Interview Wilhelm Schmid Lange Sohne on Managing Collectability and Demand
It is no secret that a large part of the watch industry is currently facing a rise in popularity, with a demand often surpassing the production capacity. While some have the ability to release more watches on the market, it's tempting for a few companies to benefit from this situation and to cap production and increase desirability. And for some, the situation is a bit more complex. Answering demand isn't always easy, specifically when talking about high-end, mostly hand-made watches. Production isn't a matter of machines, it's all about skilled people and their hands. With this situation in mind, we thought it was the perfect time for us to sit down with the CEO of A. Lange & Sohne, Mister Wilhelm Schmid, in order to understand what is the brand's strategy when it comes to managing demand, to find the right collectors, to avoid those who are in for the short run In short, to make sure that the few but handsome watches the Saxon brand is capable of manufacturing end up on the right

The Collector's Series - Peter Chong with his masterpiece, a Philippe Dufour Simplicity - Monochrome-Watches
When you speak to hardcore watch geeks, there is one name that consistently gets brought up in conversation.? Mr Philippe Dufour. There are very few owners of such watches and we're lucky enough to have one in the Collector's Series, in the name of Peter Chong, a true seasoned collector with certainly some of the most beautiful watches around. Peter founded Deployant with 2 other close friends in 2014 and runs the editorials. Last week we got to discuss what many would describe as their ultimate grail watch, the Philippe Dufour Simplicity.Peter Chong is a veteran watch collector. He has been an active commentator in the industry since the 1990. He founded the Lange Forum on Timezone.com in 1997, and continues to moderate the forum to this very day. He retired from an active commercial life in the aviation business in 2010 to write the book A. Lange & Sohne: The Pour le Merite Collection. The large coffee table book was published in 2011, and he decided to stay out of active commerc

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Black Sandblast-Polished Ceramic // Review
If you're looking for the modern equivalent of the Royal Oak, your search should start and finish with the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic. There, I said it. That might be a bitter pill to swallow for some watch collectors. After all, Bvlgari is (sadly and unjustifiably) still seen as a “jewellery” brand by some – but recent developments should prove them wrong. Regardless, the Octo Finissimo has repeatedly proven itself to be one of the defining watches of its generation. When others were playing it safe, Bvlgari's design team - led by the inimitable Fabrizio Buonamassa - chose to go for the kill. To create something different, and exciting, and well, beautiful. And the latest Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Black Sandblast-Polished Ceramic is here to show it. From the way it looks to the way it feels to the way it sits on the wrist, the Octo Finissimo is a watch we'll still be talking about 20, 30, even 40 years from now. Just like the Royal

Richemont "Destroys" More than EUR 450m of Unsold Watches in Two Years - Monochrome Watches
It is not ‘breaking news’ to say that the watch industry faced hard times in 2015 and 2016. Business had been tough due to decreasing sales. The Richemont Group – the luxury powerhouse that owns Cartier, IWC, and Montblanc among others – had also been affected by this situation,?as reported by MONOCHROME here. Part of Richemont’s plan to improve the situation was a massive buyback strategy designed to reduce stock at retailers and enable them to invest in new collections. What was not known, until recently, was the total value of watches bought back by the group… According to The Guardian, we’re talking about approximately half a billion Euro/Dollar.?The situation is simple. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, sales of watches declined, including watch brands that are part of the Richemont Group (A. Lange & Sohne, Baume et Mercier, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin, among others). This led

Hands-On - Jaeger LeCoultre Polaris Date 2018 ref. 9068670 (Specs & Price)
Right from the start of the SIHH 2018, we made sure that the new?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 2018 Collection was covered here, on MONOCHROME. Indeed, it represents one of the main novelties of the show and is an extremely important collection for JLC as its only true sports range of watches. And while the Memovox will certainly be the most desirable of them all, we want to show you another model that we consider the?cornerstone of the collection. Non-limited, relatively affordable but still vintage-inspired, let’s meet the?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date.Where does the collection come from? And why does it appear on the market now, not as a simple vintage re-edition, but as a complete collection? First of all, when your name is Jaeger-LeCoultre you can’t go too far in terms of technical looks, ruggedness or sportiness. In collector’s minds, JLC is a classic brand, with a certain elegance and a traditional design. Nothing too fancy, nothing too showy. Restrained and well ex