Girard-Perregaux Laureato Aston Martin Edition - Hands-On, Price
Earlier this year, the Swiss watchmaker Girard-Perregaux announced a partnership with Aston Martin, the iconic British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. The first watch to celebrate the partnership was a revved-up and skeletonised version of the brand’s signature Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges. Today, GP launches a sporty Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition with a green dial and other subtle references to the British carmaker as well as an open caseback, a first for the Laureato Chronograph.As Girard-Perregaux CEO Patrick Pruniaux explained in an interview with MONOCHROME, the alliance with the British car manufacturer is two-pronged, covering Formula 1 and road cars. GP branding, for example, will appear on Aston Martin’s Formula 1 cars and the team’s livery. Regarding road cars, both brands will be involved in the design codes of the watches and the choice of materials for these limited editions.Aston Martin GreenIn the latest James B

IWC Introduces The Big Pilot G63 In Armor Hold and Ceramic Matrix Composite
IWC Schaffhausen has been partners with Mercedes and its AMG sub-brand for quite some time now, both through the road cars and its Formula 1 team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1. The two brands seem to complement each other in multiple ways, often taking style and innovation in new directions. IWC’s flagship model, the iconic Big Pilot is today’s topic of choice for a new set of watches inspired by the military-vehicle-turned-ultra-luxury-SUV by Mercedes, the G-Wagon. IWC has transferred elements of the top-of-the-range Mercedes-AMG G63 onto the new IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot G63, which comes in two very distinct materials.The new G63 is first and foremost based on the legendary Big Pilot, which means a rather impressive case of 46.5mm in diameter and 14.6mm in height. Naturally, it has a soft-iron inner case to protect it from magnetic forces, as well as sapphire crystals secured against sudden drops in air pressure. What distinguishes the two from the regular Big Pilot collecti

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 NIGHT DIVER - Hands-On, Price
If TAG Heuer is, without a doubt, mostly known for its involvement in motorsports and its impressive collection of racing chronographs, the brand has far more to offer than just these watches. Case in point, during the 2021 digital edition of Watches & Wonders, the brand has presented a revamped Aquaracer Professional 300 series, its take on the dive watch concept. More refined yet still very recognisable, TAG Heuer first introduced the core collection, which is now joined by a new iteration, once again paying tribute to a past model, with the new TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 NIGHT DIVER.The TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 collection can trace its roots back to the ref. 844 of 1978 (which has been the inspiration for a limited edition Tribute to 844) and the Heuer 2000, introduced in 1982. A collection of classic dive watches with a twist, it has been produced in multiple editions, from quartz to automatic, with chronometer-grade or chronograph movement, and in various sizes and co

Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral White Gold
The brand Carl F. Bucherer was born in Lucerne in 1888 and is proud of its rich history. But it’s the recent evolution of the manufacture that engages our interest here, and the impressive technical developments advanced by the brand. The brand has become the master of peripheral technology, used first and foremost for automatic winding. Based on this concept, the brand recently applied this technology to another part of the movement, the regulating organ, creating a so-called peripheral tourbillon (more on that later) inside a watch known as the DoublePeripheral. Today, there’s a new edition launching, the Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Tourbillon DoublePeripheral White Gold.Launched in 2018, the Carl F. Bucherer Tourbillon DoublePeripheral made quite an impression on us, here at MONOCHROME. The reason is simple: there are some very impressive technologies running inside this watch that have to do with?peripheral technology. Even though CFB isn’t the inventor of the perip

Interview: Patrick Dempsey on TAG Heuer, Porsche and the new Carrera Chronosprint
Juggling between acting, directing, car racing, his family and philanthropy,? Patrick Dempsey also manages to squeeze in time for his role as TAG Heuer brand ambassador, a position he has held since 2014. Just a couple of days before the unveiling of the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche, we sat down with Patrick Dempsey and chatted about this new watch in tribute to the iconic 911. A perfect opportunity as Patrick Dempsey has a very special relationship with both brands.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – What is your first watch memory growing up?Patrick Dempsey – My father's watch. I don't remember what the brand was, but that was my first memory. I remember seeing it on his side table as I got up in the morning. This is my first image of a watch or of the concept of watches. What is fascinating today is that a lot of young people don't have to tell time because they are used to their phones. What's been very fun is to get my son his first watch and then have him wear