Watches NEWS
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2, The Worlds Thinnest Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar (SIHH 2018)
As with all industries, the watchmaking world is subject to trends. One that we’re not unhappy to see resurfacing is ultra-thin watches. Piaget kicked things off?in December with the thinnest automatic watch, followed at the SIHH 2018 by?the thinnest mechanical watch ever created (2mm thick, no less). It is now time for Audemars Piguet to?come on board and demonstrate, if it’s even necessary, that they know a bit about watchmaking. Here is the?Royal Oak RD#2, which at a staggering 6.30mm thick is the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar on the market today.Reminder 1… Audemars Piguet has always had a soft spot for ultra-thin watches. Forget about the massive Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon/Grande Complication/Diver Chronograph. Instead, take a look at the watch that created the modern side of Audemars, the 1972 Royal Oak 5402ST. It was and still is one very thin watch, with an automatic movement that was thinner than most hand-wound calibres. Its modern iteration, t
Hands-on - The Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm in striking green.
Sailing in luxury sports watch waters is a devilishly tricky, competitive manoeuvre. Every last detail of an aspiring candidate is invariably compared to the forefather(s) and accusing fingers decry any hint of resemblance or likeness. When Girard-Perregaux reintroduced its Laureato collection in 2016, many indignant reactions and copycat accusations arose. However, the irony is that the Laureato did not spring out of the blue and was originally released in 1975, three years after Audemars Piguet's groundbreaking Royal Oak (1972) and a year before the Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976). Since its return as a fully-fledged collection in 2017, the fifth-generation Laureato has become the brand's best-selling family and is available in different case sizes and materials. One of the latest additions to the Laureato family is this 42mm steel model with an on-trend green dial complementing the classic blue, silver and black time-and-date models. Costing about half the price of a Royal Oak Selfwi
Bovet Wins the "Aiguille dOr" at GPHG 2018 (and all the other prize-winners) - Monochrome Watches
This is it, the 2018 edition of the GPHG, known as the “Oscars of the watchmaking industry”, has come to a close and the prize for the best watch of the year, also known as the?“Aiguille d'Or”, has been awarded. Once again this year, complications, creativity and Haute Horlogerie have been rewarded. Meet the best watch of 2018, the Bovet?Recital 22 Grand Recital – reviewed here – an impressively complex astronomical watch, as well as all the other prize winners of the GPHG 2018.Quick analysis: this year, independent watchmakers are at centre stage. No fewer than 9 prizes (total of 17 prizes) have rewarded the creativity of smaller brands, which are not under the control of mainstream luxury groups. Bovet (with the best of show “Aiguille d’Or”), Krayon, Akrivia, Laurent?Ferrier, Singer, De Bethune, Greubel Forsey, Habring2 and Konstantin Chaykin will all return home with one of the Golden Hand prizes. This is a clear sign of the impo
The X-ONE H1 - A Pioneering Swiss-Made Mechanical Smartwatch, now Funding on Kickstarter - Monochrome Watches
Over the last few months, and even years, we've covered some pretty interesting start-up watch projects here on MONOCHROME. Advances in modern technology, combined with ready access to start-up capital via decentralised crowd-funding, have helped unlock the floodgates of innovation across multiple industries, injecting fresh blood and ideas. Today, we are pleased to bring you yet another one; the intriguing X-ONE H1 from Conex Watches, a Swiss-made mechanical smartwatch that packs some impressive functionality. Read on to learn more about this bold new timekeeper, including how you can get your hands on one for 50% off retail (for a limited time only, of course).When it comes to new technology, the luxury watch industry generally seems to follow the same trend. Initially, there are always a few pioneers who will trial the idea, be it a futuristic new case material, or the development of a more efficient movement component. Once it is shown to have real promise, widespread adoption of t
Panerai 2014 Chrono Collection Teaser Video - Monochrome Watches
With SIHH fast approaching, Panerai has released a teaser video for its 2014 Chrono Collection. ?Though we get a quick glimpse of the caseback, what is most intriguing is the day/date graphic for the beginning of SIHH, January 20. ?Does this mean that the new 2014 Chrono Collection will feature a day/date complication? ?If so, this complication would mean a ?departure from previous models and makes this video quite the teaser.A date complication fits easily on the tri-compax dial of the Luminor Chrono Daylight, but if a day/date is coming, will this mean a bi-compax dial? ?Are we going to see the?Panerai OP XII calibre, which is a modular chronograph calibre with a Valjoux 7753 base movement, or will we see a new in-house movement? ?Hand wound like the P.2006? ?Maybe an automatic like the P.9100 with flyback? ?Given that the video names a collection, meaning more than one chronograph, our interest is piqued to see a range of watches. ?Stay tuned. Ad - Scroll to continue with