A few months ago, we introduced to you a new luxury brand with a simple but highly enjoyable design and an interesting horological content: Alexandre Meerson. By only looking at the press photos and reading the press release, we found that both the story was highly captivating and that the timepieces were not denied of elegance. However, nothing?is.................. 2015-02-26 More

In the world of independent watchmaking, there are the big names, such as MB&F, Richard Mille or Urwerk and there are the confidential manufactures, like Kari Voutilainen, Gronefeld or Sarpaneva. One of them has to be seen as extremely exclusive, first because of the very limited production figures?but also because of the unique beauty of his w.................. 2015-02-24 More

KiKa is a Dutch foundation that wants to increase the cure rate of kids with cancer to 95% in 2025. To reach that massively important goal, they need money for the necessary research. The good news is that the specialists involved are convinced that new treatments can be developed. Ulysse Nardin makes a unique Marine Diver available for an auction .................. 2015-02-22 More

The Idea of reviewing a watch powered by a quartz caliber might be an anathema here at Monochrome-Watches. The mechanical beauty of the watches presented here, the complexity of their calibers, their finish, their overall design and their layout are parameters that drive Frank and the team to insist on presenting solely mechanical watches. Undoubte.................. 2015-02-20 More

The year 1815 had seen the birth of an important man, a man responsible for the introduction of fine watchmaking in Glashutte, Germany. At the age of 30, Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded the manufacture Lange?near Dresden, in the eastern state of Saxony. He highly contributed to the creation of an whole industry that is now a real pride?for Germany. .................. 2015-02-18 More

There are few companies in the watch industry that have the impact Breitling has. It is a well-known fact among watch?aficionados?that the company might be solely responsible for creating the shape and form of the chronograph wristwatch as we know it today. In parallel the name of the company is clearly interlinked with the world of aviation, and t.................. 2015-02-16 More

For us, this is the most wonderful time of the year. The manufactures have all been working so hard to prepare their latest offerings for Baselworld. Everyone honing and refining his or her novelties to capture the most attention from the press. Sometimes, the urge to show-off (or maybe psyche-out their competitors) is just too strong and we get a .................. 2015-02-13 More

There are just a handful of retailers of this small, but very exclusive watch brand, formed around mr. Laurent Ferrier. He worked for Patek Philippe for 37 years – since 1974 as Creative Director – and raced in the 24-hour of Lemans, back in the seventies. And five years ago he set up his own business to make extraordinary beautiful, su.................. 2015-02-12 More

TAG Heuer is a sentimental favorite for me. The black and gold 1000 Professional Diver 980.029N was one of the first watches I can remember lusting after. A beat-up pre-owned Formula 1 watch was as close as I ever got to the 1000 Pro. Over the years I've watched the brand go through some funky gyrations as they experimented with smartphones (groan!.................. 2015-02-10 More

For the 75th anniversary of its emblematic model, the Portuguese (or Portugaise in French /Portugieser in German), IWC chose not to totally renew the collection but instead to improve some of the (visual and technical) aspects and to add some interesting complications. The star of the show this year was the?IWC Portuguese Annual Calendar ref. 5035,.................. 2015-02-09 More

Here at Monochrome-Watches, we have a special attraction for Tudor. We may love for its serious and highly qualitative creations, Tudor ( ’s sister company) created some interesting, affordable, very well finished and mainly, really cool watches recently – such as the Heritage Black Bay Blue, the Heritage Ranger or the Heritage Chrono.................. 2015-02-09 More

England might not instantly leap out as a natural ancestral home for a new watchmaking company, but for Garrick and its owner David Brailsford, the location of its centre of operations was never in question. Watchmaking has a rich historical connection with England, and back when the foundations of the science were being established, the city of Lo.................. 2015-02-05 More

De Bethune is known for its groundbreaking technological innovations – the company holds a number of patents – and also for its quite remarkable design. Both the technical aspects, as wel as the aesthetics, can be seen as an eclectic mix of classic Haute Horlogerie and state-of-art futuristic mechanics. Style-wise they probably lean mor.................. 2015-02-04 More

The Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet’s best seller, is used (and abused for some watch lovers) for?many editions, going from the classical and faithful Ultra-Thin 15202ST, to bulky chronographs or a sumptuous Grande Complication. It’s even the base used by AP for their R&D watches, as the Acoustic Research Concept proves it. We told you: .................. 2015-02-03 More

