Introducing The Original Cartier Santos-Dumont Micro-Rotor
Louis Cartier designed the iconic Santos watch in 1904 for pioneering Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. Revisited over the years, the three Santos-Dumont models for 2023 respect many of the original’s design cues but strike a modern chord with their skeletonised movements. Available in steel, pink gold and a limited edition in a yellow gold case with blue lacquer, the Santos-Dumont is equipped with a new, specifically developed automatic skeletonised movement with a unique micro-rotor that pays homage to the aviator.Having designed 22 flying machines, including his elegant 1908 monoplane known as La Demoiselle, Alberto Santos-Dumont and Louis Cartier shared a passion for machines and mechanics. In 1904 Louis Cartier presented Santos-Dumont with the first purpose-designed wristwatch with a solid, rounded square case and rivets on the bezel. A precursor of the clean lines that would mark the Art Deco period, the dial featured bold blackened Roman numerals, a chemin de fer (r

Cartier, Shaping Elegance - The History of Cartier through Shaped Watches - Monochrome Watches
Jeweller-watchmaker or watchmaker-jeweller, Cartier excels in both. From this rich tradition, and as evidenced again recently with the introduction of the Drive, the Parisian Maison has drawn an unrivalled legacy in creating fascinating shaped watches. MONOCHROME brings together some of the most iconic Cartier masterpieces born from a unique perception of masculine elegance: sheer dandyism and the mastery of shapes.The first mention of a watch in the Cartier records dates back to 1853. The creation of pocket watches, chatelaines, table clocks, mystery clocks and other horological objets de vertu quickly became one of the most important activities for Cartier. At the beginning of the 20th century, watches started to be worn on the wrist – first for military use, before fashion spread, in particular after the Boer war and even more after WWI. Cartier is intimately associated with the migration of the watch from the pocket to the wrist. The first wristwatch created by Cartier, in 19

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014 Green (Specs & Price)
A few months ago, Mr Stern, president of Patek Philippe, creating sort of a typhoon in the watch collecting community by announcing that the brand’s most sought-after, most successful (and unfortunately most premium-affected) watch, the stainless steel Nautilus 5711 blue dial, was about to be discontinued. Yet, Stern also announced that a final edition of this watch was coming, and here it is. Still the same case, bracelet and movement, still in stainless steel, but now with an olive green dial. Meet the new Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014 Green.The Philippe Nautilus 5711A is the most coveted of all luxury sports watches with its sister-from-another-mother, the Royal Oak. Both children of the 1970s, the Nautilus became an absolute success recently and a watch that was virtually impossible to acquire by using classic retailing paths. And because of this rather insane scheme on the market, Patek Philippe and his president Thierry Stern decided to simply… remove it from th

Montblanc x Monochrome - Sharing the Passion for Fine Watchmaking - Monochrome Watches
Together with Montblanc we’re organizing an evening to share the passion for fine watchmaking. Sounds promising, right? Well, it’s actually even better than that because our friends of Montblanc have ensured us that there will be a lot of ‘horological sweetness‘, manufactured in Montblanc’s?manufacture in Villeret on show. That’s the old Minerva manufacture, the place where ancient manual techniques and skills still dominate the production of fine watches. So join us next week Thursday, 20 November, in the Montblanc boutique in Amsterdam.?The evening’s theme is ‘Sharing the passion for fine watchmaking‘ and Montblanc have ensured me that there will be more than enough ‘things’ that?we’re all passionate about: lovely timepieces from Villeret! That evening alone, there will be the oh so beautiful Meisterstuck Heritage Perpetual Calendar in red gold (which is also the most affordable perpetual calendar on the market),

Introducing: The New and Updated Oris Aquis Chronograph
The latest Oris Aquis Chronograph doesn't reinvent the wheel and certainly doesn't need to, but it brings a welcomed refresh to the Aquis chrono that follows in the footsteps of the updated 2024 Aquis Date. A noticeable visual change is the arrangement of the three sub-dials, now in a smiley face format (as Oris puts it) also known as tri-compax. Previous Aquis chronographs are known to be large at 46mm (with a height of over 18mm), so the tamed dimensions of this new model are definitely more mainstream.?The stainless steel case is 43.5mm in diameter and about 17mm in thickness, which is still far from compact but surely more wearable than before, and the unidirectional rotating bezel has a blue ceramic insert. A double-domed AR sapphire crystal protects the dial and there's a mineral glass exhibition case back. An expansive guard partially covers the screw-down crown and pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock, and water resistance is rated at 300 metres. The watch comes fitted with a tapered thr