Introducing The Complete List Of Unique Watches For Only Watch 2023
Only Watch, the biennial fundraiser for research on muscular dystrophy, has just released the list of the 72 watchmakers/brands and 62 lots that will be part of its 2023 auction. Over the years, Only Watch has become one of the most anticipated and significant auctions in the watch calendar, if only for the quality of the watches offered. Some CHF 30 million was raised for the 2021 edition. Beauty, originality, savoir-faire and creativity are united again for an exceptional 2023 millesime. And as is often the case, many brands use Only Watch as a platform to introduce new models, so it is really worth a closer look And even though we expect to go into more detail regarding some of the watches in separate stories, here's an initial rundown of everything and some first takeaways.Let's start with the news that everybody is expecting. However, the wait is not over, as the Patek Philippe unique piece for Only Watch 2023 has not been revealed yet. What we do know is that Patek will introduce

Swatch Group's 2017 Results Show Strong Growth (and some Baselworld 2018 novelties partially revealed) - Monochrome Watches
After Richemont announced strong quarterly results just before SIHH 2018 and LVMH reported double-digit?growth for 2017, it’s now Swatch Group’s turn to disclose its annual results for the year 2017. And before going into details, know that the Group is strong and that the outlook for 2018 is still very positive. Once again, the industry seems to be in full recovery, with one or two threats that will have to be managed in the near future though.Swatch Group, one of the largest Watches & Jewelry conglomerate – owner, among others, of Swatch, Omega, Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet Droz, Glashutte Original, Longines, Tissot or Rado – just published its yearly report, posting strong results for the year 2017. First of all, net sales increased 5.8% to CHF 7,989 million and +5.4% to CHF 7,960 million at current exchange rates?(vs.?CHF 7,553 million in 2016). Growth is driven mainly by the Watches & Jewelry segment, with an overall growth of 6.9% at current exchange

Introducing: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Midnight Blue Edition
Presented in 2018, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept?earned the record for the thinnest watch in the world with its incredibly thin 2mm profile, making it Piaget’s (a brand known for its mastery of ultra-thin) slenderest mechanical watch ever. Since then, Bulgari and Richard Mille have even made thinner watches, but Piaget’s AUC remains a spectacular technical achievement. On the occasion of Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2023, the brand now presents a new midnight blue edition, which brings back a style made once for a unique piece.?The Altiplano Ultimate Concept was made possible by a radical re-engineering of the architecture of a watch, fusing the case, movement and bezel into one 2mm thin component. It is fashioned in an ultra-resistant cobalt alloy to ensure sufficient rigidity and its development resulted in the filing of no fewer than five patents. Piaget's remarkable Altiplano Ultimate Concept, once the thinnest mechanical watch in the world, made headlines when it was

Recap - MONOCHROME's Best Technical Articles of 2022
As many of you should be able to spend some quiet time with family and beloved ones, it is a moment of the year when it’s also good to look back at what happened over the past 12 months. And it’s also the right moment to relax and take the time for longer reads. Here at MONOCHROME, we always try to bring you the most complete explanations possible when it comes to watchmaking and technical innovations. Collecting watches and being passionate about watches also means understanding how a watch works. So, it is time to increase your knowledge as we look back at our 5 Best technical articles of 2022.?The Current State of silicon in the watchmaking industryWe start with a very important topic for the end of 2022: the silicon hairspring. Well, you might tell us that this is ancient news since silicon has been used in watchmaking since the early 2000s. Brands like Omega, or Patek Philippe are very familiar with this material, revolutionising traditional watchmaking. Yet, this is

Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark (live photos) - Monochrome Watches
As we recently showed to you, the Marine collection by Ulysse Nardin celebrates this year its 20th anniversary. In an interview we filmed during Baselworld 2016, the CEO of the brand, Patrik P. Hoffmann, was showing his pride with several new watches. However, these were not the only novelties of the brand this year, and the other successful model of UN, the Diver, is about to be introduced in a new version, a dive watch?in limited edition with quite a bold design and, for the first time, the manufacture’s chronograph movement. Here is the?Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark.The Ulysse Nardin Diver is the brand’s interpretation of a diving instrument. Based on the Marine watch – the best seller and most emblematic watch of the brand – this timepiece adds three?dive watch essential attributes: a rotating bezel with 60-minute diving scale, a 300m water resistance and a strong legibility, via larger hands and markers. Overall, the Diver is a watch that