Just Because: The Lang & Heyne Georg Versus Anton
Have you ever found yourself torn between two rather similar-looking watches and not knowing which one to go for? I’m pretty sure we’ve all experienced this at some point, maybe even two watches from the same brand. The choice of a blue or green dial, or any other colour for that matter, can already be a tough one to make. I had that very experience recently when I was at Lang & Heyne and handled the Georg and Anton, two rectangular masterpieces with very similar looks but very different mechanics.The Lang & Heyne GeorgFor those unfamiliar with the Georg and the Anton by Lang & Heyne, they might not appear to be that different. Granted, there are a lot of similarities between the two, but don’t be fooled by its looks alone. The Georg and Anton are the only two non-round (or square, to simplify) watches coming from the German high-end manufacturer. The Art Deco-inspired case comes in stainless steel (Georg only) or

Christmas Buying Guide - Our Top 5 Dive / Sports watches of 2015 - Monochrome Watches
Yesterday, we showed you our Top 7 Chronographs of 2015, a category that we believe to be one of the most important of them all… “One of”, yes because there’s a second one that must be regarded as pretty damn important, first because this category certainly represents the largest portion of sales for most brands and also because that’s the one collectors cherish most. We’re talking about dive and sports watches. And here is our buying guide focused on the best?Dive / Sports watches of 2015.Tudor Heritage Black Bay Black Ref. 79220NThis is THE ONE that collectors were expecting (and us too, as we already imagined?this edition almost 2 years ago, in our usual Baselworld predictions). After being launched with a burgundy bezel and gilded accents, followed by a cold and cool blue edition with silvered accents, Tudor finally creates the proper vintage-inspired edition, a watch that reunites all the beloved?features of antique Submariners: black bezel with

Jean-Marc Pontroue, CEO of Panerai, about Paneristi, Challenges and the Future - Monochrome Watches
Panerai is, without a doubt, one of the most followed brands in the industry - think Paneristi - and one of the watch manufactures with the clearest identity; remember that the Radiomir and Luminor lines found their roots in the 1930s. Being the CEO of such a company isn't an easy task and change is the main enemy, even though necessary. In order to understand more about the future of the brand, we sat down with its recently appointed CEO, Jean-Marc Pontroue (who can be seen here) to discuss all things Panerai.Frank Geelen – When did you get interested in watches? Was there a watch in the family that started things or anything like this?Jean-Marc Pontroue –?I have been working all my life in the luxury industry, mainly in fashion before moving to leather goods and accessories. Watches came rather late in my career path and I got to work on the development of the watch department for Montblanc in 2000. Then I moved to Roger Dubuis in 2011 and now I'm at Panerai. So, I'd say

Success made by Panerai - caliber ETA/Unitas 6497 - Monochrome Watches
The pocket watch movement Unitas 6497 is a reliable workhorse. It’s being used in numerous watches… not only pocket watches! It actually got the most fame because it was used by Panerai. Since Panerai gained name and fame among watch collectors, so did the movement Panerai used in most of their watches of that time, Unitas caliber 6497. The last few years there are numerous brands using this reliable movement. I had the idea manually wound movement where mostly used by high-end brands in very exclusive watches. Most mid range brands offering watches of a few hundred euro up to a around 1,500 – 2,000 euro used automatic movement for their mechanical watches. Today it’s hard to ignore the presence of manually wound watches in this price range. Panerai caliber OP XIThe above caliber OP XI has been heavily modified by Panerai. With new bridges and a swan neck regulator for fine adjustment this variant of the Unitas 6497 belongs to the very best available. Other bran

Introducing: The Return of the Tissot Sideral Collection (Video & Live Pics)
The popularity of vintage- or retro-inspired watches is evident, as we see new releases based on old designs pop up almost every week. Most of these date back to original creations from the 1960s and 1970s, perhaps the ‘Golden Age’ of watch design. This is the era that brought us watches like the Royal Oak and the Nautilus (and the PRX!), handsome chronographs like the TAG Heuer Carrera and Monaco but also a literal smorg?sbord of cool and capable dive watches. This was also the period Tissot had some fun with incorporating newly conceived materials in watchmaking, such as fibreglass! At the time, this was a groundbreaking and still quite novel material, which found its way into the Tissot Sideral. Now, decades later, the Sideral makes a return not with fibreglass but forged carbon fibre instead!The Tissot Sideral dates back to the late-1960s, and it is quite a special watch in the brand’s history. Tissot has often played around with innovative and unusual materials,