Watches NEWS
RZE Endeavour Polaris White and Resolute Arctic - Review, Price
The go-to material for the majority of microbrands is stainless steel as it’s plentiful, durable, and relatively easy to work with. RZE has bucked the trend with an affordable diver and field watch dressed in full titanium, both at accessible prices. Of course, titanium isn’t a new material for watches, but it’s usually reserved for more established brands and carries a bit of a premium. Both RZE Endeavour models we have on hand - the Endeavour Polaris White and Resolute Arctic Grey - bring a lot to the table with a solid blend of form and function.THE BRANDRZE was founded in 2020 and is based in Singapore and Malaysia. Travis Tan, his wife Vivian, and longtime friend Clarence launched the first titanium Resolute Field Watch on Kickstarter, anxious and unsure how things would play out. Within six minutes, the campaign reached $30,000 and was fully funded. Needless to say, the trio had a successful formula. Travis also happens to be a commercial airline pilot, so he kn
Spotted - The Watches of Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Koningsdag
April 27th in the Netherlands is Koningsdag or King’s Day. It is a national holiday and celebrates the birth of King Willem-Alexander who was born on 27 April 1967 to Princess Beatrix and diplomat Claus van Amsberg. He became Prince of Orange when his mother became Queen of the Netherlands on 30 April 1980. Willem-Alexander became King in 2013 after Queen Beatrix abdicated. The King is married to M¨¢xima Zorreguieta Cerruti, who is now Queen consort and they have three daughters. And because MONOCHROME has Dutch roots (doesn’t it, Frank Geelen?), we thought it would be a good time to look at the wristwatches of the King, as he owns a few interesting pieces.The first watch spotted on King Willem-Alexander’s wrist is a stainless-steel Datejust on a jubilee bracelet, with a blue dial. A classic timepiece that works well with formal and casual attire. Willem-Alexander wore this watch when he got married in February 2002.? Ad - Scroll to continue with article
Five independent watchmakers that got rid of the conventional crown
The humble little crown. At first glance, it doesn't look all that impressive. Each watch has one, right? And they all pretty much do the same: wind and set a watch. Sure, it can look a little different from brand to brand and watch to watch but today's crown system remains fairly unchanged for almost 180 years. There are watchmakers, however, who seek to get rid of this protruding little knob that digs into your wrist every now and then, possibly causing you discomfort. With that in mind, we take a look at five watches that offer a different solution to the age-old conventional crown.The history of the crown on today's watches can be traced back to John Arnold, who first developed a crown for winding and setting a watch. Over time this was perfected by illustrious watchmakers like Abraham-Louis Breguet and Louis Audemars. In 1844, Adrien Philippe (one half of Patek Philippe), invented and patented the keyless winding system as we pretty much know it today. This would replace most of a
Industry Swatch Group 2022 Half Year Sales Report
Swiss watch giant Swatch Group has just issued its 2022 half-year sales report, for the period January 1st – June 30th. At CHF 3,612 million, net sales are up 7.4% compared to the previous year at constant exchange rates, or 6.5% at current rates. The operating profit is up 25.1% at CHF 503 million.The Group reports double-digit growth for major markets, in particular Europe, America and the Middle East. However, the business has been impacted negatively by China's latest Covid lockdowns, just like for other luxury conglomerates. Swatch Group evaluates that sales losses have been approximately CHF 400 million, due to closures of warehouses and many retail stores in April and May in China. The Ukraine conflict had less than a 1% impact on Group sales.Commenting on its brands' performance, Swatch Group highlighted the impressive success of the Bioceramic MoonSwatch. Interestingly, at the same time, Omega was confronted with supply shortages impacting the Speedmaster Moonwatch, afte
Five Things I learned When Visiting Seiko in Japan - Monochrome Watches
To most of us Switzerland is the centre of the world, when it comes to watches. The Swiss Made sub-title seems to be the best way for brands to make their watches more appealing,?however that’s certainly debatable these days. Still, Switzerland is known for precision, fine mechanics and cleanness. Germany is also known for precision, cleanness and fine mechanics, and they also manufacture some very nice watches! Together with the Swiss, the Germans serve to an ever growing clientele who are interested in mechanical wrist watches. And that's when you realise that there's another country, on the other side of our globe, that is known for exactly the same qualifications: cleanness, precision and fine mechanics. I'm talking about Japan. Already in 1881 Kintaro Hattori started making watches, and today the company is led by his great grandson Shinji Hattori. Now that's a proper family business! Recently I had the distinct pleasure of visiting several Seiko manufactures in Japan, and I
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