Imagine the responsibility and challenges of having to produce 50th-anniversary watches to honour the forerunner and undisputed leader of the luxury sports watch. Luckily, Audemars Piguet is not daunted by challenges and has feted its Royal Oak's 50th birthday with standout models like the Jumbo Extra-Thin 16202 with a newly developed movement. A c.................. 2022-09-16 More

Longines can proudly flaunt its status as one of the oldest Swiss watch brands. Founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Longines celebrates the grand 190th anniversary of the brand with three commemorative pieces from its Master collection. Relying on an unusual mix of contemporary matte textured dials and hyper-classical engraved Breguet numerals, the Mas.................. 2022-09-14 More

Today,?Salanitro SA?has just announced that Patek Philippe has acquired a stake in its capital. The amount of the investment and the size of the stake were not disclosed. This entry into the capital of the gem-setting company materializes the coming together of two independent Geneva-based family businesses. If Patek Philippe requires little introd.................. 2022-09-14 More

There are not so many watchmakers that are able to celebrate their 200th anniversary. So is Bovet. Among the different events organized to mark this milestone anniversary, MONOCHROME was honoured to be invited to spend a day at Bovet's headquarters, the Motiers Castle. There, we were able to discover their brand-new museum, to attend masterclasses .................. 2022-09-13 More

The Portofino has been IWC's elegant round watch proponent since 1984. Clean, sober dials and a range of case sizes have made the Portofino an attractive unisex option, while its classical 1950s looks have earned the collection the much sought-after distinction of being timeless. Since its introduction, the Portofino Chronograph brings a dash of vi.................. 2022-09-13 More

A Swiss brand specialised (mostly) in rugged watches meant to be used onboard planes or in outer space, Fortis continues its restructuring and revamping its collections. Last year, the brand relaunched one of its most important watches, which for once isn’t made for the air, but for exploration of planet Earth, on land and underwater. A typic.................. 2022-09-13 More

The Laureato, Girard-Perregaux's take on the luxury sports watch, has a surprising history and was launched in 1975, just three years after Audemars Piguet unleashed Gerald Genta's game-changing Royal Oak. Following a period of hibernation, the Laureato made a tentative return in 2016 to celebrate the brand's grand 225th anniversary, followed by a .................. 2022-09-12 More

The scale and pace of human activity on the planet demand changes. Sustainability is everyone’s responsibility, and the watch industry must embrace better practices. With this in mind, Watches and Culture, the cultural division of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (the organiser of Watches & Wonders), will hold its Watch Forum 2022 on .................. 2022-09-12 More

There are many perks of working as media in the watch world. The watches, of course! The trips and the access to the designers and teams behind the scenes are excellent. But putting the glitz and glamour of the Monaco press trips and fancy lunches aside (which are great for the gram but not the reason I got into this). The truth is, making friends .................. 2022-09-11 More

Independent watchmaker Krayon was created a few years ago by Remi Maillat. Besides his developments behind the scene for other brands, Krayon made a remarkable debut with the mindbogglingly complex Everywhere, the first mechanical watch able to compute the sunrise and sunset times everywhere on the globe. This impressive world-first earned Krayon a.................. 2022-09-09 More

It is time for us to start adjusting our perception of Chinese watchmaking. It is no longer ‘just’ about cheap labour and (mildly put) unoriginal designs. Instead, some watchmakers are shifting into intriguingly original mechanical creations and occasionally Haute Horlogerie levels of watchmaking. One such brand hard at work to change t.................. 2022-09-09 More

For those who have been keeping a close eye on MONOCHROME Watches, and Circula Watches in particular, it should come as no surprise that we like the strategy of employing the “power of the people”. And honestly, the resulting collections are often fine examples of well-built, honest watchmaking. When creating a new watch, Circula enlist.................. 2022-09-08 More

As one of the main initiators of the Geneva Watch Days, the second most important watch fair of the year that we attended last week, Bulgari somehow has a mission to come up with big news… And they did, with close to 10 new models introduced during this cool and relaxed watch event. Of course, this event was the perfect time for us to sit dow.................. 2022-09-07 More

