Introducing: Longines Heritage Flagship Moonphase Year of the Dragon
The Chinese New Year provides many watch companies with the perfect excuse to produce a special edition decorated with one of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. This year is the Year of the Dragon, and, for the first time, Longines jumps on the Chinese New Year bandwagon with a limited edition of 888 pieces of its Flagship Heritage model with moon phases. Available exclusively in Asia, the Flagship Heritage features an Oriental red dial with gold accents and a discreetly positioned dragon's head depicted on the caseback.Using the Heritage Flagship Moonphase model makes a lot of sense since the Moon plays an essential role in determining the date of the Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the New Year usually falls on the second new Moon after the winter solstice, between 21 January and 20 February. This year, the Chinese New Year kicks off on 10 February, and the Dragon will be holding court until the Snake takes over in January 2025. Ad - S

VIDEO - All You Need To Know About The OMEGA Co-Axial Escapement
Back in the mid-1990s, the watch industry was very different from what it is today and mechanical watchmaking was still in its renaissance. Very few watch brands actually manufactured movements in-house, and even fewer brands had the ability or industrial capacity to reimagine the escapement and the oscillator, together called the regulating organ and these are the most crucial part of a watch. With the idea of improving the century-old Swiss lever escapement (developed in 1755 by Thomas Mudge and used in 99.9% of all movements), master watchmaker George Daniels developed the Co-Axial escapement, an innovation that OMEGA realised was groundbreaking. Understanding the importance of chronometry, a field in which OMEGA has achieved multiple records, the Biel-based brand took on Daniels’ idea and industrialised the Co-Axial concept. It would become a key element in the impressive precision of its watches and paved the way for OMEGA’s Master Chronometer certification. Today, MON

IWC Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month - Monochrome Watches
In 2009 IWC created the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (ref. 3761). It was the first flyback chronograph with a perpetual calendar and digital leap year display as well as a digital display for the month and date with large numerals. This development was a tour de force that has paid off: the result is a very clever way to combine a perpetual calendar and a chronograph, while maintaining the legibility of all functions. Monochrome goes hands-on with the IWC Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month.This is probably one of the most innovative perpetual calendars on the market, because of its digital display of day, month and leap year. And totally befitting the brand and its innovative and technical character, it’s presented in a watch case made of titanium aluminide. Titanium aluminide is used widely in motorsport, because the alloy is lighter and more robust than pure titanium. The black parts of the case are made of zirconium oxide, which is another materi

Interview - Max Verstappen on F1 and Watches & the new TAG Heuer Verstappen Edition
Following the controversial outcome of the Brazilian Grand Prix, we had the chance to sit down with the hottest ticket on the grid right now as TAG Heuer releases a new watch dedicated to Max Verstappen. Third in line, after the orange and red strap versions from 2016 and 2017, we now get a metal bracelet. It’s still a quartz movement though, as TAG Heuer targets a younger crowd, not necessarily into mechanical watchmaking. The previous models were riddled with details to remind you of the Dutch driver. Of course, the national colour Orange was incorporated and the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Max Verstappen Special Edition 2016 came on an orange rubber strap. The red-white-and-blue of Holland’s flag is also present in all the watches. Besides colour, the number 33 is also referenced in the watches, and the tachymeter scale for the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Max Verstappen Special Edition 2017 was red from zero to thirty-three.Since quartz is not really our thing at

Phillips Breaks Records with the First Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-018 Tiffany Sold for $6.5 Million - Monochrome Watches
If you’re a recurring reader of MONOCHROME or simply if you’re a watch enthusiast, you can’t have missed the piece of news that dropped last Monday. Indeed, Patek Philippe and its long-time retail partner Tiffany (now owned by LVMH… hence the logo on the back) released a highly discussed edition of the Nautilus 5711 with a Tiffany-Blue dial. Launched for the 170th anniversary of the NY-based jeweller, the watch will be produced in 170 pieces and is, without a doubt, the most sought-after timepiece of the hour. And you doubt it, the first of the models has just been auctioned by Phillips for a charity cause and it reached an INSANE price of USD 6,503,500 (with fees) making it by far the record for a Nautilus 5711.Besides the rather questionable colour of the dial – which certainly makes sense for Tiffany but isn’t liked by all – the most debated element of this watch actually had to do with previous statements and the olive green model. Indeed,