As every object located on earth, a watch is subjected?to several forces. Together with magnetic fields, the worst enemy of an escapement is gravity, a force?strong enough to deregulate a watch if it remains constantly in the same position. In order to counteract this undesirable effect, a well-known watchmaker named Abraham-Louis Breguet created t.................. 2015-02-03 More

A few weeks before the 2015 Edition of the SIHH, Audemars-Piguet introduced something highly interesting, a pure concept watch with a single aim: being the Minute Repeater 2.0. based on the now famous Royal Oak Concept case, this watch summarizes 8 years of research and development, all devoted to improve the?volume, pitch, tones and harmony of sou.................. 2015-02-02 More

James Bond is known for many attributes: he drives an Aston Martin, he wears tuxedos, he shoots his enemies with a Walter PPK… However what tickles our interest is, of course, the watches he wears. After sporting?a? Submariner, and later,?during?the 1980’s, a?Seiko that could perform many extraordinary tricks, he?has been waering?an?Om.................. 2015-02-02 More

You’re cordially invited to the Montblanc Black & White Weeks 2015: The perfect event (that usually is not open to the public) to learn everything about Montblanc’s newest timepieces, to see them and more important, to try them on your wrist. Montblanc agreed to let us invite you?for this exclusive evening, where all novelties can b.................. 2015-02-01 More

The 2015 edition of the SIHH – Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie – is now behind us. As usual, it was an hectic week, full of novelties and horological sweetness. From all the brands exhibiting and all the watches we’ve seen, strapped, tested and photographed, we had to make our selection. 16 brands, more?than 50 main nov.................. 2015-01-30 More

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is an icon, a pure piece of?horological history, first created in 1931. For more than 80 years, Jaeger-LeCoultre had worked hard to keep this little piece of rotating metal on stage. Over?the years, we’ve seen multiple complications, multiple sizes or multiple limited editions. In 2011, the manufacture chose to re.................. 2015-01-29 More

In a year that saw the passing of Raymond Weil's founder and namesake, the company's strong offerings signaled an enduring legacy. Musical appreciation and the arts, a continuous symbiosis with the company, likely led them to describe the Raymond Weil Freelancer?Titanium Chronograph as mezzo-piano, moderately soft. After several weeks of wear, we m.................. 2015-01-28 More

What can we say about the?A. Lange & Sohne Datograph that hasn't already been said? Certainly one of the finest chronographs of all time, but?if you add a perpetual calendar to the package, what do you receive back? A superb, exclusive, technical and desirable timepiece. Is this QP edition better than the chronograph only? Maybe not. Anyway, th.................. 2015-01-27 More

You've seen the brand-new Mare Nostrum, and we showed you the CarboTech and here is the third instalment of the SIHH novelties by Panerai, the rather interesting Radiomir Firenze 3 Days Acciaio. It isn't highly complicated, nor does it come a brandspanking new material but a rather unique look, harking back to the birthplace of the brand. Here is t.................. 2015-01-27 More

As a watch journalist I’ve visited (quite) a number of manufactures and every time I look for unique properties of that specific manufacture. The manufactures that I visited most are Montblanc’s?manufacture in Villeret – that’s the old Minerva manufacture – and their other facility on Le Locle. Both are very different!.................. 2015-01-26 More

Panerai's roots are military, supplying diving watches to the Italian military during WWII. From this year's Mare Nostrum to last year's chronographs like the Radiomir 1940, the company extends the utility of its DNA into high-end watches. This year's Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic, a mouthful to say, is no exception. The Lumin.................. 2015-01-26 More

The legendary Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is back in the game and will again make some noise. This watch, originally created in 1972 and designed by Gerald Genta, is an icon and AP knows that very well. Just look at the number of variations and special editions that have been created over the years and you’ll understand why the brand is so keen.................. 2015-01-23 More

Recently, we brought?you Vacheron Constantin’s main novelty, an entirely new collection named Harmony, recognizable by its vintage elements, its cushion-shaped case and its truly appealing look. We knew only from seeing the press photos and the specification sheets that these watches were highly interesting and technically advanced. It’.................. 2015-01-23 More

