Omega and the PloProf Research Programme - Innovation in Professional Dive watches (incl. Pioneering use of 904L Steel for Watches) - Monochrome Watches
By the early 1940s, Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s Aqualung - the first commercially successful self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (a.k.a Scuba)-? had become a worldwide phenomenon. Along with the growing popularity of recreational diving, the needs of military and professional divers underscored the paramount importance of reliable sub-aquatic instruments. The first modern dive watches appeared in the early 1950s with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the Zodiac Sea Wolf or the Submariner. Developed in 1953, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is often regarded as the archetype of the dive watch: a robust, highly legible watch, water-resistant to great depths (91 meters, in this instance) and equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel to time dives.The development of deep-sea saturation divingHowever, the development of deep-sea saturation diving soon made even higher performing tools necessary – quite simply because professional dive watches had to adapt to t

Recap: Our Top Picks From All Of This Years Geneva Watch Days Novelties
This year’s Geneva Watch Days was perhaps the hottest edition to date, both in actual daytime temperatures and in watches. With the thermometer hitting 30¡ã Celius pretty much the entire week, we were impressed by the amount of genuinely innovative and creative watchmaking on display. From a skeletonized ultra-thin version of the Speake Marin Ripples to a slew of incredibly complex chiming watches by Bulgari, there was a lot to love. We even saw one of the oldest names in the industry, Favre Leuba (originally founded in 1737), stage a grand return! But what got the MONOCHROME Editorial Team the most excited? Well, you’ll find out in a bit, as we present our top picks from all of this year’s novelties presented during Geneva Watch Days 2024. The Speake Marin Ripples Skeleton The Favre Leuba Sea Sky Chronograph Konstantin Chaykin ThinKingWe just have to mention this one, and there was no debate within MONOCHROME’s editorial team wh

Omega First Wrist-Chronograph Reissue Vintage Movement (Specs & Price)
There’s no doubt that, when talking Omega watches, we all now that the brand has quite a savoir-faire in terms of chronographs. Think Speedmaster, what certainly is one of the most emblematic watches ever created. Well, if you go back a bit earlier in the history (quite a lot earlier in fact), you’ll see that there’s more to discover.?In 1913, Omega produced one of the world's first wrist-chronographs and helped change the way these pieces will be later worn. Today, at the Omega Museum, the brand unveiled an incredible reissue of this antique watch, with equal military roots and, best of all, some historical, refurbished vintage movements inside.?Omega’s first wrist chronograph – 1913OMEGA's first pocket-chronographs were unveiled by the Brandt brothers in 1885. 13 years later, in 1898, their first pocket-chronographs with the OMEGA name and symbol appeared in stores.?Then, when the century turned, the company's reputation flourished once again. In exactly

Video - Comeback of HYT with Davide Cerrato and the New Hastroid
HYT Watches is a brand like no other on the independent watch scene. Launched in 2012, HYT created a buzz with their unique meca-fluidic technology, displaying time with fluids. During the pandemic in 2020, the brand announced it was going out of business Still, just a few months later, HYT is back with a new CEO and Creative Director at his helm, Davide Cerrato. A veteran of the watch industry, Cerrato made a name for himself with brands such as Panerai, Tudor or Montblanc. The launch of this first creation, the Hastroid, was the perfect opportunity to meet him. In the in-depth video on top of this article, we talk with Davide Cerrato about the re-launch of the brand and the whole new HYT Hastroid watch.?Davide Cerrato, newly-appointed CEO of HYT WatchesBehind HYT is a concept, a vision of displaying time in an unprecedented and clearly unnatural manner. Instead of using traditional hands revolving around a dial, HYT Watches, created in 2012, uses an entirely novel display based on fl

Introducing: Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Mint Green and PRX Chronograph Green Gradient
Summer is upon us, so we’re all hunkering for some fresh, cool, tasty treats, right? And what could be better than some mint green editions of the very popular Tissot PRX Automatic 35mm & 40mm? Well, how about a gradient dark green edition of the PRX Chronograph? And you’re in luck, as you can now have both. You see, Tissot has just quietly released three new models as the mint green dial makes a transition from the quartz model to the automatic and the new dial for the chronograph appears in a new tone of green with a new pattern and finish. Here’s what we know so far. And yes, we will try and get our hands on these to check them out in person! Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm & 40mm Mint GreenThe Tissot PRX Automatic collection has been a monster hit in the watchmaking industry. It was timed perfectly, as the luxury sports segment boomed just before it launched. Tissot kept things very sensible, taking inspiration from a vintage model, dr