The best stories from our Petrolhead Corner this year.
Our weekly episodic column known as the Petrolhead Corner started from the shared passion between several members of the MONOCHROME editorial team for all things car- and bike-related. We wanted to offer something else during the weekend, as a bit of a break from watches. This can be anything from classic cars and motorcycles to iconic drivers, restomods, or modern sports- and supercars. And with a new story coming at you every week, there’s plenty to look back on! So, just as we do with watches, we’ve gone over every instalment of the Petrolhead Corner to serve you up what we think are the coolest stories of the year!the lightweight Kamm 912CJust a couple of weeks ago we brought to you the Kamm 912C, a restomod from Hungary based on one of the most overlooked Porsche sportscars out there. Not a true 911 but a 912 instead (big difference!), this car was praised for its lower weight and better handling compared to its bigger and more popular brother. Once positioned to sit b

The 2022 Audemars Piguet Ceramic Complication Watches
Audemars Piguet has long demonstrated its ability to break the rules of classic haute horlogerie, using traditional complications and high-end, hand-finished movements of the highest level and encasing them in bold, polarising watches with a genuine contemporary approach to design. Today, the Le Brassus-based manufacturer presents a new collection that pushes the concept even further, using coloured ceramics to create contrast and to emphasise their bold designs. From a full-blue ceramic RO Perpetual Calendar to a futuristic green-toned ROC and no fewer than three different highly complex Code 11.59 models, they all show impressive modernity and yet respect for the high-end watchmaking we’ve come to love.?The Full-Blue Ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual CalendarThe first in line in this new sub-collection of high-end ceramic watches is a bold one. A truly surprising and polarising watch with an unmistakable colour. Indeed, Audemars Piguet presents a new version of its Royal Oak Perpetua

SIHH 2015 - Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic - 47mm PAM00616 (specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches
Panerai's roots are military, supplying diving watches to the Italian military during WWII. From this year's Mare Nostrum to last year's chronographs like the Radiomir 1940, the company extends the utility of its DNA into high-end watches. This year's Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic, a mouthful to say, is no exception. The Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Day models are identifiable by the peg markings on the uni-directional bezel, which is based on a 1956 design made for the Egyptian Navy. Other models come in Titanium, and this year introduces the composite material Carbotech, which not only reduces the weight of the 47mm watch, but also makes each one unique.No two Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech?watches look the same because the Carbotech process produces varying aesthetic results. The end result is a historic military design using space age materials, a fusion of past and future, a one-of-a-kind watch that is immediately identifiable as Panerai.?Carbotech,

Elka Watches Vintage-Inspired Models on Kickstarter
There are dozens of watch-related projects launched on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms every month, with more or less interest. Sometimes, we stumble across something cool, nicely executed and with a captivating background, something like this; Elka Watches. A new brand built on a historic, defunct name, the idea of its founder was to bring back the flair of the 1960s with modernised specifications, attention to details and appealing designs. With two collections under its sleeve, let’s look at the retro-styled models launched by Elka Watches and now available for orders on Kickstarter.Elka Watches, the contemporary brand we’re looking at today, will probably remind some of an old company. Yet, as explained by the brand, “our brand of 2022 has no connection with the defunct Amsterdam brand. We just wanted to pay a tribute to the old Dutch brand with our first 2 models.” About the historic Elka name, it was founded in Amsterdam in 1877 by Eliazer Kie

Introducing: Mathey-Tissot x Massena LAB Chronograph ¡®68
The trend for collaboration watches is expanding exponentially across all segments of watchmaking. A precursor in the field, Massena LAB is back with its fourth collaboration watch produced with Mathey-Tissot. This joint effort results in a late 1960s-style tri-compax chronograph with brightly coloured sub-dials to evoke the mood of the Swinging Sixties.William Massena certainly knew what he was doing and what he wanted when he founded Massena LAB in 2018. A well-known and highly influential figure in the hallowed halls of horology, William Massena cut his teeth as a collector and retailer with stores in New York and Miami before becoming COO of Antiquorum in Geneva and then moderator and MD of TimeZone’s popular forum. Considered an all-round industry expert, his vision for Massena LAB is to encourage collaborations with renowned watchmakers to produce original content, resulting in refreshing collaborations with brands, including Habring, MB&F, Louis Erard, Unimatic and Min