Drive de Cartier Extra Flat SIHH 2017 (Specs & Price)
Last year at SIHH 2016, Cartier unveiled a?new men’s?watch, the Drive, which received a lot of?praise?and attention here on Monochrome-Watches (see our?introductory article and review) thanks to?its great elegance and the way it mastered shapes. For us this is what Cartier is all about, a master of shapes and elegance, a brand that can create an unconventional watch that still looks brilliantly classy and understated. Still, for?us the Drive de Cartier always had?one issue; it’s size. It was just?a bit too thick and a bit too large. It seems our prayers have been answered though as this year at?SIHH 2017 the Drive de Cartier has been revamped and now comes in its best option so far, the Extra Flat Calibre 430MC.You see, a watch is not just a pencil line?on a sheet of paper. A watch is a 3 dimensional object that needs to be seen on the wrist, and more than its design, it’s the proportions of a watch that create a subtle, elegant and racy piece of watchmaking. The Driv

A Day with Jaeger-LeCoultre - Masterclass in Amsterdam - Monochrome Watches
Last month I had the pleasure of attending a Masterclass organized by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Several years ago I attended a similar Masterclass and now I was curious to see how much of my knowledge and “skills” remained.?The entire day was a lovely escape from any daily routine and very well organized, great place, great program, great food. And it gave much insight, again. Want to know how I did? Well, let me put it this way, after the Masterclass I respected watchmakers like I respect a good surgeon.?By the end of the day, we got to see many pieces from the current Jaeger-LeCoultre collection, so prepare for many wrist shots! Ad - Scroll to continue with article The Masterclass is something Jaeger-LeCoultre organizes for member of Le Club and people selected by Jaeger-LeCoultre dealers and their own boutiques. If you’re not a member of Le Club, th

Doxa SUB300 Sharkhunter Black Lung - the Second and Final Batch - Monochrome Watches
An icon among icons… This is how we would sum up the Doxa SUB300. Recently, the brand has revived its most legendary model in multiple editions, starting with an almost 1-to-1 re-edition for the 50th anniversary, followed by specific “Aqualung” branded models in orange, silver or black – the so-called “Sharkhunter”. However, there was one major problem with them: they were all highly limited and quickly sold out. Today, Doxa announces the second and final batch of 100 pieces for the SUB300 Sharkhunter Black Lung… So you’d better be fast!The Doxa SUB300The concept of dive watches, as a professional tool, only appeared in the early 1950s, with the launch of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms?and the Submariner, both in 1953 and later followed by Omega with the Seamaster 300 and Seiko with the 62Mas in 1957. Doxa came on the market later though, although when it did, it was with a watch that would make quite an impression.Urs Eschle, one of the h

Louis Moinet Memoris ¡®Red Eclipse Chronograph Engraved Pink Gold - Hands-On (Specs & Price)
The Louis Moinet Memoris Red Eclipse' is an integrated, automatic, inverted mono-pusher chronograph with column-wheel. It was first presented in a limited edition at Baselworld 2016 to celebrate the bi-centenary of the Compteur de Tierce (1816-2016) by Louis Moinet. This complex chronograph, with all its mechanics visible on the dial, is now available in a richly engraved pink gold version. Let's take a closer look.The Louis Moinet Memoris was designed as a tribute to the creation of the astonishing Compteurs de Tierces and the astronomic observations of Louis Moinet. According to the markings on the case, this remarkable creation was designed in 1815-1816 ?to time the passage of the stars – it measures time intervals to the 60th of a second with start, stop and reset functions. To reach this impressive precision its balance wheel beats at an impressive 216,000 vibrations per hour. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

SIHH 2016: Introducing the Panerai Luminor 8-Days Set - Two Pre-Vend?me Inspired Collector's Models (Hands-on Photos and Price) - Monochrome Watches
The history of Panerai is probably well known, with its link to?the Italian navy, and in particular the frogman commandos of the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy. The Florentine watchmakers created timepieces for the Royal Italian Navy; in?1936 they created the very first ‘Radiomir’. In 1940 the Radiomir was slightly changed (now Radiomir 1940) and in 1950 the legendary Luminor 1950, with its iconic crown protection mechanism, was first created. Much can be said about Panerai’s history, however commercial success didn’t start until the, what we now call, the pre-Vend?me period. During this year’s SIHH Panerai introduces a set of two pre-Vend?me inspired watches, the Panerai Luminor 8-Days set.?Limited to only 500 examples, the?new Luminor 8 Days set of two watches inspired by these pre-Vend?me watches; to be precise, the so-called?Slytech models that sold in 1996. The pre-Vend?me era was from?1992-1997 and Panerai offered three colle