The A. Lange & Sohne Grand Complication marks the Beginning of a New Era for the Brand - Monochrome Watches
A Grand Complication is, exactly as the name indicates, a GRAND complication. Not many brands can say that they have a Grand Complication in the collection and when counting there are really just a few of the oldest and most admirable watch brands that do. Of course there are the three ‘Grande Dames’ of the Haute Horlogerie, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet.Also brands like Blancpain, Breguet, IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre are among the few who have at least one Grand Complication in the collection. Since this year, A. Lange & Sohne introduced their first Grand Complication that is also the most complicated German watch ever created. Ad - Scroll to continue with article But what is a Grand Complication? Well, in horology the word “complication” refer to any feature beyond the simple display of hours, minutes and seco

Interview - Antoine Pin Of Bulgari at LVMH Watch Week 2023
Horologically, the new year gets started with the LVMH Watch Week 2023 in Singapore, where Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith join forces to present some of their novelties. It was the perfect opportunity for MONOCHROME to interview Antoine Pin, Managing Director of the Bulgari Watch Division, and discover all the new models that the watchmaker/jeweller presented and what to expect for the upcoming year.Note: This interview was conducted in Switzerland a few days before the event. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME –?The LVMH Watch Week is held in Singapore this year; how does Bulgari integrate this event into its 2023 calendar??Antoine Pin, Managing Director of the Bvlgari Watch Division – Since 2019, we have seen massive changes concerning the organisation of commercial events. We have seen the end of Baselworld, the r

Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti - Hands-On (Specs & Price)
Last year, at Baselworld 2016, Hublot demonstrated once again its?concept of “fusion“, its unique approach to blending?different materials, many of which are not usually associated with watches, that result in some?interesting combinations. The brainchild of a partnership between the watchmaker and Berluti, the famous Parisian shoemaker, they used?patinated leather for both the straps as well as the dial?– creating what I personally found to be one of the most appealing creations from?the brand. Today, the same concept is applied on a chronograph, the?Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Berluti.I’m entirely aware that this Hublot x Berluti piece was a rather polarising?watch. A?bold creation, with a certain uniqueness and a very unusual refinement it was not to?everyone’s liking, as is often the case with Hublot, with some calling it irrelevant. In some ways?this is positive. At least, it proves that Hublot dares and doesn't create?conservative?objects to pl

Buying Guide: The Call Of The Deeps, With 5 Of The Most Focused Instrument Dive Watches
Don’t look for elegance, restrained dimensions, comfort on a daily basis or the ability to wear these watches with a sporty-chic attire at a cocktail party this summer. These watches are not meant for that. These watches are not luxury items (well, some have a luxury price tag, but that’s not the point) but tools created to fulfil a mission. Today, in our latest buying guide, we’ll look at some of the most focused, purpose-built diving instrument watches you can imagine. Watches that are meant to explore the greatest depths, watches that are equipped with functions that only a professional diver will ever use, watches that are big and bold for reasons. It’s time to put on your wetsuit and refill your breathing apparatus because we’re looking at five of the most instrumental dive watches.?Our resident dive watch reviewer and diving enthusiast Derek?on the job.Today’s selection of watches isn’t necessarily about the greatest water-resistance. Of

Interview - Adrian Ballinger On Climbing Everest Without Oxygen, his Favre-Leuba Bivouac 9000 On The Wrist
Favre Leuba is known for its rugged functional watches. The brand's unique mountaineering credentials owe much to the Bivouac collection. Back in the 1960s, the watch was one of the first to be fitted with a mechanical altimeter. In 1975, Japanese alpinist Junko Tabel, the first women to summit Everest, did so with a Bivouac strapped to her wrist.Fast forward to 2017, the brand launched the Bivouac 9000, a modern take on this model capable of measuring altitude up to 9000m – watch our in-depth video to understand how this watch works. Empirical evidence of this capability was brought by mountaineer Adrian Ballinger, as he summited Everest while wearing this modern Bivouac 9000 on his wrist.We caught up with Adrian Ballinger in Zurich, just a few weeks after he came back from his no-oxygen ascent of K2, the second tallest mountain in the world. Doing so, he became one of the few climbers to have summited both Everest and K2 without oxygen. Ad - Scroll to continue with a