Trintec Zulu-03 Altimeter - Full Review of the first aircraft instrument watch (live photos, specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches
The recent anniversary of the Bell & Ross BR01 collection, which came to light some 10 years ago, led me to a question that I couldn't answer immediately. The square Bell & Ross might be iconic at this moment in time, but is it the first aircraft instrument inspired watch? The question would slip to the back of my mind as life continued, but as luck would have it, an answer recently emerged: the Trintec Zulu-03 Altimeter.Before we head deeper into what's what, I have to point out the obvious here. The Trintec watches are in no ways comparable in terms of watchmaking and finishing to the Bell & Ross watches. Yes, they come with automatic movements, and yes are directly inspired by aircraft instruments but they are a) not Swiss Made and b) not in the same price bracket by far as the Parisian counterpart. Speaking in terms of watchmaking, it isn't something we tend to cover on Monochrome but there is a story here that is worth investigating. Ad - Scroll to continue

The Battle of Automatic Chronographs - IWC vs. Glashutte Original (the White Dial Edition) - Monochrome Watches
This face-to-face article wasn’t something we actually planned to do… But recently, after shooting photos for the review of the Glashutte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date, I put the watch on my desk, right next to another chronograph… A white dial IWC Portugieser Chronograph 3714. And that’s how the idea for this battle of automatic chronographs emerged. Two slightly Germanic-looking watches, with white dials, elegant but not over-dressed designs, from two of the most respected brands. This is not going to be an easy battle!?In the left corner, the modern icon in IWC’s collection, the classic Portugieser Chronograph reference 3714 with white dial and blue indexes – the one with a Valjoux-based movement. In the right corner, another desirable watch, much more recent, with solid arguments regarding its movement, the GO Senator Chronograph in steel with a casual white dial. As with all our face-to-face articles, we reviewed both models first – he

The Collector's Series - Our own Koen and his affordable and cool Tissot Heritage Navigator - Monochrome Watches
Sometimes it's doesn’t take much. It could be a friend's recommendation. It could be a brands heritage or even how they finish their movements that draws a collector. It's always fascinating finding out what that tipping point was for a particular collector on a particular occasion. Often we get caught up in the price we are asked to pay for a watch and it is always refreshing to hear a collector smitten with a watch that is not out of the reach of the many. And this week, this watch is the affordable Tissot Heritage Navigator.This is not the first time Koen Simon has featured on the series. We covered his IWC watches here and here. Many may not be aware of the vast history Tissot boast. They were in actual fact the first manufacturer to introduce a mass-produced pocket watch in 1853. They released the first pocket watch with two time zones the same year. They also released the first mass-produced watch to feature 24 time zones, the Tissot Navigator, in 1953, which is the precise

Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Virtual Museum - Monochrome Watches
The Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso is probably one of the most iconic watches around. So it’s time to browse through the new Reverso Virtual Museum, which offers a nice opportunity to flip through the Reverso’s history and admire both old and recent models.Of course browsing through Reverso history was most interesting. I had no idea that the Reverso Grande Date I used to own, was initially launched in 2003 and it’s still in the collection. It’s magnificent that Jaeger created watches that stay fashionable for such a long period. Ad - Scroll to continue with article The recently launched?Grande Reverso Ultra Thin is also proof of the timeless beauty of the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso.The Reverso Virtual Museum can be entered via the Jaeger LeCoultre website. One minor point of criticism, my Macbook doesn’t like the virtual museum as much as

Introducing: The New TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper Gold
Last year, TAG Heuer launched the Skipper, a watch design inspired by one of the brand’s historic designs. Heuer created the original Skipper after the yacht Intrepid’s victory in the 1967 America’s Cup, where the crew used Heuer’s yachting timers and Aquastar wristwatches. The new Skipper, made of stainless steel, paid tribute to this heritage. This year’s Skipper is even more special, with a precious metal casing that preserves its vintage inspiration.The new TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper has a 39mm case made of 18K 5N rose gold, measuring 13.9mm in thickness with a lug-to-lug distance of 46mm. It features a blend of fine-brushed and polished finishes and classic rose gold chronograph pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock, alongside a rose gold crown at 3 o’clock. The case has a screw-down caseback made of solid rose gold sapphire, ensuring a water resistance of up to 100m. Ad - Scroll to continue with article