Watches NEWS
Spotted - The Watches of Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Koningsdag
April 27th in the Netherlands is Koningsdag or King’s Day. It is a national holiday and celebrates the birth of King Willem-Alexander who was born on 27 April 1967 to Princess Beatrix and diplomat Claus van Amsberg. He became Prince of Orange when his mother became Queen of the Netherlands on 30 April 1980. Willem-Alexander became King in 2013 after Queen Beatrix abdicated. The King is married to M¨¢xima Zorreguieta Cerruti, who is now Queen consort and they have three daughters. And because MONOCHROME has Dutch roots (doesn’t it, Frank Geelen?), we thought it would be a good time to look at the wristwatches of the King, as he owns a few interesting pieces.The first watch spotted on King Willem-Alexander’s wrist is a stainless-steel Datejust on a jubilee bracelet, with a blue dial. A classic timepiece that works well with formal and casual attire. Willem-Alexander wore this watch when he got married in February 2002.? Ad - Scroll to continue with article
Hands-On - TAG Heuer Monaco 1969-1979 Limited Edition 50th-Anniversary CAW211V.FC6466 (Specs & Price)
Even after a half-century of life, the TAG Heuer Monaco is still one of the most iconic chronographs on the market. The fame of the Monaco owes much to its cameo role on the wrist of Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie Le Mans. Back then, McQueen was known as The King of Cool. At the height of his popularity, his performance as racer Michael Delaney is, without doubt, one of his most cult roles. Although the Monaco shot to fame on Steve McQueen’s wrist, the genesis of this unconventional square chronograph coincided with a genuine technological revolution (and a frantic race) to launch the world’s first automatic chronograph.Steve McQueen wearing his Heuer Monaco in the movie Le Mans, 1971Short history of the Heuer MonacoThe 1960s and 1970s were a golden age for motor racing, one of the most exciting (and dangerous) sports of the time. The period was also the heyday of the mechanical chronograph with the birth of a number of horological icons. Back then, before electronic race
First Look: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Manual Black Titanium
Although the star attraction at Bulgari’s will undoubtedly be the new record-breaking Octo Finissimo Ultra, the Italian brand will also be presenting three iterations of the watch that started Bulgari’s trailblazing campaign of ultra-thin winners. Unveiled in 2014, the record-breaking Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Tourbillon wowed the watchmaking world with the thinnest tourbillon movement (1.95mm) ever manufactured. One of the three models launching this week is this handsome black DLC titanium version of the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon with a skeletonised movement.?Appearing in a variety of handsome suits, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon stripped off in 2017 with a skeletonised version exposing the heart and soul of the ultra-thin movement in an expensive platinum case. When Bulgari set out to conquer the world with its ultra-thin Octo Finissimo watches, it understood that a collection could not survive on ultra-lean credentials alone. By dressing its watches with a bold, se
Longines Avigation BigEye (Live Pics, Specs & Price)
It's not hard to find vintage-inspired military watches as the market is now flooded with them. If you want something affordable and authentic, Hamilton has you covered. Want to go high-end, IWC and Panerai?have a lot to offer, among many others. Longines even has a wide variety in its Heritage collection. Most are excellent examples of a given time period and fine watches on their own, but few have truly unique personalities. The Longines Avigation BigEye bucks the trend with an atypical chronograph that hits a lot of the right notes, but its provenance is a bit of a mystery. It's also not the first modern big eye chronograph with pieces like the Breguet Type XX?having a similar dial. It's arguably the best vintage-inspired Longines since the Legend Diver, however, and won the Best Revival award at last year's Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG). That's an eye-opening achievement, so let's take a closer look.BACKGROUNDThe history behind the Avigation BigEye Chronograph is anyt
Introducing: The TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma d'Avant-Garde
Lab-grown diamonds are used extensively in jewellery but rarely in watchmaking. What takes nature billions of years to achieve and immense effort to mine can be pulled off in a laboratory in a matter of weeks. Embracing the technology and leading the pack, TAG Heuer is the first major Swiss brand to integrate lab-grown diamonds into its watches. With the launch of its third Plasma watch during LVMH Watch Week, TAG Heuer consolidates its pole position on the lab-grown diamond scene. Here’s a first peek at the new Carrera Date Plasma Diamant d’Avant Garde, flaunting a burst of golden sunshine in the form of a yellow diamond.Although you can come across a sprinkling of diamonds on its women’s watches, diamonds are not the first thing that spring to mind when you think about TAG Heuer. As a brand that likes to experiment with avant-garde materials, lab-grown diamonds are an exciting proposal; not only are they infinitely cheaper to produce, but they are identical to natur
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