Talking about a success story, the Baltic MR01 has recently been one of the most discussed and sought-after models on the micro-brand scene. And rightfully so, as with its Calatrava-styled case, its thin micro-rotor movement, its charm-packed vintage design and its accessible price, there was a lot to love… so much that the watch is still in .................. 2022-09-07 More

Multiple elements define Grand Seiko’s style, all gathered under an important set of rules known as the Grammar of Design. The instrument behind this series of guidelines was a watch known as the 44GS, a sharp and unmistakably GS watch born in 1967, and one that will set in stone what the brand’s creations will be for the future. WeR.................. 2022-09-07 More

The Bambino has been one of the best-selling collections of Japanese watchmaker Orient for years. Introduced a few weeks ago, the new versions of the model stand out with their more compact case – 38.4mm versus 40.5mm previously. We had been quite intrigued by the looks and specs of this automatic dress watch retailing at just EUR 275. So we .................. 2022-09-06 More

We’ve just finished bombarding you with news coming from Switzerland’s capital of watchmaking, Geneva, for the entire week as the 2022 edition of Geneva Watch Days returned to the shores of Lac Leman. And it’s perfectly understandable if, at some point, you felt overwhelmed by it all as there were more than 20 brands participating.................. 2022-09-04 More

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Bulgari Boutique in the United States. And although that might seem insignificant to some, Bulgari has taken the occasion to present a tantalising limited edition based on one of its most iconic watches: the Octo Finissimo Automatic. This horological sculpture, with its mix of sharp, straight l.................. 2022-09-02 More

Colour is the new protagonist at many watch brands, often making up for a lack of novelties but admittedly bringing a more lighthearted mood to the scene. As you will have noticed, classical black and silver dials are being replaced with bolder and bolder colours. Ulysse Nardin rides this trend during Geneva Watch Days with the launch of two 39mm L.................. 2022-09-02 More

Geneva Watch Days 2022 brings us a fun trio of Oris Aquis Date models, this time with reserved, unisex cases and earthy mother-of-pearl dials. Don't let the relaxed aesthetics fool you: these are serious divers with a pro depth rating and sophistication that Aquis Date watches are known for. They follow similar yet larger models like the Aquis Date.................. 2022-09-02 More

Originally created as a stopgap solution in 2020 to offer a live watch event in the midst of the pandemic, Geneva Watch Days is coming up for its third edition and the MONOCHROME team is here to cover all the novelties first-hand. One of the founding fathers of GWD is Bulgari and one of the Italian brand’s novelties for 2022 is this dazzling .................. 2022-09-01 More

Skin divers are always fun as they're generally a more stylish take on pro counterparts (hence the name). There isn't a hard definition, but skin divers are smaller, slimmer versions of bulkier professional divers with depth ratings between 100 and 200 metres. Some folk prefer a vintage-inspired re-edition like the Longines Skin Diver, while others.................. 2022-09-01 More

Mysterious and enticing, the colour black is a much-used element in watchmaking. Sometimes for the sake of contrast and sometimes purely for styling purposes. Black touches on a dial, case or movement can give a new look to a watch, which we regularly see being done. Bvlgari has played around with the achromatic colour on several occasions across a.................. 2022-08-31 More

Back in 2020, Bulgari decided it was time for the return of a late-1990s icon, the Bulgari Aluminium collection. Through a series of regularly available models and special editions, Bulgari has reintroduced this lightweight contemporary sports watch. Instantly recognisable by its Bvlgari Bvlgari signed black rubberised bezel and segmented black rub.................. 2022-08-30 More

We’re right in the middle of what has become an important watch event of the year, a casual, relaxed fair that takes in the capital of watchmaking: Geneva Watch Days. One of the main actors of this show is Bulgari, and among the novelties of the Italian brand in the Finissimo range, there is a rather impressive 8-day Skeleton Octo Finissimo. .................. 2022-08-30 More

If the Black Bay is often seen as the cornerstone model of the brand – which it is in reality – Tudor has more to offer in the field of dive watches. In fact, the real diver in the collection is named Pelagos, a robust 500m titanium watch with a 42mm case and all the necessary equipment for saturation diving. A tool that pro divers have.................. 2022-08-30 More

