Introducing The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Baguette Sapphires
A year after its grand 50th-anniversary celebrations, Audemars Piguet releases a 41mm white gold edition of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph embellished with blue baguette-cut sapphires and light blue panda sub-dials. Corresponding to the latest design evolutions applied to the Royal Oak family last year, the spirit of Gerald Genta's 1972 Royal Oak lives on in tones of blue ticking to the sophisticated in-house integrated flyback chronograph movement. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26240BC with Sapphire?will be available exclusively in Japan from May 2023 before being released globally in July 2023.FaceliftThe facelift practised on the Royal Oak in 2022?– for the 37mm Selfwinding and 38mm and 41mm Selfwinding Chronographs?– was subtle and did not alter the iconic features of the watch. The tonneau-shaped case, octagonal bezel with eight screws, integrated bracelet and Tapisserie pattern on the dial were all respected. What it did involve, however, was a more

Hands-On - Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Pink Gold & Onyx
The fifth generation of the Laureato, the Girard-Perregaux's take on the luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet, was launched in 2017 as a permanent collection, following a limited edition model presented in 2016. This modern evolution of the model has turned the Laureato into the brand's best-selling collection. We are taking a closer look at one of the most luxurious iterations of the model, standing out for its attractive pink gold case and bracelet, complemented by a deep and exquisite black onyx dial. And to understand this model even better, we’ll also be recapping the model’s history.?The History of the Girard-Perregaux LaureatoThe Girard-Perregaux Laureato was one of the precursors of the luxury sports watch category and appeared in 1975, just three years after Audemars Piguet's trailblazing Royal Oak, and a year before the other icon, the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The brand's historian, Willy Schweizer, explains that the design with an octagonal bezel and t

Hands-On: Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition at Chasing Cancellara
Two years ago, Tudor announced its entry into the world of cycling, partnering with cycling legend Fabian Cancellara to create the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Tudor soon developed a special edition Black Bay Chrono Dark for the team, which we discovered during a training camp with the team in early 2023. Just a few weeks ago, on the occasion of the Giro d'Italia, Tudor presented its first commercially available cycling-themed watch, the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition, which we were fortunate enough to test for a few days. To give the watch the best possible chance to impress us, I even wore it in its natural environment during one of the most demanding one-day amateur cycling races in Switzerland, the 2024 Bern-Zermatt endurance event from the Chasing Cancellara series.The “Chasing Cancellara” endurance eventChasing Cancellara is an amateur cycling endurance event organised by Swiss cycling icon Fabian Cancellara, a double Olympic champion, multiple world champion, an

Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Premier 2021 Green Dial - Hands-On, Price
Gerald Charles, a brand founded by the late watch designer Gerald Genta in 2000, proposes a new iteration of the designer's famous Maestro 2006 timepiece. Renamed the Maestro 2.0 Premier 2021 Edition, the watch comes in an 18k rose gold case with a striking emerald green dial and matching rubber strap. Thinner than the 2020 Maestro Anniversary in steel, the latest time&date model is fitted with an ultra-thin customised Vaucher movement, and the case size has been reduced to 40mm. Limited to 25 pieces, the Maestro 2.0 Premier is a winning combination of luxury and sportiness in true Gerald Genta spirit.BackgroundThe name Gerald Charles might not be as familiar as Gerald Genta, but they belong to the same man. Gerald Charles Genta (1931-2011) has gone down in history as one of the most successful watch designers of the 20th century. The man behind icons like the AP Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL, and even the classic Bvlgari Bvlgari, in 2000 Gerald Genta

Announcement - "Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography" by Nicholas Foulkes - Available now via Patek.com - Monochrome Watches
Over the centuries some watch manufactures have grown to an almost mythical status, becoming legends, and not only among watch collectors. Their fame has transcended the circle of initiates to gain worldwide recognition. As always with legends however, there remains gray areas. One such example is Patek Philippe. Many have tried to shed light on the history of this Old Maison, inlcuding the Mono team (cf. Nautilus History) but the picture was always somehow incomplete. Now however you have the opportunity to know everything you ever wanted about Patek, with the launch of an official book characterised as the definitive history of the legendary Swiss manufacture. Introducing “Patek Philippe: The Authorized Biography” by Nicholas Foulkes – available?now via?Patek.com.Many of us know the outline of Patek Philippe's history: a manufacture created in 1839 by Polish watchmaker Antoine Norbert de Patek (1812-1877) who was subsequently joined by Adrien Philippe before the bra