Letter from the Editor - Frank's Take On Smart Watches
Smart watches even?the name annoys me. There?are however, a league of (more profound) reasons why we do not cover such wrist ornaments on Monochrome. Of course we get questions from our readers asking why we have not reviewed the ref. 5396 Patek Annual?Calendar, and rightfully so. We should have reviewed that watch, and as soon as we find a way to do so, together with the 178 year old family-owned brand from Geneva, we will. I'm actually surprised though, that we hardly get questions about smart watches, very pleasantly surprised in fact! So let my rant about these little electronic wrist devices begin.I started Monochrome 11 years ago to share my passion for beautifully made mechanical timepieces. The history of watchmaking in general, the history of certain brands, the beauty of finishing, and specific complications were all things that I wanted to share with our?readers. And that's what we are still doing today, 11 years later, albeit with a bigger team and a much bigger audience. T

Introducing IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition Hot Wheels IW377904
When you say pilot’s watch and IWC, you might have jet fighters, Top Gun or Spitfire in mind. Meaning, anything related to planes and aviation. But the Schaffhausen-based brand has decided to slightly enlarge the concept and to use the pilot’s collection also for anything related to motorsport, including of course the long-lasting relation with Mercedes-AMG and Lewis Hamilton, but also to the brand’s motorsport team, IWC Racing. On the occasion of the 78th Goodwood Members' Meeting this weekend, IWC and Hot Wheels celebrate the return to Goodwood with a new limited edition, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition IWC x Hot Wheels IW377904. While the brand has been mostly communicating recently on its Pilot’s Watch collection, and by that we mean all things related to aviation, there’s more to IWC’s range of watches than airplanes. In fact, the world of automotive design and motor racing has long been a key element for I

"The Monochrome Video Week" - Montblanc, Hand Decoration At The Villeret Manufacture - Monochrome Watches
As watch journalists, one of the most recurring questions we come across?is how a small wrist accessory (a.k.a a watch) can have a 5 or 6-digit price tag? This is especially common?from?those who are not seriously?into watches, and to be fair is an entirely reasonable?question. In order to get an?answer to this highly complex and delicate question, we dove into a detailed discussion with Davide Cerrato, Managing Director of Montblanc Watch Division. Follow along as Davide takes?us inside the Montblanc?Villeret Manufacture, the haute-horlogerie sanctuary of the brand, revealing?the beauty of real hand-finishing as it’s executed by Montblanc’s watchmakers. Polishing, Anglages, Tourbillons… Let us immerse?you in this fascinating world of hand-decoration. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Video shot and edited by PMG Productions for Monochrome-W

Heuer Autavia's 50th birthday - Monochrome Watches
When Evan told me he wanted to write about a collector’s meeting in Manila, dedicated to the 50th birthday of the Heuer Autavia, I just had to say yes. A vintage Heuer Autavia was my first ‘expensive’ watch and I’m still the proud owner of a piece of history. Monochrome is usually dedicated to pure Haute Horlogerie, however I also have a weak spot for certain vintage watches, especially vintage Heuer chronographs!Earlier this month, we celebrated what was known to be the 50th birthday of the very first automatic chronograph ever made, depending on how you want to define “first” in this context. But festivity aside, we are in actuality celebrating the milestone event of a Heuer watch that never was embelished with the “Tag” prefix – the Autavia.Heuer Autavia ref.11630P Decompression bezelThe Autavia, an icon in its own right had become the quintessential Heuer piece to own. Autavia, an amalgamation of the words “Automobile and

The brand new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic 4500V - Monochrome Watches
In the new Overseas Collection, Vacheron introduced the highly desirable ultra-thin edition of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas. This watch clearly brings back VC where it deserves to be, in the top 3 of the luxury sports watches. However, there’s a major issue with the ultra-thin edition: it is rather expensive and not every collector will have pockets large enough to afford it. No worries, if you intend to buy a time-only Overseas, Vacheron-Constantin also has another solution, more affordable and not void of interest (at all). Here is the?brand new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic 4500V, with its stainless steel case (but also a pink gold option) and all new in-house movement.Don’t consider the?Vacheron Constantin Overseas Automatic 4500V as the poor-man Overseas. Consider it at the classical offer and imagine the ultra-thin edition as the luxurious one. In fact, this edition replaces the actual time-only Overseas that we know for several years now – and look