The Octo Finissimo series is one of the most striking collections of the last decade. With it, Bulgari has secured an impressive series of world records for thinness. But more than anything else, the Octo Finissimo is a style statement. Fabrizio Buonamassa and the?Bulgari team have created a modern icon, whose ultra-thin profile broke into the mark.................. 2022-08-29 More

With the Bulgari Octo Finissimo collection celebrating its tenth anniversary earlier this year, one would think everything has been done by now. We’ve had time-only Automatics, GMT Chronographs, Tourbillons, Minute Repeaters, Perpetual Calendars and more, with pretty much every single one setting ultra-thin records. Nevertheless, Bulgari rema.................. 2022-08-29 More

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five is among the brand's most iconic and recognised collections, going back to the original from 1965 (hence the name). There are a handful of distinctive and unique variations, such as this faithful reissue of a classic, but most follow the same general design language. The latest Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400 brings the.................. 2022-08-29 More

Watchmaking is very much a trend-driven industry, with, of course, a core selection of models, colours, sizes and materials standing the test of time. Colours come and go, sizes go up and down, and although new materials are regularly experimented with, the vast majority come in steel, with titanium, bronze and gold being the most popular alternati.................. 2022-08-28 More

Today The Petrolhead Corner is turning to the virtual automotive world as the origin for real-life, working and driving cars. If you’re anything like me, you would have spent a good amount of time on video game consoles playing driving and racing games such as Driver, Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Forza or any of the annual F1 racing games. O.................. 2022-08-27 More

Longines certainly knows how to bring its historical models back to life. Most of these attractive vintage-inspired models are congregated in the Heritage collection, including the Classic Sector Dial, the Tuxedo Chronograph?and the Legend Diver. Historical designs are not the exclusivity of this collection, however, and the brand with the winged h.................. 2022-08-26 More

In the world of vintage watch collecting, provenance is key in the value attached to a watch. A strong and valuable indication of the early days of a watch is known as the double signature, where the name of a retailer is stamped on the dial. Double-signed watches have been a strong topic of interest recently at auctions, with names like Tiffany, B.................. 2022-08-24 More

Mostly known for its connection with the world of motorsport and anything car-related, TAG Heuer also has a rather deep history in the field of dive watches, since the introduction of the 2000-series in the early 1980s. Later rebranded Aquaracer, the collection has since been a solid offering in the market for rugged dive watches. Last year saw the.................. 2022-08-24 More

Probably the most emblematic and distinctive range of watches produced by the Saxon manufacture, the Pano collection has seen many different complications – power reserve, moon phase, retrograde chronograph or inverted movement to name a few – but never before the brand worked on a calendar watch. Things have changed recently, as Glashu.................. 2022-08-22 More

Released in 2016 after causing a bit of a storm, the Piaget Polo collection has now become a cornerstone of the brand, representing its sporty-chic offering. Using classic design elements of Piaget and combining them with its thin automatic movements – even with a striking openworked edition – the Piaget Polo is now fairly established i.................. 2022-08-22 More

Heuy Lewis & The News sang “It’s Hip To Be Square” in their hit song from 1986 and in watches, you could kind of say the same. Amongst watches, square ones always tend to stand out a bit more, and few have even stood the test of time and earned the status of horological icon. Watches like the TAG Heuer Monaco or Cartier Santos.................. 2022-08-21 More

The Seiko Group is a typical Japanese conglomerate… Meaning that under the same umbrella (but not under the same brand), you’ll find watches ranging from about EUR 200 to more than half a million euros. Grand Seiko is often seen as the group’s top watchmaker, but we have to keep in mind Credor, an even more confidential and exclus.................. 2022-08-19 More

Explaining that Longines is good at making vintage-inspired watches that are bringing back the flair of some of its greatest hits of the past is like saying that Porsche does good sportscars. It’s almost like repeating yourself. Looking at the brand’s portfolio, and putting apart the recent Spirit collection, watches such as the Legend .................. 2022-08-19 More

Anniversaries are to be celebrated. In life, in work, and in watches, as far as I am concerned. MING Watches apparently thinks so too and does so in true MING Style. Five years after the first watch designed by Ming Thein saw the light of day, the MING 37.04 Monopusher continues to celebrate half a decade of watchmaking under this now well-establis.................. 2022-08-18 More