The Collector's Series - Frank's Daniel Roth Small Seconds Salmon Dial
As we explained to you a week ago, weird times call for agility and confinement has forced us to change a bit the way we work and the content we’ll be covering in the coming weeks. Does that mean you won’t see great content on MONOCHROME? Certainly not. In fact, we currently have more time to focus on certain things we tended to forget, and this goes for “The Collector’s Series“. The idea is to show you more of the human side of MONO’ and its team of editors, and of course, to share our passion for watches that drives us every day. So today, I’m interviewing the man I work with on a daily basis, the founder of this magazine, Frank Geelen. For this instalment of “The Collector’s Series”, he talks about his delicate, desirable Daniel Roth Small Seconds in Steel with Salmon Dial.Daniel Roth is a legendary name in the industry, but the low-profile kind of name. His influence on contemporary watchmaking is huge; he’s one of t

The Speake-Marin Magister Tourbillon, the back to basics watch - Monochrome Watches
Peter Speake-Marin is going back to his roots with a tourbillon, after an incursion in the world of sports watches. This complication is of very special significance for him. This is a good reason to take a closer look at his Magister Tourbillon, bringing together a host of details characteristics of his watch design we have been enjoying for some 15 years.Background / Reminder about Peter Speake-MarinAfter qualifying as a watchmaker at Hackney Technical College in London, Englishman Peter Speake-Marin moved to Switzerland in the late 1980s. There, he further learnt his trade at Wostep, the renowned watchmaking school in Neuchatel. Returning to London, seven highly formative years to set up and run the antique watch restauration department at Somlo antiques in Piccadilly London were an influential period on his career, allowing him to discover the valuable works of past masters. In 1996, he was attracted back to Switzerland to develop high complications for Renaud & Papi, the high-

The History of the Omega Constellation Collection - In-Depth
The Constellation family has been around for 66 years and is currently one of Omega's oldest collections. What started out as a chronometer for men in 1952 has undergone countless aesthetic transformations, from the pie-pan dials of the 1950s to the ultra-thin quartz watches of the 1970s leading to the consolidation of the collection in 1982 with the Constellation Manhattan and its hallmark claws. Today many Constellation models are equipped with Master Chronometer movements respecting the original vocation of this family to combine luxury and precision. Let's take a look at how the Constellation got its star power and its claws.Born as a chronometer in 1952To celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1948, Omega released the Centenary, its first limited-edition chronometer-certified wristwatch with an automatic movement. Given the positive reaction to this unrivalled combination of precision and practicality, Omega decided the time was ripe for a collection of automatic wristwatches with chr

Baume HRS Limited Edition Automatic - When Richemont goes Microbrand-Like - Monochrome Watches
When you hear the word Baume, most would assume it's referring to Baume & Mercier, a popular luxury watch brand dating back to 1830 and now part of the Richemont Group. And they'd be partially correct. Baume is an offshoot of Baume & Mercier with Marie Chassot (Product Marketing Director for Baume & Mercier) coming in as the lead, along with several other executives from the parent company. Baume is, however, very much an independent company with different design philosophies and strategic guidance, and a strong focus on sustainability. Baume might be an entry-level brand among Richemont's more prestigious (and expensive) offerings, but there's a lot to like about its deep level of customization and a couple of special edition models. The one I'm reviewing today is its flagship HRS Limited Edition Automatic, a limited production regulator model with an interesting take on recycling. Baume calls it upcycling and its wooden case is made from a used skateboard deck, while the

First Look: The New TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
The anticipation soared when TAG Heuer unveiled a one-of-a-kind Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph for Only Watch in 2023, sparking hopes for its integration into the permanent collection. While the brand had previously dabbled in split-seconds or rattrapante chronographs during the 1960s, primarily as stopwatches for sporting events, it wasn’t until quartz technology that this functionality found its way into wristwatches. Despite this legacy, the mechanical split-seconds chronograph eluded TAG Heuer’s repertoire until last year. With the introduction of the new calibre TH81-00, TAG Heuer has finally re-entered the realm of rattrapante, marking a significant milestone.For its debut, the new TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph arrives in two versions, each distinguished by racing red or classic Monaco-blue accents and echoing the avant-garde design ethos of the Only Watch edition. Encased within a black DLC-coated titanium 41mm square-shaped, 15.2 mm thick case, which