Watches NEWS
Only Watch 2017 - The unique blue dial Audemars Piguet?Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic
For its 2017?edition, the biennial Only Watch event has been attracting more and more brands, keen to participate in?this charity auction. Absent from the previous two editions, Audemars Piguet makes its return to?the long list of manufactures, with a unique piece based on its?impressive?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic. Except?now, they’ve?introduced?a touch of color to the?previous?monochromatic look, as it features a bright blue dial.The goal of Only Watch is simple: in giving collectors the opportunity to bid on?unique pieces from luxury watch manufacturers at?auction (this year, Christie’s will be auctioning the watches, on November 11th, 2017) the proceeds go towards funding the?research of Duchenne muscular dystrophy – the monies collected will be given to?Association Monegasque contre les Myopathies (AMM).?While some brands create completely unique pieces (remember the Patek 5016A of 2015), others?simply?add a unique feature (technica
Hands-On - The Blue Ceramic AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26579CS
There is no hiding the popularity of the Royal Oak as a collection. Audemars Piguet‘s luxury sports watch, the initiator of the genre born in 1972, is one of the few truly iconic watches on the market and celebrated its grand 50th anniversary earlier this year. If most Royal Oak models are highly coveted, there are a few pieces crafted in ceramic that hold an even more coveted and special place in the collection. As part of a collection of high-end, complicated pieces focused on the use of this innovative material, Audemars Piguet has released a watch that has already generated a lot of attention: a full-blue ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. And we’ve been lucky enough to try on it on the wrist. Spoiler – it is an absolutely mind-blowing watch… like it or not!Full ceramic Royal Oak watches have ascended to become the top of the range for the brand, surpassing precious metals in terms of aura and collectability. The ultimate RO, if you like. The full ceramic
In-Depth: A Closer Look at Laurent Ferrier's Natural Escapement
Today, for our latest in-depth video, we’re going technical. This is what MONOCHROME is all about, after all. Sharing the knowledge behind fine horology and understanding how our beloved mechanical watches actually work. Today’s topic is one dear to our hearts, as it combines everything we love in fine watchmaking: high-end finishing, mechanical ingenuity, profound historical references and a complex mechanical device that aims to enhance precision. It is time for us to dive into one of the most spectacular movements currently in production, Laurent Ferrier‘s micro-rotor calibre, and to understand how its natural escapement works.?Horology 101 – What is an escapement?Before we even approach the concept of the natural escapement, we need a concise reminder about the escapement itself. What is the role of the escapement in a watch? The escapement is one of the most critical parts of a watch, the brain of the movement, or its heart, as some might say. It is the dev
A Personal Insight To Why I Bought the Union Glashutte 1893 Johannes Durrstein
I’m very fortunate (and spoilt, in a way) to handle hundreds of watches every year working for MONOCHROME Watches. To the point that I almost have to admit it’s not that easy to be impressed anymore, but it does happen from time to time. Of course, it’s not that difficult to be amazed by very complex and exquisitely finished watches, but I have to take a certain budget into account when it concerns my own collecting adventures. But when I first stepped into the Union Glashutte manufacture about a year ago, I did not expect to be swept off my feet. The reason for this unexpected love-at-first-sight moment? The handsome 1893 Johannes Durrstein Edition Power Reserve, which I wrote about first in 2022. Seeing it in person made me pull the trigger on this one, which was far from planned, given I had a wedding to pay for shortly after that. Despite all this, and since I now own one, I wanted to revisit the 1893 Johannes Durrstein Edition Power Reserve for my own – and
Hands-On - Norqain Freedom 60 Bronze 39mm Black Dial (Price)
Norqain is still a young brand with regards to the Swiss watch industry… But in 3 years of activity, the brand has managed to consolidate a highly consistent collection of sports, adventure-oriented watches, as well as securing a partnership for?COSC-certified movements made by Kenissi, manufacture jointly owned by Chanel and Tudor/ . This was the occasion of the launch of two series of models, first with?the Independence 20 and last year, watches from the Freedom collection equipped with two different versions of the manufacture movement; one with GMT function, and a compact, retro-looking no-date watch, the Freedom 60 39mm. The latter, available in bronze or steel, returns this year with a new colour. Here’s the Norqain Freedom 60 Bronze 39mm with a black dial.Norqain still impresses with its strategy and collections. Norqain has a solid offering, with coherent, well-executed watches with reasonable prices, but also adds to that some powerful and higher-end movements prod
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