Review of The New AP Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT
The Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT was just presented by Audemars Piguet in the pool of other new Royal Oaks, distinguished by an even more aggressive design than its Concept predecessors and an exceptional automatic rattrapante chronograph calibre 4407 with the date and 24-hour GMT functions. This watch is a rightful heir to the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher and an important addition, not just to the Concept series. It is here to make history as it will lead the new generation of split-seconds chrono movements used outside the Grand Complications family. Let’s take a closer look.The Royal Oak Concept SeriesAudemars Piguet presented the first-ever watch in the Royal Oak Concept series in 2002 while celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak. The high-tech looking 44mm watch in a cobalt-based super-alloy Alacrite 602 case housed the manually wound calibre 2896 with a one-minute tourbillon. Among other functions, it featured a dynamographe di

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Philipp Budiman from Montredo
Yesterday we started with the first in a series of interviews with the CEOs of the world’s largest online watch marketplaces. Each and every place has its own specific ways of dealing with trade; one company owns the displayed inventory, the other doesn’t, and a third has a hybrid approach. One way or another, all these companies want to give you the best and most secure buying experience. But how do they do it? The respective CEOs explain this and today we’re talking with Philipp Budimann, CEO of Montredo.Montredo is a newer marketplace, but already one of the largest players on the Internet. During our conversation, Philipp mentioned that his readers love videos like Montredo's Meet the Manufacturer and Hodinkee's Talking Watches. And then he told me that I could leave out mentioning Hodinkee’s videos. Of course not! At MONOCHROME we also love watching Talking Watches! Now on to the interview with Philipp Budimann, CEO of Montredo.Can you give us a quick histo

LVMH Brands Bvlgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer & Zenith all Leave Baselworld - Monochrome Watches
After the “bomb” that was dropped by , Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chopard and Chanel earlier this week, concerning their decision to leave Baselworld, there is no longer any doubt about the (low) relevance of Baselworld for major brands. Subsequently, we have just been told that all four LVMH Brands, those from the watch Division – Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith – as well as the House of Bvlgari, have taken the decision to leave Baselworld “in order to preserve their image and their relations with their clients as well with the media“.As of today, most of the top-tier brands that were participating in Baselworld are gone – LVMH, Swatch Group, Seiko, Citizen, Breitling, and sister-brand Tudor, Patek Phillipe, Chopard, Chanel and Gucci (that also announced its departure recently). Almost the entire Hall 1.0 of the Basel fair has lost its exhibitors.As for LVMH brands Bvlgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer & Zenith, the Group justifies its decision by the fa

Tudor Heritage Black Bay with Blue Bezel ref. 79220B (Live photos & price) - Monochrome Watches
A few weeks ago, we gave our thoughts on the possible Tudor 2014 novelties. We knew, within the team, that blue was the big crush for the aficionados of the brand and linked to the past of Tudor. We were craving for a blue Pelagos and instead, Tudor comes with a blue bezel Heritage Black Bay, a simple but really nice looking declination of the previous model that you're used to find in burgundy. Let us introduce the NEW Tudor Heritage Black Bay ref. 79220B.The Tudor Heritage Black Bay is a tribute to the past of the Tudor Company, especially to the 1954 Submariner ref. 7922. It brings back the idea of diving watches made by Tudor, with a reinterpretation of the case, dial and - of course - snowflake hands. If you look at the brand’s history, you will notice a famous and really appealing model, the blue Submariner Marine Nationale ref. 9401 (you can find the picture at the end of the article). Delivered to the French Navy, those watches featured a blue bezel and dial and snowflake

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture 2013 - Monochrome Watches
Ulysse Nardin is a visionary company. Such a declaration might seem overstated, especially when dealing with their longstanding, flagship model, the Marine Chronometer; however, remember Ulysse Nardin is the company who gave us the Freak, a genre-defying watch that was ahead of its time.Under the aegis of the late Rolf Schnyder, the company partnered with Ludwig Oechslin of now Ochs & Junior to realize the Freak in 2001. The visionary contribution of the Freak was not only its forward design, but, for our purposes here, it was the first watch to use a silicon escapement, followed by the Freak DIAMonSIL in 2007, which used a proprietary material called DIAMonSIL and silicon balance spring (see updated coverage here). When the winds of Swatch's ETA moratorium began to blow, Mr. Schnyder decided Ulysse Nardin needed its own in-house caliber. At Baselworld 2012, Current CEO Patrick Hoffman oversaw the introduction of the automatic caliber UN-118, the company's first base caliber, to th