Where does the name of your favorite watch brands come from? - Monochrome Watches
Ever wonder how watch brands?got their name? Some are pretty straight forward; some others are more obscure. With hundreds of past and present watch companies, what?has been the inspiration from watchmakers to find names? Some simply follow the name of their founder, other went for anagrams, and some for hidden meanings Here is a (non-exhaustive) horological meandering through the mechanics of watch brands' names.Founder – Breguet. The need to envelop watches in a form of a brand, founded on the symbolism of a person, led very early to the use of patronyms, in particular eponymous brands that take the name of their founder (even if decades ago the notion of brand itself was totally different from what it is today). What a better example than one of the greatest horologists of all times to illustrate this? The fame of Abraham Louis Breguet was such that his name inspired the greatest writers of his century – ?Stendhal, Pouchkine, Merimee, Balzac or Dumas to name a few.

OPINION - Joining Forces For The Best? The Tudor / Breitling Mechanical Alliance
Prior to Baselworld 2017, at their annual pre-Basel event, Tudor unveiled the new Black Bay Chronograph. The first thought of?the crowd of journalists present (us included) was?“in-house chronograph movement!” The excitement lasted for less than 5 minutes however, as the announcement was quickly followed?by?the official disclaimer. Indeed, despite the?“MT” nomenclature, this movement is not produced by Tudor, but rather by Breitling, which soon after, announced the launch of a?new 3-hand movement, based on a… Tudor calibre. The question is, is this a good thing or not? It looks like?we’re going to find out with the new Tudor / Breitling alliance.The “in-house” debateBefore going into the details of this recently announced?Tudor / Breitling Mechanical Alliance, it’s worth taking a look back at the notion of “in-house” or “manufacture”, which has been one of the main trends of the last 10 / 15 years. Prior to t

Pre-SIHH 2017 - IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
It has become sort of a tradition for IWC now. Each year, when the SIHH is about to open, we all know that the Schaffhausen-based manufacture will come with an entirely revisited collection. After the 2016 Pilot’s Watches, the 2015 Portugeisers, the 2014 Aquatimers and the 2013 Ingenieurs, it’s now time to revamp the other collection, a range of watches that might not be the most popular among a large audience: the?Da Vinci. An icon of the 1980s, this watch has since seen many variations, being even dressed in tonneau-shaped case. For the SIHH 2017, IWC goes back to the roots of the collection and, to?open the festivities, introduces the flagship version: the?IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph.With the new Da Vinci collection, IWC Schaffhausen has returned to the round case that was so successfully established by the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar in 1985. It means we are bidding farewell to the tonneau case and reafirming our commitment to the classic proportions the

IWC Mark XII Saab Limited Edition on the Day that Saab Starts Production Again - Monochrome Watches
When I wrote about the IWC Mark XII Saab ‘Mellow Yellow’ a few years ago, nobody could have suspected that Saab would start up production again. Well, today they started up production in the Saab factories in Trollh?ttan, Sweden. As an avid Saab driver, this makes a perfectly good reason to celebrate this with my own IWC Mark XII Saab.As an avid Saab driver – I’ve owned quite a few 900 classics and several 9-3’s – I couldn’t resist when I saw a used IWC Mark XII Saab for sale, earlier this year. I had actually been looking for one for several years, but as these things go, available budget and a good one, complete with all boxes and papers, for sale, somehow never “aligned”. As I previously wrote, that watch could well become the only Saab that holds its value and when looking at today’s market prices it looks like my prediction is still correct. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

The Eye-Catching Panda Edition of Frederique Constant's Highlife Chronograph - Monochrome Watches
Determined to shed its image as a brand limited to formal, classically inspired watches, Frederique Constant plunged into the luxury sports watch pool two years ago with its Highlife collection. Something definitely clicked because the brand’s more contemporary and sporty Highlife collection is driving sales noticeably. Represented by complications large and small, the Highlife finally received a chronograph last month. Presented in three flavours, the panda model with blue sub-dials and a silvery dial is fast on its way to becoming the most sought-after member of the family. Demonstrating the brand's fresher, more contemporary direction, the hip French deep house and electro DJ, The Avener, promoted the panda model. Let's take a closer look.GenesisLike many brands, Frederique Constant's Highlife collection of 2020 didn't pop up out of the blue and can trace its family tree to the Highlife models of 1999. Although I find it hard to detect any similarities between the old and new,