Interview Justin Reis CEO WatchBox, on Preowned Luxury Watch Market
The vintage and pre-owned luxury watch market is thriving like never. It has transformed dramatically over the past few years with the arrival of strategic investors. One of the world’s leading second-hand watch e-commerce platforms, WatchBox, recently secured USD 165 million in funding to support its expansion. MONOCHROME reached out to Justin Reis, CEO of WatchBox, to discuss the development of the company and its plans for the future.Justin Reis, CEO of WatchBoxXavier Markl, MONOCHROME – The second-hand or pre-owned luxury market is growing fast. So did WatchBox. What has been the road so far?Justin Reis, CEO of WatchBox – Since WatchBox launched, we’ve welcomed physical expansion, a shifting mindset amongst collectors, the embrace of the pre-owned category by the industry, a global pandemic, and unprecedented demand for high-end, collectable watches. This “road” is an expressway! Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Comparing the old and new IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar - Monochrome-Watches
We at Monochrome obviously love IWC watches. Especially when it comes to their iconic pieces. The IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar is such a piece. First introduced in 2003, this watch has been subject to minor changes every couple of years, without dramatically changing its recognizable identity. So, it's now time for us to compare the brand new 2015 edition with the previous version, and to see what changes can been seen – or maybe be unseen?Throwback - The Perpetual Calendar by IWC WatchesIWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition in stainless steelHow did the perpetual calendar by IWC get its iconic status? When you are trying to understand why a watch gained so much fame, you have to understand its historical importance. In the case of the IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar, this importance was not actually gained by a Portuguese watch, but rather by the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar, a watch that rather shocked the industry. This Da Vinci Ref. 3570 was first introduced

H. Moser & Cie Removes "Swiss Made" From Its Watches
As of?the 1st of January 2017, the requirements of?the “Swiss Made” label will change, with the idea being to further?strengthen the?label?and ultimately provide?the end consumer with a more ‘Swiss’ product overall. Specifically, from January 2017, at least 60% of the value of the components within?a “Swiss Made” watch?will have to be?of Swiss origin in order to be considered eligible (as a reminder, the previous rule was that?at least 50% of a watch’s value had to be realized in Switzerland). Arguably these changes are a step in the right direction however?they are still?not enough for one?manufacture named H. Moser & Cie. The brand has decided, for various reasons which?we’ll explain, that it can no longer accord with these rules?and has therefore decided to forgo the Swiss Made label altogether on its watches. At the same time they have announced the?unveiling of the most Swiss watch ever created; produced in Switzerland, by Swiss

Eric Clapton's Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph ref.2499 - Monochrome Watches
From time to time, there are articles written about our favorite topic, articles that are truly great and a must read. Ben Clymer, executive editor from Hodinkee, just wrote such an article. An article that shares great knowledge, interesting facts and passion all in one story.?This story is about the only platinum Patek Philippe ref. 2499, a perpetual calendar chronograph, that is in private hands. In the hands of nobody less that Eric Clapton, who is single-(slow)-handedly responsible for me starting to play guitar. By now most of my friends have forgiven him, so I’d like to highlight another passion we have in common… watches and in this case a particular watch he offers for sale at the upcoming Christies auction in Geneva. Ad - Scroll to continue with article On Monday November 12, Christies will be auctioning the only platinum Patek Philippe 249

Paint it black - the new Xetum Tyndall PVD - Monochrome Watches
Black watches are more then ever before a fashionable thing. Black luxury sports watches, like this unique set of dive watches from Richard Mille, are already well accepted. Lately we also see black dress watches like this Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Bi-Axial or this unique Piaget Altiplano for Only Watch.?Xetum is now painting it black and they do it in style. The Tyndall is one of Xetum’s watch models and we reviewed it for you here. A lovely and very affordable timepiece and now it comes in a black jacket. With a black leather strap and a black rotor and a black deployant clasp. A complete black Tyndall that looks absolutely very fine. Ad - Scroll to continue with article The Tyndall comes in a matte black PDV coated case. The black dial with white indexes, numerals and writing has an almost instrument-style contrast, that looks very practical. In the f