Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 Re-Edition 4200H - Review, Price
Let’s go straight to the point and not turn around the topic; in 2022, as part of the collection presented at Watches and Wonders Geneva,?Vacheron Constantin is reissuing its emblematic luxury sports watch launched in 1977 for the 222nd anniversary of the brand; the 222. The third member of the iconic Holy Trinity of luxury sports watches (next to the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, all three sharing at the beginning the same base movement), the new Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 is a typical vintage-inspired watch, yet with some important evolutions to be noted. And the first one being quite obvious; it isn’t released in stainless steel but in yellow gold. And there’s some more to be said about this Historiques 222, so let’s dive into the history and the details about this new, properly appealing watch.Historical Reminder, the Vacheron Constantin 222In 1972, the watchmaking world saw the introduction of a brand new concept, a watch designed as a coherent objec

First Look: The Updated IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44
IWC Schaffhausen has undertaken a comprehensive reworking and refinement of one of its most iconic models, the Portugieser collection. At Watches and Wonders this week in Geneva, four new versions are unveiled: two in white gold with blue and sand-coloured dials and two in Armor Gold with black and silver dials. And there's more to them than just new colours.The perpetual calendar stands as a hallmark complication across all the IWC’s collections, owing much to the pioneering module developed by Kurt Klaus in the 1980s, which encapsulates the essence of IWC’s engineering ethos. The module offers exceptional autonomy and reliability yet comprises a modest number of parts for a perpetual calendar. Still, IWC’s dedication to advancing and refining the calendar complication has been unwavering. The debut of the first Portugieser with a perpetual calendar in 2003 was marked by enhancements to the moon phase display, including integrating a larger reduction gear within the

Video - JC Babin on 2020 Bvlgari Watches and Geneva Watch Days
Last week, a large part of the MONOCHROME team attended Geneva Watch Days, a self-managed event combining physical and digital presence with a flexible, lighter format. And an important one, since it will be one of the only major watch fairs to be organised this year – the result of the current sanitary situation. Altogether, it gathered 17 brands from mainstream manufactures to independent watchmakers. On this occasion, we took time to sit down with Bvlgari’s CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, the main promoter of the event, to talk about the fair as well as, of course, the new watches presented this year by the Roma-based brand – and there were some good ones!Since the cancellation of the two main watch events of the year, Baselworld and Watches & Wonders, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no way for the brands to physically present their new creations and to meet with their partners, press and retailers. A sad situation for sure that some brands decided to counte

Dietrich Device 1 (DD-1) Review // Value Proposition (Specs & Price)
Following the wild, avant-garde Organic Time watches, microbrand Dietrich is back with a refined, more disciplined approach with the Dietrich Device 1 (DD-1). Many design elements have been carried over to continue the organic design theme, such as a rounded hexagonal case, multidimensional dial and integrated lugs beneath the case, but the overall aesthetic has changed significantly. The movement has matured as well, advancing to a Swiss ETA automatic from the previous Japanese Miyota. It all culminates in a rare, unique package often reserved for luxury brands at much higher price points. Let's take a closer look.BACKGROUNDFounder Emmanuel Dietrich has both French and German roots and was born into a family of artists and artisans in Besan?on (centre of French watchmaking). His passion for watches came at the age of seven when he received a Cuppillard Rieme mini diver's watch as a present. While attending ecole Boulle design school in Paris, he earned a degree in interior design. He

The Collector's Series - Paul Maudsley of Phillips Watches about collecting vintage pieces - Monochrome Watches
You maybe were wondering why the Collector's Series hasn’t featured any vintage watches. Well, in truth, there is no reason. To rectify this, we sat down to?discuss who maybe an appropriate candidate?to?kick things off. The jury was unanimous: it had to be?someone with many years hands on?experience so we decided to ask our friend over Phillips Auctions, Mister Paul Maudsley, to introduce to us a watch of his own?collection, and surprisingly, it's just a vintage Doxa but certainly not just your just any vintage Doxa.Paul is International Specialist-Director at Phillips Auction House in London. For those unaware of it's pedigree, Phillips was founded in London in 1796 by Harry Phillips, formerly senior clerk to James Christie. During his first year of business, Phillips conducted twelve successful auctions and soon the business was holding sales for some of the most distinguished collectors of the day including Marie Antoinette, Beau Brummel and Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite its ext