LVMH Reports Growth For Q1 2019, Including the Watches & Jewelry Division - Monochrome Watches
The world’s largest luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) is the first of the major groups to report its quarterly sales for 2019 – a good indicator of the state of the industry. Overall, LVMH recorded revenue of EUR 12.5 billion for the first quarter 2019, an increase of 16% compared to the same period in 2018. Organic growth (note: with comparable structure and exchange rates) was of 11% versus 2018. The trend is positive for all business groups, with an outstanding performance of the Fashion & Leather Goods division, which reports organic growth of 15%. Revenues were up for all geographic areas.For what is our main concern here at MONOCHROME, the LVMH Group reports a positive 2019 first quarter for the Watches & Jewelry Division, which comprises TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Hublot and Zenith among others. With revenue of just over EUR 1 Billion during the period (EUR 1,046 million to be precise), the Watches & Jewelry Division records a 9% reported growth, w

In-Depth: The History of the ETA 2824, The Mundane Calibre that shaped the industry
The ETA 2824 movement was a groundbreaking invention that left a lasting impact on the watchmaking industry. Introduced in the 1970s, the ETA 2824 quickly set the standard with its efficient mass production and reliable performance. It retained its popularity for over fifty years until the circumstances and demand for innovation led to the creation of the Powermatic 80, a movement designed to surpass the 2824-2 and uphold ETA’s legacy of excellence in the ever-evolving industrial process. Below is a summary of ETA 2824’s life, and it continues our series on mass-produced workhorse calibres that we started with the Valjoux 7750.Born to live strongIn the stories about the birth and origins of one of the most common watch calibres, the ETA 2824, which preceded the 2824-1 and 2824-2, I’ve encountered opinions mentioning Eterna’s 1955 calibre 1247 as a distant relative; some mentioned the Eterna-Matic, introduced in 1948, as a predecessor. Compared with the ETA/Valjo

Introducing The Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Bamford Edition Desert Race
Chopard's latest Mille Miglia GTS Power Control fuses three big trends in watchmaking today: firstly, it is a collaboration piece with Bamford; secondly, it plays with contemporary bead-blasted and frosted textures; and thirdly, it has an incredibly long name! Christened the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Bamford Edition Desert Race, this latest collaboration has been conceived by Geroge Bamford as the off-road cousin of the Mille Miglia. A limited edition of 50 watches, the Bamford makeover gives the watch an edgy, gritty, contemporary spirit.As our readers know, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (co-president of Chopard) has been involved as the official timekeeper, partner and competitor of the famous Italian Mille Miglia race for 36 years. A daunting open-road race held between 1927 and 1957, the Mille Miglia made history thanks to some of the greatest racing cars piloted by the bravest drivers of the day. The event returned in 1977 as the Mille Miglia Storica, a classic car event eligible

Co-President of Chopard Karl-Friedrich Scheufele Explains the New L.U.C Quattro - Monochrome Watches
A few days ago, just prior to Baselworld 2018, we introduced to you Chopard’s new take on one of its icons, the L.U.C Quattro, a complex watch with no less than 4 barrels and a 9-day power reserve. Yet, as powerful as this watch is, it remains a true statement of elegance and distinction – as a Chopard should be. To understand more about what this watch really represents for the brand, we asked?Co-President of Chopard Karl-Friedrich Scheufele to explain its history and the reasons behind the creation of this 2018 edition – check the video on top of this article.The L.U.C Quattro is one of the major watches in the L.U.C collection. But not the only one. Indeed, when the Scheufele family decided to relaunch the L.U.C Collection in 1996, they made it with not only a great looking watch but also with a superb movement, the calibre?1.96. This movement featured a bidirectional 22ct-gold micro-rotor and twin stacked barrels giving 65 hours of power reserve, but also a very p

Chris Grainger-Herr on the New 2020 IWC Portugieser Collection, the Big Pilot Safari and COVID-19 (warning: long read) - Monochrome Watches
I guess I need to start this interview with an apology. Sorry, this interview is long, very long, comprising close to 3,000 words. However, the conversation with Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, was great and there was just so much to say about the new Portugiesers. We had the conversation two weeks ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. Chris was in his office, in Schaffhausen, and we had a zoom meeting. It’s weird, not sitting together for a talk, but it is what it is and I guess for the foreseeable future this is going to be the new normal.?Personally I am quite pleased with the new Portugieser line-up; there’s a lot to like! Of course, I’d love to put the new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar on the wrist and see/feel how the 42mm diameter works with such a classic beauty. And the Portugieser Automatic 40 with its small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock looks fabulous and I’m curious how the old Portugieser and the new one with in-house move