Hands-On With the Elegant Yet Accessible Longines Presence Heritage
The Heritage collection is, without a doubt, one of my favourites in the Longines range, and for many years I have enjoyed sharing my admiration whenever the topic came up. The history of this truly great brand dates back to 1832, with vast archives to dive into. Thus, for the Heritage Collection, there are plenty of delightful models to replicate or serve as inspiration to please today’s customers. The Longines Presence Heritage, a slightly overlooked model (to say the least), honours the brand’s past and present with this lovely reference in rose gold. And there are many things to talk about regarding the design, but it’s also one of the best value proposition models the brand has to offerOne of the particularities that contribute to my appreciation for Longines is the meetings I had over the years with Walter von Kanel, who worked at the company for over 30 years before retiring from the post of president at the age of 79. I could say he was responsible for teachin

Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept - The First Self-Setting Mechanical Watch
Here, at MONOCHROME, we’re not huge fans of the smart-watches, to say the least. We cherish and celebrate watches in their purest (probably old-school) form: ME-CHA-NI-CAL! We love gears, pinions, hand-decoration, complications but also all the devoted people that work behind the scenes. Smart-watch, as tech objects, never ticked the boxes. However, we have to?keep up with the times and admit that in some cases, technology can be brilliant (we are, after all, a web medium). Today, Ressence launches the?Type 2 e-Crown Concept and they might have found the recipe to reconcile us with electronics…The crown, a mechanism to wind and to adjust watches, was invented by Adrien Philippe in 1842… and has been an unchallenged standard since!The crown certainly is one of the most important parts of a watch for the simple reason that it is the one with which we have most interactions. We use it, without thinking about it, to wind the movement or to adjust the time. It has become s

Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Chronograph (Specs & Price)
We’ve said it already and we’ll probably say it again, but Longines is on fire when it comes to its “Heritage” collection, with many handsome, highly desirable vintage-inspired watches launched in the past couple of years. Think about the Heritage Classic Sector Dial, the recently revamped Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 or the Heritage Military RAF. Among these modern models inspired by historical pieces, there was one that really caught our attention: the Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Chronograph. And today we give it some wrist time.?Presented earlier this year along with a small seconds version, the Longines Heritage Classic Tuxedo Chronograph is, as you would have guessed, a modern re-edition of a historical Longines watch. Founded in 1832, Longines is one of the oldest brands of the Swiss watch industry still active today. As such, you can imagine that its heritage collection is big and constitutes an immense source of inspiration for today's designers. T

Hands-On Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 60 Years Of James Bond Steel
In 1962, on the 5th of October to be precise, the world discovered a character that will become a legend of the silver screen. Adapted from the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, Dr. No will start an emblematic series of 25 movies featuring a British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, James Bond. 60 years later, the impact of the series is undeniable. James Bond isn't only a character, it's a lifestyle, gathering elements that have become as iconic as the man. Cars, of course, such as the DB5, but also watches. And if multiple brands have been involved in the earliest days, Omega has, since 1995 and GoldenEye, become the archetypal Bond Watch. And now, both parties celebrate 60 years of 007 movies, with the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 60 Years Of James Bond. And if it comes in steel and with new colours, the main topics are the comeback of the wave dial and the cool animated caseback… Some good GoldenEye vibes are in!60 Years of James Bond 007 Movies

Interview - The Online Watch Market - Patrick Hoffmann from Watchbox Europe
Today, we continue our “Online Watch Market” series. After Chrono24 and Montredo, it is time to take a look at one of the main actors in this ultra-competitive market: WatchBox. Founded by experienced entrepreneurs and market-makers Danny Govberg (of US-based watch/jewels retailer Govberg Jewelers) and?Tay Liam Wee (Asia-based retailer Sincere Watches), WatchBox is today opening its European Offices in Switzerland. Perfect timing to talk with our long-time friend?Patrik Hoffmann (ex-CEO of a watch brand) about WatchBox Europe and the online watch market.What brought you to WatchBox Europe? My drive for innovation and being mature enough to be disruptive! I’ve known Danny Govberg, one of the co-founders of WatchBox for 20 years and when he showed me what WatchBox was about, he got my attention and I went to see the organisation in Philadelphia. Once I realised that WatchBox was not just' a watch company but a tech company, I said I wanted to be part of this. Being in t