Buying Guide: Watches & Wonders Reafirmed The Popularity Of Luxury Sports Watches
Although we saw plenty of very cool and innovative watches, it’s hard to ignore the continuing popularity of the luxury sports watch. With iconic entries like the Royal Oak and Nautilus still being very hard to obtain – both for their premium prices and limited supply – we’re always happy to spot alternatives. From indie brands to mainstream names and haute-horlogerie manufacturers, these six novelties presented during Watches & Wonders reaffirm the ongoing appeal of a good luxury sports watch.Czapek Antarctique RevelationOne of our favourite independent watchmakers, Czapek, has been playing around with its super sleek Antarctique recently, with the Revelation being the latest creation. This model completely opens up the automatic micro-rotor movement for the world to see. The modern construction of the skeletonised movement fits the shaped case perfectly, with the indices placed on the tinted sapphire crystal minute track. It comes on a brushed and polished

Xavier Markl's Top 10 of the SIHH 2017
The SIHH 2017 was my 19th attendance to the Geneva-based fair. What a pleasure to tour the inescapable Geneva Haute Horlogerie rendez-vous, which has been great vintage indeed! Here's my top ten favorite watches, after over 2,000 pictures shot. These are presented without specific order, focusing on gents watches (no mention therefore of the magnificent jeweled watches from Cartier, Piaget or Van Cleef and Arpels). A tough choice but as we had to pick ten, here we go with my personal highlightsGreubel Forsey Grande SonnerieThe grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie hold a special place in the world of Haute Horlogerie. There is only a handful of watchmakers capable of manufacturing such works of arts, often regarded as the ultimate horological complication. Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey are adding a 24-second inclined tourbillon to their impressive Grande Sonnerie. The power-hungry strike-work mechanism is powered by its one barrel wound by a micro-rotor to fulfill its function for lo

IWC Big Pilot 43 TOP GUN Edition Woodland IW329802 - Hands-On, Price
This year’s theme at Watches and Wonders for IWC was “The Colours of Top Gun“, translated into timepieces in coloured ceramics. From a dark grey Ceratanium model to bold editions of the Pilot’s Chronograph in green or white ceramic, there was a clear intention to bring something new and fresh to the collection, following in the footsteps of the Mojave Desert theme of? 2019. However, another green ceramic “Woodland” model was discreetly unveiled during the Geneva fair?based on the not-so-big Big Pilot’s Watch 43. Here’s the new IWC Big Pilot 43 TOP GUN Edition Woodland IW329802.Launched last year during the digital edition of Watches and Wonders, the IWC Big Pilot 43 is the brand’s answer to those wanting a clean, ultra-focused, slightly oversized pilot’s watch, yet without the hassle of the classic BP with its massive case and more complex movement – meaning a higher price tag. This vision was debated amongst BP fans, wh

New - Montblanc 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Red Arrow LE88
While most of the watches produced by Montblanc fall into the accessible luxury category, there’s one line that talks explicitly to us here, at MONOCHROME, and these are the Minerva-branded models. Often powered by historical hand-wound chronograph movements finished to high-end standards, they combine fine watchmaking with a desirable vintage 1920s and 1930s look – a combination that we’ve seen in this watch, for example. The latest model to surface from the depths of the Minerva manufacture is a tribute to the Red Arrow watch, a monopusher Montblanc 1858 Minerva with stunning looks.According to Montblanc, the Villeret-based Minerva manufacture was one of the first watchmakers to make a fluted bezel and an internal countdown rotating bezel back in 1927. This was followed in 1939 by the brand’s first wrist chronograph with an external rotating bezel and a reset function. Both models, now part of Montblanc’s historical collection, have inspired the present

Hands-On Vacheron Metiers dArt Tribute to great civilisations with Le Louvre
Watchmaking is at the crossroads of art and science. Just like Da Vinci's works. This might be enough to make the partnership between Vacheron Constantin and Le Louvre a natural fit. Specifically for a brand that has always demonstrated a commitment to perpetuate and encourage the metiers d'art traditional (and often rare) skills and a deep-felt attachment to culture. When the brand announced its partnership with Le Louvre in 2019, many immediately wondered whether this could lead to the creation of watches inspired by the museum's masterpieces. In 2020, the Bid for the Louvre charity offered the opportunity for a buyer to customize a unique piece featuring one of the museum collection's artworks on its dial Today, Vacheron Constantin takes the covers off a quartet of limited edition watches paying tribute to the great civilizations of Antiquity, inspired by Masterpieces conserved in Le Louvre.The Vacheron Constantin Metiers d'Art Tribute to Great Civilisations collection?is a quartet