Mastering shapes, for gentlemen - Review of the Cartier Drive in Gold (live pics, specs & price) - Monochrome Watches
If there’s one thing and one thing only to remember about Cartier (among many others of course) is how this Old Maison always mastered shapes, like not other brand achieved and always with a restrained, somehow old-fashioned elegance. Recently, the brand made?incursions in new worlds, like for instance the sporty Calibre de Cartier and its Diver edition. They also introduced a yachting-style Ronde Croisiere. But this year, at the SIHH 2016, Cartier probably introduced THE watch that many of us were expecting: an elegant, shaped, refined watch, with just a bit of vintage appeal, an in-house movement and a price that surprised more than just a few. This watch is named?the Cartier Drive and it’s a pure?summary of why we love Cartier.Cartier, a Master of shapesOne thing is important to notice with?Cartier; unlike many brands, they always had a strong focus on shaped watches. Many brands tried to do this – especially in the 1920s and 1930s, where Art-Deco also influenced w

Video Review Longines Spirit Time-and-Date 40mm and 42mm
Longines is a brand with impressive legitimacy when it comes to pilot’s instruments. Think of Charles Lindbergh, or even the chronographs delivered to the US Army, the Avigation Watch Type A-7 1935 (recently reissued). The brand’s savoir-faire in this field is indisputable. Today, we’ll review a watch that isn’t a faithful re-edition of a glorious past model, but instead a modern creation with classic aviation inspiration. It forms part of a new and important collection for Longines that was introduced a few months ago, the Spirit – slightly vintage but not “Heritage”. And since it is available in a variety of models, we’ve decided to compare them so you’ll be able to decide which one is the best for you. Face to face, the Longines Spirit Time-and-Date 40mm and 42mm, with different colours and bracelets… And yes, these two are drastically different watches.As we explained in our introductory article, many explorers, pioneers a

Patek Philippe 5940g Perpetual Calendar - Hands-on with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches
Patek Philippe and the perpetual calendar are no strangers. We’ve already extensively covered some of these impressive watches, including?the honey-brown?Patek Philippe 5496P-014 Perpetual Calendar Retrograde?and the superb?Patek Philippe 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Blue. These?two are certainly among the?classical watches – we’re talking about Patek Philippe, a brand where tradition is not a motto anymore but a lifestyle. But they add?something unusual, a bit of ‘controlled eccentricity’. The Patek Philippe 5940g?Perpetual Calendar could have been?a?pure representation of the brand’s classicism.?But in the flesh, it also has this little extra that we love here at Monochrome-Watches.The Patek Philippe 5940g?isn’t exactly a new watch, as a yellow gold edition was issued in 2012. For the 2014 edition?of the Basel watch fair, Patek brought out an?18k white?gold edition. Briefly, what hides behind the reference 5940? An ultra-thin,?cushion-

First Look: The New Models In The Tissot Le Locle Collection
In 2023, the Tissot Le Locle collection marked its 20th anniversary, and with the addition of the two new models, it now comprises 30 references. Renowned for its classic yet engaging design, the collection offers elegant, timeless elements and practical features, appealing to those seeking a refined, understated timepiece with an exceptional price-quality ratio. Let’s explore the latest additions: the Le Locle Powermatic 80 Green and the Le Locle COSC 39mm 18K Gold Bezel. While each model embodies the collection’s core values, they bring a unique allure to the lineup.Le Locle Powermatic 80 GreenWhile this model isn’t new to the series, its presentation certainly is. The latest Le Locle Powermatic 80 retains the classic elements of the collection, housed in a nicely finished 39.3mm stainless steel case, just 9.75mm thick and water-resistant to 30 meters. The case is topped with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and features a see-through caseback with engravings th

Interview - Adrian Ballinger On Climbing Everest Without Oxygen, his Favre-Leuba Bivouac 9000 On The Wrist
Favre Leuba is known for its rugged functional watches. The brand's unique mountaineering credentials owe much to the Bivouac collection. Back in the 1960s, the watch was one of the first to be fitted with a mechanical altimeter. In 1975, Japanese alpinist Junko Tabel, the first women to summit Everest, did so with a Bivouac strapped to her wrist.Fast forward to 2017, the brand launched the Bivouac 9000, a modern take on this model capable of measuring altitude up to 9000m – watch our in-depth video to understand how this watch works. Empirical evidence of this capability was brought by mountaineer Adrian Ballinger, as he summited Everest while wearing this modern Bivouac 9000 on his wrist.We caught up with Adrian Ballinger in Zurich, just a few weeks after he came back from his no-oxygen ascent of K2, the second tallest mountain in the world. Doing so, he became one of the few climbers to have summited both Everest and K2 without oxygen. Ad - Scroll to continue with a