SPOTTED: Prototype AP Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon in STAINLESS STEEL - Monochrome Watches
Admit it, we all do it. Trying to find out what other people have strapped to their wrist while we are on the go, or at a party of some sort. Oogling, if you will. Perhaps the place to be oogling ones wrist, without coming across like a total creep, is a watch fair! During the recent storm of novelties coming out of the SIHH, we spotted a very special one-off: a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Skeleton Tourbillon. STEEL PROTOTYPE!Obviously, the Royal Oak family needs no introduction, but we'll run down the important bits nonetheless. Ever since the first model(ref. 5402ST), designed by Gerald Genta back in 1972, the Royal Oak has become synonymous with Audemars Piguet. It is the quintessential watch that saved the brand from bankruptcy. Its instantly recognizable shape, the octagonal bezel with hexagonal screws, the visible gasket in between, the often portrayed grande or petit tapisserie decoration on the dial and the iconic metal bracelet are just a few touches that have g

Where does the name of your favourite watch model come from? - Monochrome Watches
Ever wonder how watches got their names? A few weeks ago we told you about the brand names and their origin. Today we’re going to look at the watch model names. With hundreds of past and present watches, what has been the inspiration for watchmakers and brands to call them certain names? Some are pretty straight forward, other more obscure. Finding a great name is not an easy task and is often essential to the success of a new watch. It needs to fit within the brand’s universe, while also telling its own story. It needs to be relevant, easily pronounceable, memorable and discoverable (in particular for internet search engines today). Ideally this shall be valid in different languages and for different cultures. Lastly, with the purpose of legally protecting the product's name with a trademark application in class 14 (which includes jewellery and watches), brands need to make sure there is no infringement of an existing trademark. Monochrome looks at the back stories of some

Introducing: Zenith x Revolution Chronomaster Revival A3818 Cover Girl Carbon
Back in 2020, watch magazine Revolution introduced its first limited edition Zenith Chronomaster Revival, a watch with a bold dial layout inspired by a 1971 version of the legendary El Primero nicknamed the A3818 “Cover Girl”.?This first edition was made in steel and was followed in 2022 by?the Chronomaster Revival A3818 “Airweight Cover Girl” in titanium. Now, in order to top off the trilogy, both parties have decided to go even lighter, even bolder, with a version made of high-modulus carbon fibre, tipping the scales at just 55 grams. And it even includes a quite crazy-looking Gay Freres-inspired ladder-style carbon fibre bracelet… While the El Primero movement appeared in three models – A384, A385 and A386 – other important early adopters of the legendary calibres came on the market, including the rare reference A3818, one of the rarest El Primero references, with about 1,000 examples produced. This specific watch, kno

Baltic Aquascaphe Diver / Value Proposition Review (Specs & Price)
After successfully funding its first collection via Kickstarter, Baltic Watches has managed to stand the test of time and to survive this inaugural series of watches. Even better, the small concept became a brand and has started to expand its collection – and there are many more watches to come (but we can’t tell you yet…) Today, we look at what Etienne Malec has created as his second model, a great-looking, still accessible, no-nonsense tool dive watch with vintage inspiration; the Baltic Aquascaphe Diver.ConceptBaltic Watches is the brainchild of Etienne Malec, a young Frenchman who has inherited his father's passion for watches – something he shared with us already, some years ago. An avid collector, his father spent years putting together a collection of exceptional timepieces, some of which have inspired the designs of Baltic's first two models. Sadly though, Etienne's father passed away when Etienne was still quite young and so they were never able to trul

Oris Divers Sixty-Five Sunset Edition Steel and Bronze - Review, Price
Oris has been known for several decades for its robust instrument watches at fair prices. No doubt about that. More recently, the brand has also managed to infuse a dose of ‘cool’ to some of its creations replacing the rugged and functional aspects of some pieces (think about the Aquis) with a dash of charm and vintage inspiration. Thanks to two models, the Big Crown Pointer Date and the Divers Sixty-Five, this move has drastically improved the brand’s visibility and attractivity. Launched in 2015, the Divers Sixty-Five has been revisited in countless versions playing on different colours and materials. The latest addition to the collection, the Divers Sixty-Five “Sunset” Edition, mixes rich hues on the dial with bronze details on the case and bracelet.The success of the ’65For years, Oris focused its production mostly on instrumental, functional and ultra-robust sports watches. Nothing wrong with that, but this bias also implied that the brand was a