Buying Guide - The Most Sought-After Royal Oak Models in Collection - And the Sad Reality of the Market
After we look at the most desirable models in and Patek Philippe catalogues, and the reality of the market – understand, the premium you’ll have to pay to get your hands on these watches, without waiting for years – it is time to go full circle and to give an end to the speculation story… And that means looking at THE watch that actually started it all, the watch that, back in 1972, created the trend for luxury sports watches, so-to-say today’s hottest watch category; the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, of course. So here are the most sought-after Audemars Piguet watches in collection – all being Royal Oak models – and the reality of what you’ll need to pay if you want one, right now.?The 15202ST might not suffer the same insane premium as a 5711 but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to get one (and not cheap either)You must know the deal… Back in 1972, a man named Gerald Genta went to see a certain watch manufacture, part of the

Interview - Guy Bove On The New TAG Heuer Watches for 2022
Guy Bove has been the Creative Director of TAG Heuer for some three years now after working for several brands, including Breitling, the Chopard group and IWC… We took the opportunity of his presence at Watches and Wonders 2022 to sit down with him and learn more about the brand's latest creations.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Guy, thanks for having us. What is the underlying theme for TAG Heuer at Watches and Wonders 2022? How is it translated into the brand's novelties? Ad - Scroll to continue with article Guy Bove, Creative Director of TAG Heuer – For 2022, we are working on three themes. One is innovation, one is quality, and the third is durability. In general, when you look at each model, you'll tend to see all three themes innovation on materials or on technology, quality where, hopefully, you'll notice that we are really working on creatin

First Look: The 2mm Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is the new Worlds Thinnest Tourbillon
One field of expertise immediately comes to mind when thinking about Piaget: the art of crafting ultra-thin watches. Throughout its history, the brand has become synonymous with legendary calibres, such as the 2mm thin 9P introduced in 1957 and the 2.3mm thin 12P micro-rotor movement unveiled in 1960. Approximately a decade ago, the groundbreaking 900P heralded a radical reengineering of watch architecture, seamlessly fusing the mainplate with the caseback. This innovation laid the groundwork for the creation of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, unveiled in 2018 at a mere 2mm thickness, making it the thinnest mechanical watch ever produced at the time. As the brand celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2024, a milestone to mark that date was to be expected. The latest iteration of the AUC, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, retains its remarkable 2mm profile, a hallmark of its predecessors. However, it now boasts the addition of a tourbillon, making it the thinnest tourbillon watch

Introducing: Chopard L.U.C Strike One White Gold/Green Dial
In 2016, with a crystal-clear sound, Chopard announced the launch of its L.U.C Full Strike minute repeater, introducing an exciting solution featuring a sapphire gong directly attached to the crystal. This departure from the conventional metal segment gongs, which vibrate around the movement to produce sound, marked a significant step for Chopard. Beyond its innovative sound mechanism, the L.U.C Full Strike boasted several remarkable features and a complex design. However, another chiming watch from the brand needs to be mentioned, a slightly simpler but nevertheless exquisite one, the Chopard L.U.C Strike One, which now comes in white gold with a green dial for Dubai Watch Week.However, Chopard’s journey into striking watches predates the L.U.C Full Strike. In 2006, the Fleurier-based manufacture introduced the Strike One with the passing of hours acoustic complication, commemorating its 10th anniversary. This timepiece featured the in-house Calibre 96.14-L, showcasing a visible

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