2021 New Blue Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
With almost 50 years of existence, the Royal Oak has become more than just a cult watch. It has evolved into an entire collection, built around an iconic design, and showcasing most of Audemars Piguet‘s watchmaking savoir-faire. One of the most emblematic complications of AP is, without a doubt, the perpetual calendar. As such, the RO has long been equipped with this complex calendar function and numerous versions have been made. Today, the brand adds a new colour to its collection, with new shades of blue that pay tribute to the original colour used by the watch in 1972. Meet the new blue editions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.?First launched in the mid-1980s under the reference 5554, first with non-leap year models, and then with leap year indication, the first generation Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 39mm will remain largely unchanged for close to 30 years, as only discontinued in 2014. But it was only to make room for a new version, which

First Look: The New Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Blue-and-Gold
Over the years, Bulgari has released various iterations of the Octo Finissimo Automatic, showcasing the brand’s willingness to experiment with diverse materials and textures. Each subsequent model breathed new life into its appearance, unveiling a captivating and distinct aesthetic. The brand also improved the Octo Finissimo Automatic series, notably increasing water resistance from the inaugural 30m to a commendable 100m. New to the series is this bold and luxurious new edition, a yellow gold and blue dial version of the ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Automatic.?In 2017, Bulgari achieved its third record in ultra-thin watchmaking with the Octo Finissimo Automatic, measuring a mere 5.15mm thick. This accomplishment followed the 2014 Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and the 2016 Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater. Despite these earlier achievements, the more accessible Octo Finissimo Automatic played a crucial role in solidifying the iconic status of the series. This watch, which started its life

Richemont "Destroys" More than EUR 450m of Unsold Watches in Two Years - Monochrome Watches
It is not ‘breaking news’ to say that the watch industry faced hard times in 2015 and 2016. Business had been tough due to decreasing sales. The Richemont Group – the luxury powerhouse that owns Cartier, IWC, and Montblanc among others – had also been affected by this situation,?as reported by MONOCHROME here. Part of Richemont’s plan to improve the situation was a massive buyback strategy designed to reduce stock at retailers and enable them to invest in new collections. What was not known, until recently, was the total value of watches bought back by the group… According to The Guardian, we’re talking about approximately half a billion Euro/Dollar.?The situation is simple. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, sales of watches declined, including watch brands that are part of the Richemont Group (A. Lange & Sohne, Baume et Mercier, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin, among others). This led

The 5 Coolest TAG Heuer Monaco (50th Anniversary) - Buying Guide
In 1969, Heuer (which would become TAG Heuer) revolutionized the watch industry with two great introductions… First is, of course, the launch of the calibre 11, one of three first automatic chronograph movements ever created. Second was the introduction of a watch that would later become an icon (but that wasn’t that successful back then…) You name it, the Monaco. In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this watch, we’ve selected the five coolest TAG Heuer Monacos you can get.?The TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 “Steve McQueen” CAW211PWhy is it cool??The reason is simple. If the Monaco is famous, it is because back in 1971, Steve “King of Cool” McQueen chose it in the movie Le Mans. The watch he was wearing while racing his Gulf-sponsored Porsche 917 was the original, blue-dial 1133B… And the present TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 CAW211P is a faithful modern re-edition. Same colour, same case shape, same horizontal indexes, a crown

Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Open Heart (Specs & Price)
Skeleton or openworked watches have always enjoyed certain popularity and range from anything ultra high-end to accessible watches. There’s something specifically appealing in discovering what’s beating inside a watch (even more for newcomers to mechanical watches), yet entirely opened dials can result in cluttered displays. For this reason, there’s a kind of watch that sits right in the middle, often referred to as “open heart” models, with only the brain of the watch exposed on the dial. Using the successful Gentleman Powermatic 80 as a base, Tissot is now releasing a new edition that does exactly that.?The Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80, a watch that we’ve extensively reviewed here and also filmed, can easily be considered one of the best offerings for an all-rounder, rather elegant and yet robust watch in the EUR sub-1000 category. Nicely proportioned and quite elegant overall for business use, resistant enough for the weekend too, very well equi