Video - Looking Back at the Best Watches of SIHH 2018
With the SIHH 2019 just around the corner, we thought it was the perfect moment to look back at what the 2018 edition of the Geneva Watch Fair, a.k.a Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) had to show… And it had a lot to show. Technical, beautiful, innovative, ultra-complicated or simply well-thought everyday pieces. There was a lot and, in that perspective, SIHH 2018 didn’t disappoint. So before we find out what 2019 has in store for us, let’s take a look back at the previous edition of the fair.In the video above, MONOCHROME team members Frank Geelen, Brice Goulard and Xavier Markl discuss the best watches of the SIHH 2018. Here are our best watches of the show, with the most impressive novelties presented at the SIHH 2018, including: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox – the vintage-inspired alarm watch of JLC’s brand new collection. Cool and well executed Cartier Drive Extra-Flat – now available in yellow gold and in steel, for a very at

Industry Audemars Piguet Tests E-Commerce In China with A Pop-Up Boutique on JD.com
It is no secret that the future of retail is online. This goes for?most consumer goods but this has also started to affect the luxury world, which includes watches. After several Richemont brands entering e-commerce together with Net-a-Porter and Mister Porter (think IWC later followed by other members of the Group), it’s now time for Audemars Piguet to start testing such retail processes, yet in a non-conservative and unprecedented manner, as the high-end watchmaker has just started to test E-Commerce in China with a pop-up boutique on JD.com.While the European and American markets are still rather conservative in the way watches are sold to clients, who still rely on physical point-of-sale, the Chinese market has demonstrated to be much more mature when it comes to online shopping, mainly due to the innovative spirit of two e-commerce giants: Alibaba and JD.com. Both have recently launched luxury portals – Luxury Pavillon for Alibaba and TopLife for JD.com – on whic

One Lunar Year With A Seiko SBDC007 - Monochrome Watches
In Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Cat's Cradle he wrote of a mysterious substance Ice 9 that could in fact FREEZE any organic substance it came into contact with! A single molecule of Ice 9 could have set off a chain reaction of frosty crystallization that would have ended all life on Earth! When I bought my Seiko SBDC007 it had a similar effect on my entire collection! It froze them all in their tracks and rendered them useless!At the outset of the lunar year denoting the time of the Dragon my family boarded a Boeing 777 bound for Singapore. (China can be a bit TOO festive during Chinese New Years! (Read as - LOUD!!!)). In Singapore we went about the task of sourcing out the essentials: shelter - our usual room overlooking the marina did the trick! Food - there are enough celebrity chefs in the Mall alone to keep us nicely fed. Clothing - shorts and t-shirts please - even in February, Singapore is bloody hot! With the needs' covered we set out to cover the wants'! My wife and daughter are eas

Omega Reintroduces the Iconic Column-Wheel Chronograph Calibre 321
What came a few minutes ago in our email boxes was totally out of the blue – but by far the best piece of news Speedmaster fans could have dreamed of. Omega is about to relaunch one of the most iconic chronograph movements ever, the movement that actually went to the Moon on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, the movement that equipped the first generations of Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch until moving to the cam-operated Calibre 861. Yes, that’s right, Omega will restart the production of the Calibre 321 with column-wheel. And that is pretty cool (to say the least).An image of the original calibre 321 found in all Speedmaster watches before the end of the 1960s / beginning of the 1970s.On the whole we tend to talk about ‘iconic’ watches, but there are movements that have gained an equally cult status. Think Valjoux 7750 or Valjoux 72/92. Another one is actually based on a Lemania ebauche and was renamed Calibre 321 by Omega. Yes, this is the movement th

Industry News: Swatch Group 2023 Results Show Growth, Positive Outlook for 2024
Following the announcement in July 2023 of its half-year results showing an impressive growth of 18% in sales, Swatch Group has just issued its key figures for the entire year 2023. The Biel-based conglomerate, owner of brands such as Omega, Longines, Tissot or Breguet, reports sales up by 12.6% at constant exchange rates, or 5.2% at current rates to CHF 7,888 million. Despite a slightly slower pace during the fourth quarter of the year, which might indicate a switch in the overall state of the business and industry, the Group remains positive in its 2024 outlook and expects “excellent growth prospects” for the year to come.?While not reaching the pre-pandemic sales levels – the Group reported sales of CHF 8,475 million in 2018 – Swatch Group can report strong sales in 2023 with close to CHF 8 billion turnover. That being said, the group also indicated a huge exchange rate impact and a challenging currency environment, with a hugely negative currency impact that