Watches NEWS
Hands-On - TAG Heuer Carbon Aquaracer Calibre 5 Special Trilogy (Specs & Price)
Move over ceramic, here comes carbon. Carbon fibre is the flavour of the day in the material world giving watches a high-tech stealth look associated with the world of F1 and competitive sailing. Following in the wake of the highly successful Carbon Monaco customized by Bamford, TAG Heuer presents three Aquaracer models decked out with carbon fibre details and housed in a 41mm black PVD-coated titanium hull. All three Aquaracers, differentiated by their colour schemes, will be put on sale today, along with the much anticipated Monaco Bamford unveiled back in March 2018. Before we look at the three models in detail, two points need clarifying: the Aquaracers have not been customized by Bamford and the cases, unlike the Monaco Bamford, are not made from solid carbon fibre. There are carbon fibre details on the case, however, and the good news for fans of the Aquaracer is that you can get the same cool look of a customized Bamford for roughly half the price.The genesis of the AquaracerTAG
Protrait: Kortela Valta, a New Independent Watchmaking Discovery From Finland
Finland has birthed some of the most fascinating watchmakers outside of Switzerland and has long left its mark on the watchmaking industry. Think of names like Kari Voutilainen and Stepan Sarpaneva, to name just two. Perhaps lesser known, but not to be overlooked, is Reima Koivukoski, whom we introduced to you about a year ago. Now, though, we have the next discovery from the “Land of the Thousand Lakes” lined up for you: Kortela Valta. This duo of watchmakers, Roope Kortela and Rene Valta, found a mutual passion for watchmaking when studying at the Finnish School of Watchmaking and have joined forces to create something very cool called the Eka. More than enough reason to sit down and talk to the pair!Robin, MONOCHROME Watches - Roope, Rene, you're a young two-man brand from Finland. Can you introduce yourselves briefly? Ad - Scroll to continue with article
Introducing Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Alarm 1938P Tribute to Philippe Stern
A watch that should have been first presented thanks to a unique piece for Only Watch 2023 (which has been postponed), we knew that Patek Philippe?was on its way to presenting a new model entirely dedicated to its former President, father of the current President and a man of great importance for both the brand and the Swiss watch industry, Mister Philippe Stern. In order to celebrate his 85th birthday, and as a tribute to his father, Thierry Stern (of the fourth generation of the Stern family, appointed president in 2009) honours his father by creating a special edition of 30 watches, a complex model including a newly developed movement, created solely for this piece and never to be used again. Here’s the Patek Philippe Minute Repeater Alarm 1938P.?Father and son – Philippe Stern and Thierry SternWhat could be a better tribute to the man who has been at the head of Patek Philippe from 1993 to 2009, a manufacture specialized since its inception in chiming watches, than a mi
HYT Hastroid Green Laser (Specs & Price)
As we’ve explained in this article published about 2 months ago, an important new chapter in the story of HYT Watches has just opened. After a complex period, and with a new CEO at its head – an industry veteran known as Davide Cerrato – the brand is back on track and comes with its spacecraft trunk fully loaded with new models, but with the distinctive meca-fluidic technology sound and safe. The name of this new opus in the HYT saga is Hastroid, and following the inaugural edition, the Green Nebula, it’s time for the second chapter to be released. Meet the new HYT Hastroid Green Laser. And indeed, it couldn’t be more green.?The HYT Hastroid Green Nebula, the edition that marked the return of the brand in early 2022.Everything we’ve explained over the past few months is still true for this new model. To make the story short, HYT has always been one of the most fascinating and original brands of the independent watchmaking scene. In addition to creati
First Look: The Lightweight Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic in Titanium
Integrated sports watches have been a hit since the 1970s when the Royal Oak and Nautilus changed everything, and affordable options are all the rage today. Look no further than Tissot's PRX Powermatic 80 as an example. Maurice Lacroix's Aikon Automatic perhaps does it best with a masterful combination of luxury and attainability. Usually comprised of stainless steel, the collection has strayed into bronze on rare occasions and also titanium for an Automatic Chronograph, but the latest titanium Aikon Automatic models are a first for the series and a logical, lightweight addition.The Aikon was introduced in 2016, but the mechanical automatic launched two years later in 2018 (and you know we're all about mechanical watches at MONOCHROME). It's certainly a diverse collection with many dial variants, complications, case sizes and materials, but the classic time and date models are the core of the collection. It has a distinctive style that's easily recognizable as a Maurice Lacroix and is