Anyone who has ever carved the snow on skis or hugged a turn's line in a sports car or caressed the slope of a woman's back will appreciate the curves in the Cle de Cartier. Cartier's iconic march of shapes from Santos to Tank to Rontonde arrives at a new simplicity of innovation, design and form.The hard lines of geometry and sharp edges found in.................. 2015-01-22 More

While using the auspice of their 75th jubilee to look back, IWC are also using it to stretch-out a bit and do a few new things. The new IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Edition 75th Anniversary (hitherto fore denoted as the IWC PPC) takes the perpetual calendar function and lays it out plain and easy.All of us here love complica.................. 2015-01-22 More

Richard Mille have once again astounded the industry - this time with a new ladies watch, the RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur. Automaton? Poetic Complication? Call it what you will - it is a stunner.Last year had its fair share of floral themed ladies watches, including Breguet's Secret de la Reine, a particularly eye-pleasing Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye .................. 2015-01-22 More

For 2015, Roger Dubuis focusses heavily on skeletonization, as becomes apparent with the introduction of the Excalibur Spider Double Flying Tourbillon. Every single watch prior to these new releases has been produced according to the strict specifications of the Poin?on de Geneve, and the new models are no exception. The Spider offers exceptional H.................. 2015-01-22 More

Vacheron Constantin is looking back on its remarkable 260 years of history, and offers a series of celebratory collections, such as the all-new Harmony collection and the two Metiers d'Art Mecaniques Gravees timepieces. The third offering cultivates on artisanal crafts gathered since their foundation in 1755. We give you the Vacheron Constatin Meti.................. 2015-01-22 More

IWC chose to use the 75th anniversary of the Portuguese line to introduce a model that takes its styling directly from the original model. Let us take a look at the modern reinterpretation of the Schaffhausen maker's most venerable lines.IWC is without question one of the most prestigious brands. The current identity of the brand is a balance betwe.................. 2015-01-21 More

We’ve already showed you some models?of Montblanc’s new?Heritage Chronometrie collection, like the?ExoTourbillon and Dual Time. This new collection also comprises a variety of calendar watches like the Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie Quantieme Annuel Vasco da Gama, which comes in a gold and a steel version. There’s also a non-limi.................. 2015-01-21 More

Panerai and the sea are eternally linked. This strong bond is imbedded within the DNA of the company right from the very beginning of its existence. The Panerai Marina Militare was the first truly underwater watch that was made?for the italian military divers to time accurately their operations during the WWII. Panerai is characterized for big watc.................. 2015-01-21 More

The Swiss maison of Vacheron Constatin celebrates its 260th anniversary, and already brought us the all-new Harmony Collection. Bearing the hallmarks of their Metiers d'Art collections, the Mecaniques Gravees 14 day Tourbillon and a hand wound non-tourbillon model feature fully hand-engraved movements inside classically styled cases, harking back t.................. 2015-01-21 More

If you ask collectors which is the best ever chronograph, you’ll probably get 2 or 3 recurring answers: Daytona, Omega Speedmaster and A. Lange & Sohne Datograph. For sure, the two first watches are iconic and highly interesting. However,?when it comes to Haute Horlogerie matters and technically advanced movements, the one and only answ.................. 2015-01-20 More

Alongside the consumer oriented watches, Cartier has another field of mastering: extremely complicated watches. Just take a look at the Astrontourbillon Skeleton,?the Tank MC Skeleton, the bunch of Tourbillon, minute repeaters or perpetual calendars in the catalog. We’re far from a simple – but?highly cool – Tank or Santos. For th.................. 2015-01-20 More

Just before this year’s SIHH started we had the chance to sit down with Jer?me Lambert, CEO of Montblanc. We’re talking with him about the third new collection that the brand launched since he joined the manufacture, in July of 2013, the integration of the two Montblanc manufactures and the brand new e-Strap that was launched on January.................. 2015-01-20 More

On this first day of the SIHH we are already blown away by the vast amount of extremely impressive time pieces, and the new Lange & Sohne is no exception. The ‘normal’ Zeitwerk, as introduced in 2009, was in itself a magnificent masterpiece with most likely the easiest (ergonomically) way to read the time on a mechanical timepiece. .................. 2015-01-19 More