Introducing the IWC Portofino Midsize Collection and Three Portofino Automatics with Diamond-set Bezel (lots of live photos) - Monochrome Watches
At the Watches & Wonders fair that starts today in Hong Kong, IWC adds no less than 20 new models to the Portofino collection. There are seventeen new midsize models, all adorned with diamonds, and three new version of the 40mm Portofino Automatic, now in new 18K red or white gold and 72 diamonds set on the bezel. Most models come on beautiful hand-made leather Santoni straps, and two come on an extra fine Milanese mesh bracelet. And there are two models equipped with a second time zone and five with a moonphase. The Portofino collection just grew by 600%, from 4 models to 24. Last week we got an exclusive preview of the new Portofino models, before they were shipped to Hong Kong for the Watches & Wonders fair. This fair is becoming more and more important and we see more new models being presented especially for this fair, which is visited both by professionals as well as end-customers. Christiaan Knoop, IWC’s creative director, spoke to us about these new additions to t

Recap: The Best Luxury Sports Watches Of 2023
We’re all well aware how the luxury sports watch segment has exploded over the past few years. To the point, sadly, where the usual suspects have become unavailable and often subject to speculation. Luckily, though, affordable alternatives have penetrated the market, and even independent watchmakers have stepped up to meet demand. Although the market has calmed down a bit, the luxury sports watch remains one of the most popular segments in the industry. We’ve gone through all the new entries that were released this year and have narrowed it down to what we think are the five Best Luxury Sports Watches of 2023.From affordable entries to proper haute horlogerie watches, there’s something for everyone to enjoy when it comes to the luxury sports watch. The integrated sports watch design, pioneered by the late great Gerald Genta, hasn’t lost any of its appeal. On the contrary, the segment is booming with newcomers entering the fray. New collections often take a look

Buying Guide: Six Fascinating Tourbillon Watches
One of my most memorable experiences when tumbling down the mechanical watchmaking rabbit hole is handling my very first tourbillon watch. I had already been writing for MONOCHROME for a while when it happened, and I knew about the complication and its function, but I had never handled one in person. It was at the SIHH 2014 that I happened to spot a stainless steel prototype of the Audemars Piquet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon (ultimately done in platinum only). The experience of seeing one in action was absolutely mesmerizing to me, and I thought it would be fun to revisit the complication ten years on from that very moment. So with that little trip down memory lane in mind, here’s my personal selection of six of the most fascinating tourbillon watches I’ve recently come across.Chopard L.U.C. 1860 Flying TourbillonThe Chopard L.U.C. 1860 line is home to some of the finest dress watches on the market, with micro-rotor movements derived from the iconic Calib

Longines Skin Diver Watch - Vintage and New Face-to-Face
Not many people know that Longines does not consider itself a manufacture but a factory, and encourages everybody to call it a factory. It is surprising, but it perfectly matches the spirit that commands the Maison these days: high-quality mass production. Despite having a vast collection of movements, Longines only uses ETA calibres (often adjusted to their own specifications), which makes producing tens of thousands of watches a far easier task. That is the reason why the watches most celebrated by aficionados are those in which historic references are reinterpreted. Such is the case of the Longines Skin Diver Watch, a perfect recreation of the factory's first diver watch, born in 1959 - in the days when the company was still a manufacture.When reinterpretations such as this one appear on the market, there are always complaints.Why did they have to use fauxtina??is the classic comment. But in the case of the Longines Skin Diver Watch, the house of the winged hourglass has not actuall

Krayon Anywhere Sunset and Sunrise Watch (Review, Price)
First breaking on the indie watchmaking scene in 2017, Krayon and its founder Remi Maillat made a name for themselves with Everywhere, a mind-boggling complicated watch capable of computing sunrise and sunset hours for any location on Earth. The development received a well-deserved industry accolade with the Innovation Prize at the GPHG 2018 (the Oscars of watchmaking). The brand is back with the Krayon Anywhere, a second, simpler (relatively speaking) take on the same concept. It shows the length of the day together with the sunrise and sunset hours at the place of your choice.Krayon EverywhereAlthough quite rare, some watches can indicate sunrise and sunset times. These are manufactured for a given place, because the sunrise and sunset times follow an annual cycle varying according to the location. From a technical perspective, these watches are equipped with a mechanism driven by a cam that rotates once a year – for this reason, these are usually paired with other astronomical