Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication Titanium - Monochrome Watches
When Audemars Piguet showed me the new Royal Oak automatic (ref. 15202) during the SIHH in January of this year, it was love at first sight. It doesn’t happen often that in the first paragraph I write “I WANT ONE”, however I did and I meant it. The result has been on my wrist since February of this year when I bought the 15202’s predecessor, a Royal Oak ref. 5402.?The Royal Oak Jumbo, as it’s kindly nicknamed by collectors, is the purest form of the Royal Oak. I think that pure and strong design makes it more difficult to successfully integrate other complications in this design or to change it. Still Audemars Piguet successfully re-created the a bigger and bolder version, named Royal Oak Offshore. Today Audemars Piguet presents a successful merger between the bad ass Royal Oak Offshore and the most impressive of all complications, the Grande Complication. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Buying Guide - The Best Dive Watches of 2021 by MONOCHROME
Dive watches are among the most popular models available on the market. Virtually all brands, with only rare exceptions, have embraced the concept and now propose an alternative to the classics that are the Submariner or the Seamaster. There’s a good reason behind this popularity, as dive watches, even though not used for the initial purpose, are perfect for weekends or holidays, and are no-brainer choices when it comes to a robust sports watch. This year certainly wasn’t the most prolific in this field, yet we’ve some pretty cool introductions. As part of the “best of 2021” series and following our buying guide on the best chronographs of 2021, here’s our selection of our favourite dive watches launched this year.Editor's note: this list reflects the preferences of MONOCHROME's editorial team and results from an internal vote. This list is, of course, non-exhaustive and remains subjective. If there are other dive watches launched in 2021 that made a

Oris Aquis Date with new colors to perform in the deep (specs & price) - Monochrome Watches
When you have the concept of a rugged and functional dive watch in mind, with great quality and for a relatively affordable price, the Oris Aquis Date has to be on your wish-list. No debate, this watch is good for what it has been designed for – and it’s also a pleasant watch on a daily basis (even professional divers spend some time on land…). Although we thought it to perform well, it seems that Oris had some improvements to make, and this year, they add 2 new colors and dials designed to perform in the hostile conditions found deep underwater.Underwater, the notion of color has to be seen on a completely different level. For instance, red, which is a bright and highly visible color on earth, totally disappear when underwater, and at just 5m down to the sea. On the other hand, some other colors, like blue for instance, remain?highly visible, even at 200m. Aware of this issue, Oris looked at how they could make a diver's watch as legible and therefore as safe as poss

First Look: The New, Elegant Baltic Prismic Collection
A still relatively young brand that has always infused vintage flair in its watches, Baltic and its founder, Etienne Malec, have a keen eye for design and retro charm. Whether it’s a classic dive watch, a pair of sector dial watches with stepped bezels, a chronograph for classic car racing or a Calatrava-styled watch that caused a stir, there’s undeniable desirability in what are still fairly accessible watches. Following the recent Hermetique Tourer and its tool-watch vibe, the brand goes back to elegance with a watch that marks a step up in refinement and execution. Meet the slightly groovy, retro-chic Baltic Prismic collection.?Whether sporty or dressy, there’s always a clear retro inspiration in Baltic’s watches. We’ve seen classic 1960s dive watches, appealing 1930s Calatrava styles, 1940s-inspired sector dials or chronographs modelled after the golden era of motorsport. With the Prismic Collection, Baltic returns to more elegant watches, which are &#

SwatchPAY! Will Make Watches Useful Again - Opinion
Here, at MONOCHROME, we adore watches. Mechanical, high-end watches, hand-finished. We're not really the right platform to write about smartwatches, or even quartz watches – this is our editorial choice, and we'll stick to that. But last week, Swatch introduced SwatchPAY!, and that is a big innovation. I actually believe that this new introduction could, in fact, change how a new generation looks at watches. Do you agree?About two and a half years ago, I spoke to Peter Stas, CEO of Frederique Constant. They had just released their Horological Smartwatch and we talked about the usability of smartwatches. I argued that smartwatches needed more functionalities that would make everyday life easier. Like adding an NFC – or Near Field Communication – chip for contactless payments. This chip is about a square millimetre small and is also implemented in your bank card, allowing you to do contactless payments. Stas nodded, and had his answer ready, as he always has: “I k