greek mathematician, physicist and inventor, famous for his principle applying on a body immersed in a fluid, the Archim

Tudor 2014 News - Or What Would Love To See At Baselworld 2014 - Monochrome Watches
A few days ago, we gave you our thoughts on what could be ’ offering of novelties at the upcoming Baselworld fair. Tudor, having been in the shadow of big brother for some decades, have been working on a rather successful come-back in the past years. While doesn’t dwell on the past, Tudor on the other hand did do that and resurrected brilliantly by using their past. And like its big brother, they guard their secrets and the only way to for us to get a glimpse of their future is to dream up our desired 2014 Tudor novelties. As said, Tudor has quite a crush on vintage, their own vintage models that is. And we join them in having a crush on Tudor models of yesteryear. Like the old Submariner Snowflake, the Sub Big Crown, and the Big Block chronograph. These models found their way into the current collection, as Tudor introduced quite a few vintage-inspired models in the past years. Just think of the Heritage Chrono (inspired by the Monte-Carlo), the Black Bay (inspired by