Concorso d'Eleganze Villa d'Este 2013 - Event Recap - Monochrome Watches
Earlier this year I was invited by A. Lange & Sohne to visit the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, in Italy. The Concorso d’Eleganza is one of the most prestigious classic car events in the world. Although I’m no total petrol head, I said yes and enjoyed a most wonderful trip and relished the sight of magnificent automobiles. I prepared for you a short and sweet event recap, with many photos of the most wonderful historic cars.The Concorso d’Eleganza is an?the elegance competition for classic and vintage cars, and it takes place in and around the beautiful Villa d’Este,?on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. It has been organized every single year, since 1929! Well, the Italians love beautiful cars. For the past ten years BMW is part of the organization and this year they introduced us on a new concept car, which was developed together with Pininfarina: the?BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Claude Sfeir, Philippe Dufour's Partner: How the 20th-Anniversary Simplicity will be Allocated (Spoiler, It's a Lottery) - Monochrome Watches
A few weeks ago, a Philippe Dufour Simplicity “20th Anniversary” was the highlight of the Phillips “Retrospective 2000-2020” Geneva auction. The watch – marked 00/20 – hammered for over CHF 1.3 million. Admittedly, Philippe Dufour is one of the most respected craftsmen of the industry, and his watches are regarded as the ultimate expression of traditional hand-finishing. The story doesn't end here, though. The introduction of the anniversary Simplicity watch was initiated with Claude Sfeir. One of the world's foremost watch collectors, a long-time friend and supporter of Philippe Dufour, Claude Sfeir is now his commercial partner. Believe it or not, since the news broke Sfeir received over 10,000 emails from potential buyers interested in acquiring one of the 20 limited-edition anniversary Simplicity watches. Ten have been allocated already, and the remaining ten will be distributed following a random draw (more information below). Like many notable

Patek Philippe Ref.5270/1R Gets the Midas Touch - Monochrome Watches
The combination of a chronograph and a perpetual calendar is the epitome of what Patek Philippe does best. This year we were regaled with not one but two 5270 references, one in platinum with a much-praised salmon-coloured dial and this rose gold model with an ebony dial. Dripping in 18k rose gold from head to toe, Patek's Ref. 5270/1R is as different from its platinum brother as chalk and cheese. With the same sophisticated in-house manual-winding movement as its sibling, the 5270/1R comes with a sumptuous rose gold bracelet with the QP correctors artfully hidden in the links.The King of ComplicationsThe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is considered by many as the pinnacle of Patek Philippe's watchmaking prowess and its first chapter was written in 1941 with the launch of legendary Ref. 1518. The first serially produced perpetual calendar with chronograph, Ref. 1518 was decades ahead of other brands. A holier than holy grail piece, the $11 million paid for a stainless steel 1518 model

First Look: The Ultra-Light Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air)
Switzerland might be landlocked, but Ulysse Nardin, a young watchmaker from Le Locle, consolidated his reputation by producing precision marine chronometers. By the 1870s, the manufacture supplied more than 50 navies and merchant marine companies with chronometers to calculate longitude at sea. These days, Ulysse Nardin plays on its marine heritage with its classical Marine collection and contemporary lineup of Divers. The brand's Diver X Skeleton collection defied logic with its robust diving credentials and radically skeletonised movement. Pushing the envelope, the latest Diver (Air) takes the concept to the extreme and is, according to the brand, the world's lightest mechanical dive watch. By combining high-tech materials and taking skeletonisation to even greater heights, the new Ulysse Nardin Diver (Air) weighs in at just 52 grams, including the strap. ?With their exposed mechanics, skeletonised watches are not usually pitched as sporty dive watches. Rowing against the tide, UN's

Carl F. Bucherer Manero PowerReserve - Full Review (live Pics, Specs & Price) - Monochrome Watches
Two years ago, in 2013, Carl F. Bucherer launched a new watch, the Manero PowerReserve, housing the in-house CFB A1011 movement. This manufacture movement is based on their highly appreciated and accurate automatic movement, calibre CFB A1000. The CFB A1011 features a date and day indication, an innovative shock absorbing system, a unique automatic winding system something that makes this watch rather unique), and a power reserve indicator. We just had the Carl F Bucherer Manero PowerReserve in for several weeks, to review it. In this report we share our findings after using/wearing the watch on a daily basis.Carl F. Bucherer? Who? Isn't that a retail store selling high-end watches?If you have ever been to one of Switzerlands' cities, such as Geneva, Lausanne, Zermatt, Zurich, St. Gallen, or St. Moritz (or Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and Vienna) you may have seen the stores of Bucherer. Bucherer sells many high-end watches, including A. Lange & Sohne, Parmigiani, H Moser&C