Collector's Series - The One-Of-A-Kind Czapek Antarctique Alpha
There's something truly fascinating and intriguing with the idea of having something unique, something that you've designed together with the manufacturer's team Bespoke watchmaking isn't such a common practice and we're always rather curious to hear the stories behind the creation of a bold, highly personal watch. Something like this Czapek, which isn't the most consensual of all. After all, this is also what makes it such a cool story. Dr. Ayham Refaat, a 45 year-old surgeon, entrepreneur and CEO from Dubai, indeed wears a one-of-a-kind Czapek Antarctique Alpha on his wrist. It matches his search for unique pieces and complicated watches perfectly. In this edition of the Collector's Series, he tells us all about his journey with Czapek to create the ultimate personal watch.Frank Geelen, MONOCHROME – What was it that attracted you to the Czapek brand? Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Found - Daniel Roth Double Dial Tourbillon C187 For Auction at Loupe This
Independent watchmaking has recently gained incredible traction, with impressive results at auction for rare models. But to understand the origins and the current state of the indie scene, one has to look back in time and investigate names like George Daniels, Vianney Halter, Svend Andersen, Philippe Dufour and of course, Daniel Roth. Often considered one of the earliest representatives of the indie scene, with the foundation of his eponymous brand in the late 1980s, Roth’s watches are becoming more and more collectable. And today, we found an example of what could be the grail of his early models, a steel Daniel Roth Double Dial Tourbillon, now available on the auction platform Loupe This.?Image by Fred Merz for FHH JournalBorn in France to a family dedicated to watchmaking, Daniel Roth has left a significant mark on the modern state of the industry. Not only was he at the foundation of the current Breguet company, but he was also a pioneer of the independent watchmaking scene.

Chopard L.U.C Quattro - Pre-Baselworld 2018 (Specs & Price)
Chopard should not be forgotten when the subject of Haute Horlogerie comes on the table, especially with the L.U.C collection – launched in 1996 and representing?the brand's top line. The Chopard L.U.C collection comprises watches with beautifully hand-finished?in-house movements. The first movement they launched in this collection was calibre 1.96.?Four years later, in the year 2000, Chopard introduced the first L.U.C Quattro, the world's first hand-wound calibre with four stacked mainspring barrels. Just before Baselworld 2018, here is a new interpretation of the?Chopard L.U.C Quattro.The L.U.C Quattro is one of the major watches in the L.U.C collection. But not the only one. Indeed, when the Scheufele family decided to relaunch the L.U.C Collection in 1996, they made it with not only a great looking watch but also with a superb movement, the calibre?1.96. This movement featured a bidirectional 22ct-gold micro-rotor and twin stacked barrels giving 65 hours of power reserve, but

In Memory of Sir Stirling Moss, Legendary Racing Driver - And Wearer of Great Watches
Yesterday, Sir Stirling Moss passed away at the age of 90. Born 17 September 1929 in London, Moss was a legendary Formula 1 driver who won a total 212 of the 529 races he entered across various racing categories. He finished runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship four times and third place three times all in a seven-year period from 1955 to 1961. He is considered “the greatest Formula 1 driver never to win the world championship”. He retired from active racing after an accident in 1962. He crashed his Lotus at Goodwood, put him in a coma for a month and for six months the left side of his body was partially paralyzed.A portrait of Stirling Moss, circa 1955. Photo by Klemantaski Collection/Getty ImagesAmongst his famous wins are the 1954 edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring with American co-driver Bill Lloyd, where Moss became the first non-American to win the race. In 1955, Stirling Moss won the Targa Florio with British co-driver Peter Collins. In the same year, Moss

Hands-On - Jaeger LeCoultre Polaris Date 2018 ref. 9068670 (Specs & Price)
Right from the start of the SIHH 2018, we made sure that the new?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 2018 Collection was covered here, on MONOCHROME. Indeed, it represents one of the main novelties of the show and is an extremely important collection for JLC as its only true sports range of watches. And while the Memovox will certainly be the most desirable of them all, we want to show you another model that we consider the?cornerstone of the collection. Non-limited, relatively affordable but still vintage-inspired, let’s meet the?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date.Where does the collection come from? And why does it appear on the market now, not as a simple vintage re-edition, but as a complete collection? First of all, when your name is Jaeger-LeCoultre you can’t go too far in terms of technical looks, ruggedness or sportiness. In collector’s minds, JLC is a classic brand, with a certain elegance and a traditional design. Nothing too fancy, nothing too showy. Restrained and well ex