Recap - The 5 Highlights of the Watchmaking Industry in 2017 - Monochrome Watches
As 2017 is coming to an end, and before the new horological season starts with the SIHH (as of January 15th, 2018), we thought it was important for you to understand what happened this year in the watchmaking industry. The idea here isn’t to focus on watches, we’ll have another recap article for that.?In all fairness, 2017 has been an eventful year. From the?game of musical chairs at Richemont to the return to growth, let’s take a look back to the highlights of the watchmaking industry in 2017.The industry is back to growth and profits (and apparently this will last…)2015 and 2016 have been difficult years for the Swiss watchmaking industry – relatively speaking of course, as in all fairness, major groups such as Richemont, Swatch or LVMH were still generating quite healthy profits. Yet, we’ve seen sales dropping quite dramatically month after month. The monthly report for exports of watches was becoming a recurrent dosage of bad news. The high Swiss

First Look: New Precious Versions of the AP Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm
When Audemars Piguet‘s iconic Royal Oak turned fifty in 2022, the brand announced that the permanent range of Royal Oak models would be updated aesthetically and mechanically. With this in mind, the 37mm Royal Oak was one of the beneficiaries of the ‘new design evolution’ and reappears in 2024 in two luxurious editions in gold cases with a generous sprinkling of diamonds and gemstones.While the design evolution of 2022 respects the DNA of the Royal Oak’s tonneau-shaped case, octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet and tapisserie dial, the incorporation of the automatic calibre 5900 resulted in a reduced thickness from 9.8 to 9mm. Not only is the case slimmer, but the bevels on the bezel, bracelet and sides are more pronounced, meaning that their polished angles attract more light to the case and make it look slimmer. Another key design upgrade concerns the bracelet with thinner and lighter links that taper elegantly to the folding clasp. Ad - Scroll to c

BEHIND THE SCENES - Introducing the TAG Heuer Carrera CH80, both the prototype and the one that will be released - Monochrome Watches
A few months ago, TAG Heuer presented a brand new in-house calibre called 1969. It was clear that Baselworld would be the place for TAG Heuer to present a new watch that with that movement. And they did come with a very nice one, the Carrera CH80, a retro-style Carrera inspired by the very firsts 1960's versions. What we didn't expect, was that the CH80 presented in Basel wasn't actually the final design and that some, small but significant, changes were planned. For that reason, we teamed up with our friend David from Calibre 11, the famous online Tag Heuer magazine, to introduce you the real' Carrera CH80.The first question that you might ask is why Calibre CH80 and not Calibre 1969? Officially, TAG Heuer did some (minor) changes on the calibre between its presentation and its official release in Baselworld. As 1969 was supposed to be a codename for the development of the new calibre, CH80 refers to the 80 hours of power reserve (initially 70 hours in the 1969). The other reason that

Czapek Place Vendome Tourbillon - Baselworld 2017 (Hands-on & Price)
Czapek, a brand reborn recently and founded on the roots of Patek’s ex-partner, is expanding its collection with a beautifully designed timepiece blending tradition and modernity. The Place Vend?me is the brand's first tourbillon and features dual time, power reserve and day/night indications, with a pleasant?contemporary take on watchmaking.The Czapek brand was revived at the end 2015, with the presentation of the elegant Quai des Bergues. Owing its design to a pocket watch (reference 3340), dating from 1850, the watch was awarded the Public prize at the 2016 Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Geneve – GPHG. Its proprietary movement, manufactured with Chronode, offers 7 days of power reserve (read our article presenting the model here). Ad - Scroll to continue with article Whilst the Quai des Bergues has been offered in different versions (different mate

Aquastar Deepstar Re-Edition - Diving Chronograph Review, Price
Forget about the usual suspects that are , Omega, Blancpain or Seiko. The world of dive watches is full of surprises, of smaller brands that are to be considered hidden gems… And when you start to dig into the archives of the dive watch history and forget about mainstream models, there are some fascinating vintage watches to discover. Such an example is the Aquastar Deepstar, a watch that I rediscovered when publishing a vintage column. The kind of watch you secretly wish to see coming back. And earlier this year, it did make its return. Having covered the launch of the 2020 Aquastar Deepstar Re-Edition, I wanted to experience it in the metal. So, diving suit on, scuba tank charged, let’s look at it.?Aquastar…?As said, the dive watch industry in the 1960s was pro-li-fic. While a wider audience will have in mind the classics – Submariner, Seamaster, Fifty Fathoms – there were countless smaller brands building dive watches, assembling parts from suppliers t