FP Journe Chronometre Bleu - Some personal thoughts about an icon (review with live photos & price) - Monochrome Watches
My daily job, as the associate editor of Monochrome-Watches, is to inform you about new watches, to share the industry news and to review timepieces that we believe worthwhile. Meaning: I’m a watch journalist. However, this also means (for me, at least) that I’m a watch enthusiast and a collector my-self. On the scale of desire for watches, I have three categories: the new watches of the year that I’d like to own (after seeing them at the SIHH or Baselworld), the all-time classics that would look?nice in every collection (e.g. a Submariner or a Speedmaster) and the proper dream-machines, the ones that I want?above all. One of them (in fact, there are quite a lot… but this one sits on the very top of my wish-list) is a watch that could be regarded as very classical by non-aficionados but that however is filed with so many unique details: the now iconic?FP Journe Chronometre Bleu and here is why I’m a sucker for this very special timepiece, illustrated with

2020 Breitling Chronomat B01 42 "Rouleaux" Bracelet (Price)
The name “Chronomat” can refer to multiple watches at Breitling and holds a significant place in the brand’s history. Of course, the first watch to bear this name was a 1940 Chronograph, which was one of the first watches with a slide-rule bezel. However, for most watch enthusiasts the name Chronomat refers to an icon of the 1980s, to one of Breitling’s most powerful designs. And today, the brand is bringing it back with an eye-catching case, the signature Rouleaux bracelet and several limited editions, including the “Frecce Tricolori”. Meet the 2020 Breitling Chronomat B01 42 Collection.Quick ReminderBreilting’s history has a lot to do with pilot’s watches and chronographs. One of the most important watches in the entire brand’s lineage was created mid-20th century, as one of the earliest watches with a slide-rule bezel, a tool that helps pilots to perform calculations while flying. Following a 1940 patent for the design of a rotat

The New Ikepod Megapod With A One-Minute Hourglass
Ikepod is a preeminent figure in unconventional and often contentious design-focused watchmaking icons. Revered by collectors and enthusiasts alike, the brand, founded in 1994 by designer Marc Newson and entrepreneur Oliver Ike, has left an indelible mark on the watchmaking scene. Despite its global success, Ikepod faced a challenging period, with production coming to a halt in 2012. After a period of dormancy, the brand found a new lease on life under the ownership of Christian-Louis Col, who firmly believed in giving Ikepod a second (third, really) chance. After a series of very appealing and true-to-form watches, Ikepod feels the time has come to retire the gen3 Megapod, with a fitting Hourglass limited edition.From left to right: Ikepod Megapod Hourglass Rob, Walter, Gae, Dieter.Col, recognizing Ikepod as a designer’s brand, collaborated with Emmanuel Gueit (famous creator of AP ROO) for the debut quartz-powered Duopod collection. The subsequent Megapod, a creation with Alexa

Introducing: The Habring2 Josef Regulator With Dead-Beat Seconds
Twenty years ago, Austrian couple Maria and Richard Habring (the latter being famous already for his previous work at IWC, including developing the 7750-based Doppel Chronograph, among other clever mechanisms) started their own journey, an independent watchmaking brand known as Habring2. Now one of the most respected indie watchmakers in their segment, one of the few brands to actually make watches and movements in Austria, Habring2 has decided to celebrate two decades of passion-fueled timepieces with two new models: a moon phase model that we’ll cover in a later article, and this new Josef watch, a regulator that does more than just display the time in split sub-dials.While some independent watchmakers are all about ultra-high-end finishing or record-breaking complications, Habring2 went another route. Far more pragmatic, slightly original but still very usable on a daily basis. This combination of originality, cleverness of construction and search for true reliability and serv

Jacques Bianchi JB200 Dive Watch Re-Edition Kickstarter
Kickstarter can be a beautiful way to launch a brand and it abounds with great and equally disappointing projects. From time to time, we see great campaigns surface and today is one of them, marked by a distinct French accent. France has a long history when it comes to watches and, specifically, dive watches. From Comex to Captain Cousteau, watches for professional divers are closely associated with the city of Marseille, on the Mediterranean Sea. Another name, less famous perhaps but no less significant has to be added to this list: Jacques Bianchi, a watchmaker whose workshop overlooks the Old Port of Marseille. In the 1980s, he created a watch specifically for these men, and today it stages a comeback. Meet the Jacques Bianchi JB200 Dive Watch Re-Edition launching now on Kickstarter.? Behind this name is a man who is now in his eighties. With his workshop next to Marseille’s port, Jacques Bianchi has known Jacques Mayol and Captain Cousteau and his secon