Hands-on 2020 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 44mm Smoked Dials
The Royal Oak Offshore has always been considered a watch for men who are not afraid of making a (big) statement. And it's not just size we're referring to here but the aura of virility and strength transmitted by the dynamic architecture of the watch. In June 2020, the brand from Le Brassus introduced three new Royal Oak Offshore 44mm chronographs in black ceramic cases with bold contrasting materials accentuating its solid, angular architecture. Nothing radically new in that field since models with ceramic cases and other materials have been the mainstay of this ROO 44mm collection. The real novelties of the trilogy were the incorporation of XXL Arabic numerals and smoked dials, a big trend in watchmaking today. For this hands-on session, we had the bold black and blue ceramic model and the luxurious black ceramic and 18k pink gold version.From RO to ROOLaunched at baselworld 1993, just after the 20th anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak – the iconic Gerald Genta creation that d

Fabienne Lupo, Chairwoman & Managing Director of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, about SIHH - Monochrome Watches
The 29th edition of the SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) will soon be throwing its doors open with some 35 brands gearing up to unveil their latest models. The Geneva-based event, which runs between January 14 to 17, is one of the two major watch shows of the year - together with Baselworld. Just as the synchronization of the calendar of both events has been announced, MONOCHROME talks with Fabienne Lupo, Chairwoman & Managing Director of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) about what's new for SIHH and FHH.The rumour had been around for some time now, and many were hoping for this, it is now official, the SIHH and Baselworld will coordinate their dates as of 2020.It is a major announcement and excellent news for the industry. This is a sensible and rational decision that emerged of discussions with Baselworld. Our two events are complementary, this move is in the interest of all. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Habring2 Doppel-Felix (by the man who created the IWC Doppelchronograph) - Monochrome Watches
In 2012 Habring2 introduced the Doppel 2.0, an affordable split-seconds chronograph based on a Valjoux 7750 chronograph. This was the same recipe that Richard Habring once developed for IWC Schaffhausen, which initially incorporated this movement in the Pilot Doppel Chronograph and later in other watches. When the patent expired, in 2012, Richard Habring was free to use this complication in watches with the Habring2 name on the dial, and that led to the Habring2 Doppel 2.0. In 2013 the Doppel 3.0 was introduced and last year?Habring2 presented the new Doppel-Felix that comes with an in-house split-seconds chronograph from Austria. Here’s the?Habring2 Doppel-Felix!?The Doppel 2.0 was an immediate success when it was launched. It sold out almost instantly and won the Sports Watch Prize at the 2012 GPHG.?A year later, Habring2 introduced the Doppel 3.0 (see here for the review) – again, a great success for Maria and Richard Habring. Now, with the Doppel-Felix, they have added

First Look: The Chopard L.U.C XP Urushi Year of the Dragon
Chinese New Year 2024 will fall on Saturday, the 10th of February, heralding the Year of the Dragon. The dragon holds a special place in Chinese culture, representing power, strength, and good fortune, and brands have started to announce their dragon-themed watches. Among these, Chopard had just unveiled the latest addition to its Chinese Zodiac collection – an L.U.C XP featuring a dial adorned with a captivating dragon motif meticulously crafted in Urushi lacquer. The superb dial of this limited-edition watch is handcrafted in Japan by Minori Koizumi, a craftsman specialising in the delicate Maki-e technique. Each dial requires no fewer than 20 hours of meticulous work. Rendered in exquisite detail, the dragon gracefully adorns the dial. Several layers of Urushi lacquer are applied and decorated with paint, gold flakes and mother-of-pearl inlays. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Five high-end mechancial watches fit for travelling and more.
Whether you're frequently travelling business or pleasure, you would like a watch that can keep up with wherever you are heading next. A watch that can indicate time across multiple time zones at once is first and foremost a tool. However, this does not limit you to simple or cheap watches only or dare I say it, your smartphone. On the contrary, there's plenty to choose from in the higher echelons of watchmaking as well, as these 5 complex watches clearly showcase.Moritz Grossmann UniversalzeitThe Universalzeit by Moritz Grossmann is a unique and interesting take on the concept of multiple time zone indications. Using the brand's existing architecture, it devised a clever disc positioned underneath the dial to reveal 6 different additional time zones. Holes in the dial, which is decorated with a depiction of the world, correspond to six cities, each with their own scale on the aforementioned disc. It works rather intuitive as well, as you simply adjust the hour disc to the correct sett