Breitling to Leave Baselworld 2020, Tudor to Have its Own Booth - Monochrome Watches
Baselworld has been through difficult times recently, drawing criticism and seeing more than half of the exhibiting brands leaving the show. The main announcement was, of course, when Nick Hayek decided that the whole Swatch Group was leaving the 2019 Edition – which we now know to be a definitive decision. While the 2019 edition was certainly better than some expected, the situation remains uncertain for the show, which sees yet another big brand leaving Baselworld 2020: Breitling.In a press release sent earlier this morning, Breitling, in the words of its CEO Georges Kern, explains that the brand will “concentrate on (its) global Summit format with subsequent local roadshows in 2020“. The main reason for leaving Baselworld has to do with the new timing of the show, which will now occur just after the SIHH, from 30 April to 5 May 2020 – dates that “cannot be reconciled with our scheduling,” says Kern. The new format allows for more flexibility and p

Introducing the new IWC Big Pilot's Watch IW500912 - Specs and Price - Monochrome Watches
It’s already 14 years ago since IWC revived the now iconic Big Pilot’s Watch and this year they treat us on a new and improved version: the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch IW500912. Moreover, IWC also launches three more Big Pilot’s Watch models, being the Big Pilot’s Watch Spitfire (ref. IW500917) in 18k red gold, the Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun (ref. IW502001) in black ceramic and the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition ‘Le Petit Prince’ (ref. IW500916) that comes with its unmistakable, and striking, blue dial. Let’s take a closer look at the new & improved IWC Big Pilot’s Watch and its siblings.?Before we dive into all details, let’s have a look back at the very reason d’etre of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch. To learn more we have to look back at the years before World War II and the so-called B-Uhren, which is an abbreviation for Beobachtungsuhren. This name translates to English as ‘observation watch’, and t

Chopard Mille Miglia Bamford Edition (Specs & Price)
As the official timekeeper and partner of the classic Italian 1000 Miglia car race since 1988, Chopard releases new sports watches every year to celebrate this longstanding partnership. The 2021 edition of the Mille Miglia took place in June, and as is customary, Chopard's co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was behind the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with racing legend and close friend Jacky Ickx. Two Mille Miglia 2021 Race Edition Chronographs were launched just ahead of the race, and earlier this month, Chopard unveiled a special Mille Miglia model customised by Bamford Watch Department. George Bamford, founder of the London-based customisation firm, shares Scheufele's passion for cars and watches and the collaboration was a perfect fit. Chopard's first customised Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph gets the signature Bamford makeover with matte black surfaces and bright shots of orange for contrast.Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and George BamfordAlthough Bamford Watch Department wa

Exhibition - Swatch Group Baselworld 2017 Novelties To Be Displayed at Tourbillon Boutique, Amsterdam - Monochrome Watches
We, watch journalists, are privileged, as we get to see all the novelties of the year to come at Baselworld. Of course, we try hard to cover these watches in this magazine, so you can have an instant and extensive view on the new watches that exhibitors have to show. However, nothing is worth a live view and a touch-and-feel experience. And that’s exactly what you’ll be able to do… Indeed, the Tourbillon Boutique in Amsterdam offer you the opportunity to discover a selection of Baselworld 2017 novelties from Blancpain, Breguet, Jaquet Droz, Glashutte Original and Omega, starting on Thursday May 4th.The Tourbillon Boutique in Amsterdam is the home of Swatch Group’s fine watchmaking brands, including Blancpain, Breguet, Jaquet Droz, Glashutte Original and Omega – clearly, a pretty interesting selection. From May 4th to May 7th, the multi-brand boutique will host an exhibition displaying a selection of new models from these 5 brands, introduced at?Baselworld

Hands-On - Oris Divers Sixty Five Bi-Colour 'Bico' Steel-and-Bronze Bracelet (Specs & Price)
We often hear that trends are an endlessly repetitive cycle. They come, they go and then they come back again. And, like or not, watchmaking cannot escape trends. Look at the array of luxury sports watches or gradient dials introduced recently. So what are the main trends for 2019? One one side we have two-tone watches (even on instrument watches) and on the other side, bronze cases. And what if both were reunited in a single watch? Oris did it, with the Divers Sixty-Five Bi-Colour or “Bico” – and that includes the bracelet too.Who could have thought that two-tone would become cool again? If you would have asked me five years ago about the return of two-tone steel-and-gold watches, my answer would have been “no way, mate!” (and I would have been one among a thousand to answer that). Two-tone used to be the opposite of cool, the perfect definition of outdated – and not the nice kind of outdated. But… Things have changed and the repetitive cycle