Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer Bronze and Two-Tone - Hands-On
A couple of years ago, Maurice Lacroix introduced its Aikon collection with automatic movements, a watch with a clear ‘luxury sports watch’ connection, yet with an accessible price. And the recipe proved successful. Offered in multiple variations and materials, it wasn’t enough for the brand that enlarged its collection with another, more robust and sportier edition, the Aikon Venturer. Today, this adventure/diving-oriented piece receives new colours and materials, with the launch of the Aikon Venturer Two-Tone and Bronze.The luxury sports watch category is ruled by some perennial icons such as the Royal Oak and the Nautilus – two watches born in the 1970s, almost unchanged since then and that defined the genre. Fast forward to now and the luxury sports watch has never been so popular, but still out of range for most watch enthusiasts (even more considering the shortage of steel models). Some brands, however, saw an opportunity here, by offering the taste of thi

IWC Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Lewis Hamilton IW503002
Last year, I had the chance to interview F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, just before the French Grand-Prix. Part of the discussion was, of course, his impressive racing results but also something more in line with our usual topics; watches. I asked him what if he had the opportunity to design his own IWC watch. He answered “red gold is my favourite (…) I love the Big Pilot's watch, I love heavier watches (…) Most likely it would be a perpetual calendar (…) A watch as mechanical as possible.” Well, it seems that his idea has come to life, with the new IWC “Lewis Hamilton” Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar.?Let’s get it straight… This new IWC Lewis Hamilton edition is bold. Colours are louder than your usual Pilot’s watch, the mix of materials brings a lot of contrast, the watch is large, heavy, complex and far from accessible. In short, it’s quite in line with the image Hamilton sends – even though, to my bigg

Hands-on with the Oris Aquis Date with a gradient blue dial - Specs & price - Monochrome-Watches
Apart from all those crazy, complicated, unaffordable watches, like the 420.000 Euros Breguet Tradition Minute Repeater Tourbillon or the Arnold & Son Constant Force, Baselworld also offers the chance to go over watches that we (meaning the normal people) can one day expect to have on the wrist, instead of just dreaming in front of it. After coming with a superb vintage-inspired Divers Sixty-Five, Oris also update one of its best sellers with a new dial. Here is the?Oris Aquis Date with a gradient blue dial. No bullshit, just a cool affordable tool watch.Of course we, at Monochrome-Watches, are all about a tourbillon, a constant force escapement or a crazy display. Those watches are dream-pieces, demonstration of a technical capacities and, unfortunately, timepieces that are more made to be posters in teenagers’ bedrooms than timepieces to be adorned on your roommate’s wrist. Of course, our goal here is to make you dream and to explain you the most complicated features

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin With Blue and Grey Dials For 2017 - Hands-On with Specs & Price
At SIHH 2017, some new Master Ultra-Thin watches went almost unnoticed, lost in the shadows?of the?cool Master Control with Sector Dial, which?stole the show. However, the old Maison was not short of watches to feed the 2017 catalogue. Today, we take a look at 4 unapologetically elegant watches with classic style and functions, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Small Second, the Master Ultra-Thin MoonPhase, the Master Ultra-Thin Power Reserve and the Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar, all of them now paired with a grey or blue dial.Designing a classic watch is not an easy task. The focus?must be on the essentials as the devil is in the details. In this regard, Jaeger-LeCoultre excels at?creating superb round watches. Classic, under the radar, thin, elegant and devoid?of anything that would make them too showy but not boring either (far from that). With these 4 new Master Ultra-Thin watches, the Grande Maison brings a touch of color to the collection, adding an indisputable extr

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture - REVIEW (live photos & price) - Monochrome-Watches
Finding the right watch is a quest. When a watch fits one's lifestyle like a hand to a glove, and not by some artificial marketing association, but the fit of real-world application, then a symbiosis ensues. What is the right watch for the boat owner? Be he the captain of a flying tower fishing boat, or an open air bow rider filled with eager skiers, or a sport cruiser complete with galley and overnight accommodations, or a true yacht for luxurious entertaining, or even the rarified air of the seafaring mega-yacht bound for the Monaco harbor in time for the Formula Race, the right watch is essential. A dive watch will do, but if form follows function, what is the right watch, other than a diver, for the captain of the ship? As summer beckons captains to the rivers, lakes and sea, Ulysse Nardin, a name synonymous with the pilot house, offers a watch that can move effortlessly from the swim deck to the yacht club, combining the essential elements of sport and dress while simultaneously b