VIDEO - The 2019 Bvlgari collection explained by CEO Jean-Christophe Babin
The reputation of Bvlgari as a watchmaker is no longer under discussion. For the past five years, the brand has been hyperactive, especially in the field of ultra-thin pieces – which, even though we’re talking miniaturisation and not complications, certainly is one of the most complex fields of expertise in this industry. Today, thanks to this interview with CEO?Jean-Christophe Babin, we have the opportunity to offer you a preview of the 2019 collection that Bvlgari will introduce throughout the year. And once again, there are some pretty interesting things to discover.First, ultra-thin, which has been the main field of action for the brand recently, is still at the forefront but combined with the use of exotic materials – something that Bvlgari was famous for in the jewellery sector and that is now applied to watchmaking. As a result, in 2019 Bvlgari presents the ultra-ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon (the thinnest automatic watch in the world…) i

Swatch Group Reports 2019 Sales Down -1.8% at Constant Exchange Rates - Monochrome Watches
Following the announcements by the Swiss Watch Federation with slightly growing export numbers and record results by LVMH for the year ended December 31st, Swatch Group has just announced its 2019 results, which aren’t as positive as its competitors and the whole market.?At CHF 8,243 million, the group net sales are down 1.8% at constant exchange rates and down 2.7% at current rates. The operating result is down 11.4% at CHF 1,023 million.?Luxury brands have felt the impact of the complex situation in Hong Kong. The Chinese Special Administrative Region is the largest market for Swiss watch exports – about 12% of the total exports in 2019. Swatch Group comments that its performance was particularly affected by the situation. The drop in sales in Hong Kong for the second semester alone was approximately CHF 200 million. As a result, the profitability of the Swatch Group is down, with a net income of CHF 748 million, -13.7% to the previous year. Excluding Hong Kong, sales inc

Hands-On - The TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Orange Diver
TAG Heuer is adding a new flavour to the Aquaracer Professional 300 collection with a vibrant orange dial. Just like the latest models introduced last year, the watch was inspired by the reference 844 diver (with an orange dial in this case). The new design in 2021 was more refined than its predecessors, bringing a luxury tool watch for all occasions. The original reference 844 Orange Diver with a tangerine dial was introduced soon after the series launched in 1978 and has since been very popular with collectors. Vibrant orange is nothing new for TAG Heuer divers, but it's a desirable addition to this revamped series.?The stainless steel case is brushed and polished with a 43mm diameter. The 12-sided unidirectional rotating bezel has a black ceramic insert with contrasting white 60-minute Arabic numerals/marks and a detailed 15-minute scale. The triangular marker has Super-LumiNova with a blue glow. The signed crown screws down and is partially guarded by integrated case extensions, an

Oris Holstein Edition 2021 (Specs & Price)
On 1st June 1904, Oris was founded in the Swiss town of Holstein and named after a nearby brook. One hundred and seventeen years later, Oris equips its classic Big Crown Pointer Date model with a new in-house developed automatic movement known as Calibre 403. Sharing the same beefy five-day power reserve, impressive resilience to magnetism and ten-year warranty as the groundbreaking 2020 Calibre 400 automatic series, this particular calibre adds a small seconds counter and pointer date function. Although at first glance it is clearly a Big Crown Pointer Date, there are plenty of modifications to distinguish it as an anniversary model. Limited to 250 pieces, the 38mm steel Big Crown tones down the vintage vibe associated with this family and resorts to a more contemporary monochromatic palette with a grey dial, a new set of Arabic numerals and a sleeker smaller and sharper case silhouette.BackgroundThe Big Crown model started life as a pilot's watch in 1938 and featured an oversized cro

Roshan Martin Legende Tourbillon - Monochrome-Watches
Here, at Monochrome-Watches, we are used to see extreme horology and very high-end pieces. All with their own specificities, some brands as?Christophe Claret,?Greubel Forsey or Richard Mille had already impressed us with watches priced over half an million Euros / Dollars. We tried them, we played with them, we explained them to you because such a price has to be justified. Recently, we found a new brand, based in Montreux, Switzerland, that came to the world with an extra-thin tourbillon, the Roshan Martin Legende Tourbillon, priced over that symbolic ‘half-a-million’ step. Let’s see why!The first watch presented is an extra-thin tourbillon that takes inspiration in observatory watches, known for their accuracy and precision. The Roshan Martin Legende Tourbillon is entirely?designed, developed and produced in Switzerland, by a small group of people led by Roshan Martin, a young Swiss designer. The idea behind the brand and the collections is to ‘conceive the fi