Letter from the Editor - Frank's Take On Smart Watches
Smart watches even?the name annoys me. There?are however, a league of (more profound) reasons why we do not cover such wrist ornaments on Monochrome. Of course we get questions from our readers asking why we have not reviewed the ref. 5396 Patek Annual?Calendar, and rightfully so. We should have reviewed that watch, and as soon as we find a way to do so, together with the 178 year old family-owned brand from Geneva, we will. I'm actually surprised though, that we hardly get questions about smart watches, very pleasantly surprised in fact! So let my rant about these little electronic wrist devices begin.I started Monochrome 11 years ago to share my passion for beautifully made mechanical timepieces. The history of watchmaking in general, the history of certain brands, the beauty of finishing, and specific complications were all things that I wanted to share with our?readers. And that's what we are still doing today, 11 years later, albeit with a bigger team and a much bigger audience. T

Omega 1957 Trilogy Reissue (Speedmaster, Seamaster 300, Railmaster 60th anniversary) Baselworld 2017 - Specs & Price
There are icons, and there are legends… The Omega 1957 Trilogy is one of the few legends of watchmaking, a series of watches so important that it still defines the current Omega collection. These watches are capital, not only for the brand, but for the industry. The?Omega 1957 Trilogy?(Speedmaster CK2915, Seamaster 300 CK2913, Railmaster CK2914) celebrates its 60th anniversary?with the?launch for Baselworld 2017 of a simply stunning trilogy of commemorative watches. Believe us, these 3 will be the stars of the show. Introducing the Omega?Seamaster 300 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Master Chronometer 39mm, the Omega?Railmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Master Chronometer 38mm and the Omega?Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Limited Edition 38.6mm.One word: FAITHFULIn 1957, Omega Watches introduced an extremely important collection of professional?timepieces, each dedicated to a specific type of users (and not collectors at that time): the?Omega 1957 Trilogy, comprising the Ome

Exclusive Hands-On - Montblanc TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept (and yes, it is really very light...) - Monochrome Watches
Last week, we announced to you a very interesting piece from Montblanc, a concept watch made with one single idea in mind: lightness. Indeed, the?Montblanc TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept is said to weight ONLY 14.88 grams - which, even if difficult to comprehend what it means, is?a serious achievement. Last week we traveled to Switzerland for a series of visits and interviews, including Montblanc, we asked Davide Cerrato, the new head of watches, to bring this watch to us. And here are the very first shots of the?Montblanc TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept and our impressions of this light-as-a-feather watch strapped on the wrist and of course more details about what it's gonna be in the future.In the press release that Montblanc sent last week, they announced having created an extremely light watch, in fact one of the lightest mechanical?watches ever manufactured: the?Montblanc TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept, with 14.88 grams. This number alone remains quite

Introducing The Charlie Paris Concordia Automatic Kraken
It can be hard to get excited about “another dive watch” from “another microbrand,” but the latest Concordia Automatic Kraken from French-based Charlie Paris is not your typical offering. The stealthy aesthetics, Swiss automatic and comfortable depth rating push it above familiar Seiko or Miyota-powered divers that currently flood the market. Charlie Paris isn't a newcomer, but many will be unfamiliar with the Parisian brand. Founded in 2014 by childhood friends Ambroise and Adrien, there's already a healthy portfolio of affordable men's and women's watches. Designs are fresh, innovative and definitely worth a look.The Charlie Paris Concordia line comes in a few flavours and features both automatic and quartz variants, but the Kraken is the blacked-out, under-the-radar piece without a quartz counterpart. The names generally describe the look, like Concordia Dune with gradient brown dials and so on, but the Kraken is head-to-toe dark shades of grey, including the

Panerai Luminor Marina Luminous Trilogy PAM1117, PAM1118 & PAM1119
In a recent interview with MONOCHROME, Panerai's CEO, Jean-Marc Pontroue, gave us a foretaste of what to expect in 2020. The main theme for the brand would be the 70th anniversary of Luminor. To celebrate this anniversary, the Italian brand releases three boutique-exclusive limited edition watches, which make an impact with their potent visibility in the dark: meet the PAM1117, PAM1118 & PAM1119.The Luminor trademark was registered some 70 years ago by Panerai. Luminor was the name chosen by the brand to describe the tritium-based luminous compound applied to the brands’ dials (to replace Radium as it is significantly less radioactive). Over time the word Luminor would come to describe the iconic cushion-shaped case of the dive watch. Although radioactive substances are no longer used on their watches, Panerai releases three new Luminor references that pay tribute to the original luminescence by glowing in the most unusual places. Ad - Scroll to continue with artic