GIVE AWAY: Five Books, Notebooks and Rollerballs by A. Lange & Sohne - Monochrome Watches
Time for the next give-away on Monochrome to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and this time we can give away 5 sets from A. Lange & Sohne. The beautiful German watch brand, who just launched the renewed Lange 1 Moonphase Day/Night, ?provided us with 5 x the book “Sign of the Times”, 5 x a Lange notebook and 5 rollerballs.?The book, written by Christoph Scheuring, is a historic novel inspired by the fascinating personality of Saxony's watchmaking pioneer, Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Quite a few books already covered his accomplishments, however little has been known about the first few years of his life so far. Lange grew up with foster parents who encouraged him in his ambitions and allowed him to study at the newly founded Royal Technical College, the precursor of what is now the University of Dresden. There, Lange was able to develop his scientific talents. Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, who was later appointed clockmaker to the court, quickly recognised the youngster

Pre-Baselworld 2019 - Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualite Fleurier (Specs & Price)
The XPS by Chopard has been one of the best examples of the modern, chic, ultra-thin watch for over 20 years now. Elegant, beautifully crafted with great mechanics, one could regret a certain lack of audacity in the design, with most of the pieces being quite minimalistic. While keeping the L.U.C codes alive, Chopard brings a fresher take on the model as a preview of Baselworld 2019. Meet the?Chopard L.U.C XPS Twist Qualite Fleurier – and indeed, it comes with a twist!The XPS is the direct descendant of the first?L.U.C watch introduced in 1996 with the ultra-thin, in-house calibre 1.96. A movement that is still used today, the calibre 1.96 has undergone various updates and multiple configurations, yet the base is the same. It was?the first calibre created by Chopard Manufacture in 1996 after Karl-Friedrich Scheufele initiated a programme to produce movements in-house in Fleurier. The first L.U.C branded watch was a discreet, gold-encased piece with an elegant guilloche dial and a

Buying Guide - Some of the Best Nautical-Inspired Watches of 2022
Dive watches, pilot’s watches, automotive-inspired watches, traveller’s watches… These might well be the categories of watches we most often cover on MONOCHROME. There’s one style of watch, inspired by the antique concept of the Marine Chronometer, that is somehow a bit more niche, but nevertheless often comes with a cool, summery elegance; the nautical-inspired watch. Meant to look good on land or on the deck of a boat, and in time for yachting or sailing season, we’ve decided to take a closer look at some of the best nautical-inspired watches available now on the market.The Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557The Marine collection is all about the exploration of the seas – well, considering its positioning now, it’s more about the exploration of the yacht-club. Nevertheless, it is directly inspired by the past of the brand – when A.L. Breguet was Chronometer-maker to the French Royal Navy – and is the brand’s vision of a sporty-ch

Hands-On Oris Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 36mm Bronze (Specs & Price)
It's no secret that smaller case sizes are back in a big way, which is something we're pretty pleased about here at MONOCHROME. A particular favourite is the new Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze?(also available in steel), which was introduced at Baselworld last month and boasts a gorgeous bronze case that measures just 36mm. This model came as somewhat of a surprise to us and so we were quite keen to see how this smaller diameter would wear on the wrist. Suffice to say we were not disappointed.Oris has a well-documented history in the world of aviation, having made its first pilot's pocket watch in the early 1910s. This was followed by the company's first pilot's wristwatch in 1917, and eventually the creation of the Oris Big Crown in 1938, which, as the name suggests, featured an oversized crown so that gloved airmen could adjust their watches quickly and easily. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

First Look: The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Blue 79210CNU
There’s already plenty said about the Black Bay collection and its effect on Tudor as a brand. Yes, it’s a gargantuan success and yes it’s home to countless iterations by now, and more will likely come further down the line. From its humble beginnings in 2012 with the release of the Black Bay Burgundy 79220R to bronze, silver and gold models, we’ve seen it all it seems. But surprisingly, Tudor has managed to keep the Black Bay’s momentum going by introducing new sizes, slightly changing its overall design (here’s looking at you Black Bay 54!) and adding a touch of complexity with GMTs and Chronographs. Recently though, they’ve perhaps launched the ‘freshest’ Black Bay in a long while, the Black Bay Ceramic Blue!This Black Bay Ceramic Blue is nothing really new under the sun as it’s mostly about the dial colour and of course the connection to the VCARB Formula 1 racing team. Early this year, Tudor announced it would enter the f