Announcing - Watch the GPHG 2022 Tonight Live on MONOCHROME
Tonight, as every year, is the celebration of watchmaking, watchmakers and watches in general It is the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve – or GPHG 2022?– the Oscars of the watchmaking industry. Several categories are represented (ladies, men, complicated and even affordable watches with the Challenge category) and the best watches of the year will be awarded the coveted Golden Hand prize in each category. And of course, the prize we're all waiting for, the Aiguille d'Or or the best of the show, celebrating the best watch introduced in 2022. As MONOCHROME is one of the official press partners of the show, we'll be broadcasting the event live from 06:30 PM (Europe Time) tonight. Stay tuned on MONOCHROME!As a reminder, here's the complete list of the GPHG 2022 finalists.Ladies’ Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon Eclipse I Chaumet Deferlante Secret Timepiece Chopard Alpine Eagle 33 Konstantin Chaykin Harley Quinn Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic Van Cleef & Arpels

Bvlgari Octo Roma Monete Skeleton Tourbillon, with 2000-Year-Old Coin (Live Pics) - Monochrome Watches
Last week, during an event on the island of Capri, watchmaker/jeweller Bvlgari unveiled a collection of impressive high-end jewellery watches, including an extraordinary and unique Serpenti Romani secret cuff watch. ?A glamorous exhibition of the brand’s incredible designs and savoir-faire, there were some other watches that caught MONOCHROME’s eye. As part of the “High-End Watches” sub-collection was a pair of Monete men’s watches.?Coin watches…The watch industry is, as you know, quite conservative and traditional. But it also has its quirks, its eccentricities that many don’t understand but which some collectors love. Among them are erotic watches and automata (or both combined in one). And then there are “coin watches”, a niche species that appeals to a niche market, once a speciality of Corum. Bvlgari is no newcomer to “coin” jewellery and Nicola Bvlgari, great-grandson of founder Sotirios Bvlgari, began mounting anc

The Quirky Yet Wildly Fascinating Gelfman IN-16 Nixie Watch
As a rule, we rarely cover battery-powered watches on MONOCHROME - but rules are made to be broken, or at least make exceptions. And the quirky Gelfman IN-16 Nixie provided the perfect opportunity. With its retro-futuristic design, this digital display watch is simply in a class of its own as the jury of the GPHG confirmed in 2022, nominating it for the Petite Aiguille. I have always been fascinated by clocks using Nixie tubes, and the idea to strap a watch using such a display on my wrist was really tempting!The future is not what you thought it would be Seemingly a blend of old-fashioned retro styles with futuristic technology, the Gelfman IN-16 Nixie is a perfect example of how the tension between the past and future can produce some of the quirkiest and most fascinating designs. This space-age creation relies on yesteryear digital technology with two nixie tubes held in a quirky hand-polished stainless-steel case. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Spotted - Bernard Arnault Unique Tiffany-Blue Patek Nautilus 5740 Perpetual
Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past two months, the whole buzz surrounding the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 Tiffany-Blue dial made for the 170th anniversary of the NYC-based jeweller and watch retailer should be something quite familiar to you – and maybe, you’re also rather bored with this story by now. But, today, it’s basically the mother of all Tiffany-Blue Nautilus watches that has been spotted out in the wild (understand Instagram). Yes, just like that, casually playing chess, Bernard Arnault, owner of LVMH and now owner of Tiffany, has been spotted wearing something very, very unusual: a unique Tiffany-Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus Perpetual 5740. Now the $6.5 million 5711 sold by Phillips seems almost like a standard watch…?Photo from Instagram @frederic.arnaultSpotted on the Instagram account of Frederic Arnault, son of Bernard Arnault and CEO of TAG Heuer (also owned by LVMH), father and son were casually spending an afternoon playing

Petrolhead Corner - The one-off Alfa Romeo Giulia SWB Zagato
Few names get car people going as much as Alfa Romeo. The Italian carmaker has a storied history and has created some of the most advanced and amazing machines ever conceived. Cars like the legendary Alfa Romeo 6C and 8C, the beautiful Giulia and Giulietta, the wild Bertone B.A.T. cars… the list is truly endless. Relying on prolific design ateliers such as Bertone, Giugiaro and Pininfarina, today’s very special Alfa Romeo comes from the house of Zagato. This one-off beauty is based on the Giulia, Alfa’s 5-door saloon car but is transformed into a sumptuous sporty coupe that packs a mighty punch.?Alfa Romeo & ZagatoThe history between the Milanaise design firm of Zagato, and the Turin-based car manufacturer Alfa Romeo goes back a little over a century. The first ever car built in collaboration between the two was the 1921 Alfa Romeo G1 Corsa Zagato, a two-seater race car of which only one is said to remain today. The Zagato name, however, comes from Ugo Zagato, who