Watches NEWS
Collector's Series - @nopstar83 and his Audemars Piguet 25734OR
Today we'll be talking with a collector from the other side of the world – that's the beauty of collecting these days, there are no borders anymore. His alias @Nopstar83 on Instagram may be familiar to you, since his posts of wristshots with (mainly) Audemars Piguet watches truly attract the attention! We spoke to the 38-year old watch fan, who works in IT in Singapore, about one of his favourite watches – an Audemars Piguet, as you'd expect from him, but not your typical Royal Oak. Instead, we'll be talking about a rare and very special watch, the Edward Piguet Ultra-thin Skeleton Quantieme Perpetuel in rose gold reference 25734OR.Frank Geelen, MONOCHROME – How did you get so interested in Audemars Piguet?@Nopstar83 – I got into luxury watches more than 10 years ago, in my first job in the IT industry. I started collecting other brands like TAG Heuer and Panerai, but once I held my first Audemars Piguet in my hands – back in 2009 – I knew there was
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm Ceramic Carolina Bucci
A 50th anniversary is a big deal, and Audemars Piguet is making hay while the sun shines. We've seen plenty of birthday treats this year, including the much-anticipated anniversary Jumbo, but nothing quite like this mesmerising full-black ceramic Royal Oak made with Italian jewellery designer Carolina Bucci. Marking her third collaboration with AP, Bucci is renowned by AP fans for her glistening Frosted Gold cases. For this latest project, Bucci puts away her hammer and dreams up a fascinating transformation of the iconic guilloche tapisserie design that Gerald Genta used on the maiden voyage of the Royal Oak in 1972. The unexpected and entirely on-trend face of the Royal Oak beguiles with an ever-changing iridescent rainbow dial that will be as hard to pin down as the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. ?From frosted gold to rainbowsSince its debut in 1972, the Royal Oak became the precursor and has since commanded the market for luxury sports watches. Gerald Genta's iconic design, w
Hands-On: The Otsuka Lotec ¡í 6, The new Japanese Indie Sensation
In May of this year, we introduced Jiro Katayama, an independent watchmaker from Japan, and his brand Otsuka Lotec, which, despite its distribution being limited exclusively to his home country, has gained recognition across the continents. We had the pleasure of experiencing one of his models, the recently updated Otsuka Lotec ¡í 6, and here are our notes.Jiro Katayama, a Tokyo-based watchmaker and designer, draws his inspiration not from the realm of watches but from the industrial world where his career began – the world of cars, trains, aeroplanes, all kinds of vehicles, really, and gauges. Ad - Scroll to continue with article He studied automotive design and worked with Japanese automakers before a pivotal decision in 2008 changed his trajectory. Purchasing a bench lathe machine to create something entirely his own – since building a car was not
Collecting chronographs - Monochrome Watches
Most collectors have a personal preference. Some collectors focus mainly on dive watches, some on chronograph and some have a ‘weak spot’ for a certain brand. A good friend collects Cartier watches, not just any Cartier but mainly from the Collection Privee. Another good friend collects watches from A. Lange und Sohne and he has some extraordinary pieces. My initial personal preference in watches where chronographs and although my preference has changed to watches made by independent watchmakers, chronographs still have a special place in my ‘collectors heart’. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Unfortunately chronographs made by independent watchmakers are rare, very rare and not affordable for me. There are just a few existing chronograph calibers and these are used by most brands. Glashuette Original is one of the few big brands with
Grand Seiko Spring Drive Snowflake Titanium SBGA211 | REVIEW
Quartz… A word that you don’t often read on MONOCHROME. I’m not afraid to say that and freely admit that we are watch snobs. We love fine mechanics and Haute Horlogerie. However, the watch that we’re about to review has a quartz regulator, but isn’t battery powered – and that already makes things slightly different. Secondly, this watch is made by Grand Seiko – and we’ve already seen that it is committed to doing things in a different (better?) way. And last but not least, this quartz crystal is part of a hybrid movement, mixing old-school mechanics and modernity. This watch is the?Grand Seiko Spring Drive Snowflake SBGA211 and no, we’re not afraid to review it in this “online magazine dedicated to fine watches”.?I recall that following his visit to the Seiko manufacture, our founder Frank Geelen came to the conclusion that: “Quartz CAN be high-end”. A concept that will be important to this article because, a
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