Retrospective: What are The World's Thinnest Watches Per Category?
Ultra-thin watchmaking is a fascinating topic, one of our favourite areas of expertise here, at MONOCHROME. Ultra-thin watchmaking is horology at its purest, a no-compromise search for the slenderest movement that has to be considered a true complication. While high-watchmaking often seeks to bring as many complications as possible in a single movement, ultra-thinness is all about miniaturisation. We’ve recently published a video retracing the battle for the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, a race that implied Bulgari, Piaget and Richard Mille, ending up with a record thin watch of 1.70mm, the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC. But let’s dive deeper into the topic, by looking at the world’s thinnest watches per category. The thinnest mechanical watch? The thinnest chronograph? The thinnest watch ever? We have them all here.?Note: this article is meant to become one of MONOCHROME’s classics and will be updated according to the state of the industry, depending on

Introducing: The IWC Portugieser Chronograph Year of the Dragon
With watch brands across the board riding the Chinese New Year wave, there are no prizes for guessing which of the twelve animals represented in the Chinese Zodiac will be in the limelight this year. Admittedly one of the more attractive beasts to depict on a watch, the dragon replaces the rabbit of 2023 and will reign supreme until he is replaced by the snake in 2025. One month ahead of the Lunar New Year, IWC releases a limited edition of its Portugieser Chronograph. Flaunting a rich burgundy-coloured dial – associated with good luck, celebrations and prosperity in Asia – the brand has adopted the same prudent approach as last year’s celebratory Chinese New Year Portugieser model and hidden the mascot from prying eyes.Last year, which starred the Year of the Rabbit, IWC produced a special version of its Portugieser Automatic time-only model with a burgundy dial with gold-plated appliques and a rabbit engraved on the rotor. This year, the more complicated Portugieser

The Battle of Elegant Time-Only Watches Part 3 - Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat vs. Grand Seiko SBWG231 - The Verdict - Monochrome Watches
There are moments in life that call for an elegant, time-only watch. Situations in which a strapping tool watch with protruding pushers and a glowing dial won't look quite right. If you are in the market for a handsome, straightforward time-only watch we have two very interesting candidates as different in looks as their cultural backgrounds. The Drive de Cartier is a tres French take on elegance and refinement; the Grand Seiko SBGW231 is also a very elegant and refined watch but interpreted from a Japanese aesthetic. Let's put them side by side and gauge the strengths and weaknesses of each watch before we formulate a verdict. Case size and presence on the wristThe Drive de Cartier Extra-Flat has a diameter of 39mm and a case height of 6.6mm, proportions that categorically affirm its status as a dress watch. The cushion-shaped case of the Drive spells Cartier over and over again and seems to have been a member of Cartier's renowned family of shaped watches forev

Patek Philippe 5496P-014 Perpetual Calendar Retrograde - Hands-on Review (live photos, specs and price) - Monochrome-Watches
This year was the year of steel for Patek Philippe. Alongside the huge surprise of the sporty Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960/1, we’ve presented you with in an extensive hands-on article on the new?Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990/1A,?a complicated edition of the Gerald Genta designed icon. In addition to?this trend toward steel (which itself was an answer to several collectors’ requests) we mustn’t forget that Patek’s specialities are dress and complicated watches. In the 2014 collection, one in particular has captured our attention: the?Patek Philippe 5496P-014 Perpetual Calendar Retrograde, with its new ‘honey brown’ dial and its unique layout, sort of a ‘controlled eccentricity’ in a world of traditions.The Patek Philippe 5496P isn’t properly a new watch, as it was?presented at Baselworld 2011 with a white dial. Likewise, the movement and its quite unusual layout is not specific to this reference, as the calibre?324 S

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Green - Monochrome Watches
The iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is without a doubt the most iconic watch from the brand and even one of the iconic watches in the entire history of wristwatches. It might read like a bold statement, but do realize that the Reverso is around for no less than ninety years. Born from the necessity to protect the fragile crystal from the hard polo balls, the possibility of reversing the case was a clever solution. Today the Le Sentier based watch brand introduces a new colour to the Reverso line, which is green. Although, on second thought, it’s not entirely new and the 26 pieces for the London boutique are now changing owner for 4 to 5 times the retail price…Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Tribute to 1931 London FlagshipBorn in 1931, the Reverso and its emblematic shape and reversibility, always catch the attention. Although mostly in the ‘classical’ realm, the Reverso comes in various sizes and proportions. And more importantly, with a host of complications, a