Hands-on with the Moritz Grossmann Tefnut (live photos, specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches
When it comes to German Watchmaking, you probably have two main ideas in mind. The first one is military watches. The second one is something we love more here at Monochrome-Watches: classical high-end?watches. Germany has a long tradition of creating?timing instruments, especially in the city of Glashutte, with names like A. Lange & Sohne, Nomos or Glashutte Original. A fourth manufacture exists though – and not the worst one to be true. Here is their latest creation, the?Moritz Grossmann Tefnut.It seems that German watchmakers have something with the discreet elegance of an underrated timepiece that hides a superbly finished movement in its case. Whether it’s a Lange 1 or a?Senator Chronometer, watches produced in the small village of Glashutte are sharing first a unique sense of design but also?a love for the beautiful?mechanics. Another manufacture is also part of the gang, Moritz Grossmann. Their watches?all have a sleek, discreet elegance with a very traditional m

The Vintage Corner - The Story of US-based Wakmann Watch Company
America’s answer to restrictions on Swiss watch imports… This could be the best way to explain what the Wakmann Watch Company really is. The relationship between the large US consumer market and other countries wishing to export products is a complicated one. Wanting to be as modern a society as possible, allowing your citizens a wide choice of products while making sure to protect the “home” producers is a tough balancing act for most countries. This is a story of how a changing world can adversely affect the domestic market of a country while providing an opportunity for businesses looking to enjoy the benefits of such a large market. And in watchmaking, this is the story behind the American brand Wakmann.?The Wakmann Watch Company had been a distributor of luxury watch brands in Portugal in 1943 before the company made its way across the Atlantic to set up offices in New York in 1946. The brand had a clear corporate remit to supply, “high-quality profes

The F.P. Journe Repetition Souveraine (Specs & Price)
When it comes to high-end complications, the Grande Sonnerie is king, and his successor is the princely Minute Repeater. When it comes to ingenious interpretations of these complications, Fran?ois-Paul Journe is the man of the hour. Six years in the making and protected by ten patents, F.P. Journe's 2005 chiming masterpiece, the Sonnerie Souveraine, doubled the complication factor by combining a Grande and Petite Sonnerie. Three years later, in 2008, F.P. Journe came out with his Repetition Souverain, the world's thinnest minute repeater watch at that time. Given its complexity and limited production, this rara avis is rarely spotted in the wild. Luckily, we were able to handle and photograph a Repetition Souveraine for this review.Time on demandBefore the advent of artificial light, most people relied on church bells or striking clocks to tell the time in the dark. According to historical records, the first clock to strike the quarter-hour on demand appeared in England, circa 1675. Th

Introducing Riskers Prolog I and Chapter I - Value Proposition Launching on Kickstarter (Hands-On, Specs & Price)
The watch industry is undergoing a transformation. Multiple young microbrands have popped up on the scene, relying on crowdfunding to launch their (interesting or not) projects. New on the scene is a brand named Riskers, a French venture with models inspired by trench military watches, modernized for the occasion. But what's special about Riskers, apart from the watches, is the people behind the project – and that says a lot about the current state of the industry. Let's have a look at the Riskers Prolog I and Chapter I.Behind this new French brand are people with quite some background. In fact, it is the result of former Richemont Group (owner of Cartier, JLC, IWC, Lange and many more) executives teaming up to launch a watch brand on Kickstarter! Clearly unconventional. Going by the name of Riskers, the company was co-founded by Pierre Guerrier, who worked as part of Richemont’s marketing services for Piaget, and serial entrepreneur, Thomas No?l. Several other ex-Richemont

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Okavango Air Rescue Limited Edition Hands-On
Pilot watches and Oris go hand in hand. The latest Big Crown ProPilot model is dedicated to an aeromedical rescue organisation operating out of Botswana known as the Okavango Air Rescue. Following in the footsteps of the Rega Fleet and the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia limited editions, Oris wants to raise awareness of this exemplary and humanitarian enterprise that is coming up for its tenth anniversary this year. Decked out in safari colours, the 41mm Big Crown ProPilot Okavango Air Rescue combines an attractive safari green dial with the utilitarian attributes of a pilot watch.Picture this. You are on a safari in Botswana, crouched in the tall grass, waiting to take the perfect wildlife photograph of an impala drinking in a stream when you hear a herd of elephants approaching. Instead of following the guide’s advice of staying calm, your instincts get the better of you and you make a beeline for the jeep but trip and break your ankle. It’s worse than you thoug