Buying Guide: Six Titanium Watches For People Shopping On A Smaller Budget
Just last week we showed you six high-end watches that utilised all the benefits of titanium; lightweight, a tactile feel, robust and hypoallergenic. While all that is fine, the most affordable watch on that list cost CHF 7,700 and the most expensive one has a price that’s on request which needs little explaining in this industry. That’s money not all of us can or want to spend on a watch, really. To give you some friendlier priced alternatives, this week’s Buying Guide once again looks at titanium watches but this time ranging from EUR 650 to just under EUR 2,000 that deliver boat-loads of character and all the pleasurable attributes titanium has to offer!Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M “Fujitsubo” NB6021-17ELast year, Citizen impressed us with the retro-cool Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M “Fujitsubo NB6021-17E. Quite the mouthful, so we just call it the Fujitsubo. This absolute performance bargain of a watch comes with a Super Titanium cas

IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic Edition Laureus Blue Ceramic IW328101
IWC has been issuing special edition watches since 2006 to support Laureus Sport for Good, which has over 250 programmes in more than 50 countries. Nelson Mandela is its Founding Patron and said in 2000: Sport has the power to change the world. The goal is to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage, and more than six million children and young people have been reached. IWC has issued all kinds of Laureus editions through the years, including a Portugieser Monopusher Chronograph and Portofino Automatic Moon Phase. This year's pilot's model is highlighted by a blue ceramic case, which is a first for IWC.?The ceramic is comprised of powdered zirconium oxide mixed with other metallic oxides with a huge emphasis on the quality and purity of the raw materials. The result is a dark blue hue that's the signature colour of Laureus editions. It's 41mm in diameter and 11.4mm in height, and comes with a soft-iron inner case for resistance to magnetic fields. A convex sapphire crystal with an

Buying Guide - Our 10 Best Watches of 2018 Under EUR 2,000
Let’s make things clear! When Frank founded MONOCHROME over 12 years ago, the main objective was to create “an online magazine dedicated to fine watches”. This meant the celebration of traditional, high-end watchmaking. However, we are fully aware that not everyone (including us) can afford such pieces and that accessible, down-to-earth, good price/quality watches are important. Very often lower prices translate into lower quality – but not always, as we will show you in today’s selection.?To help you with your Christmas wish list, we’ve listed our favourite watches of 2018 in several price segments. Starting today, here are our 10 best watches of 2018 for under 2,000 EUR! And because you’re reading MONO, they are, of course, all mechanical timepieces. Believe it or not, but even “enamel dial”, “in-house movement”, “chronometer” or “annual calendar” form part of this buying guide!Note: as always,

Just Because: Predictions for the Upcoming Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Collaboration
We certainly can’t hide the fact that the Swatch x Omega Moonswatch, a collaboration bringing the style of the Speedmaster Moonwatch into a far more accessible segment of the watch industry, caused a blast. Seeing the success of this collaboration, with over 1 million examples sold in 2022, despite some issues regarding availability, it was somehow expected to see a new chapter coming. And it is just around the corner. On September 9th, 2023, we will see the Swatch x Blancpain collaboration. This part is 100% certain, as confirmed by both brands on Instagram. The model to be used as a base makes almost no doubt either; it will almost certainly be a Fifty Fathoms. What will be the beating heart and what it’ll look like are the real questions. So we’ve decided to create the Swatch x Blancpain Fifty Fathoms watches we’d love to see coming on the market. And yes, these are mechanical.? Above are the teasers released by Swatch and Blancpain. Th

Introducing: Panerai Radiomir 8 Giorni Eilean Experience Edition PAM01643
Panerai's watches were born with saltwater in their veins. Designed for Italian Navy frogmen on the eve of WWII, Panerai's rugged Radiomir not only timed their secret underwater missions and detonations, but its luminous radioactive radium-based paste lit up the murky depths. Panerai has always cultivated strong ties to all things nautical, including the purchase of the Eilean, a beautiful 1936 Bermudian ketch that was lovingly restored to her former glory. The latest Radiomir 8 Giorni Eilean (ref. PAM01643) is a limited edition of 30 pieces and features bronze recovered from the famous ketch and a very appealing surprise in the box. As part of the brand's ‘Experiences Program’, the watch comes with an invitation to explore the cultural riches of Sicily, including a cruise on board the Eilean.As any collector knows, a watch with a good story is always more collectable, and the history of the Radiomir, the first professional underwater military watch, is action-packed. But w