Why Are Four of The Greatest Icons of Watchmaking Suddenly Being Revamped? - Monochrome Watches
Is this pure coincidence? Indeed, four of the most iconic watches on the market currently are all being revamped within a few months. While it is certainly not new to see brands digging up pieces from their archives for new releases, what's more surprising is to see products with notorious desirability or even waiting lists being discontinued. These highly successful watches are reimagined, while they certainly didn't need to be revamped in order to ensure commercial success. Surely, emblematic models have always evolved to stay relevant. But there is more. Managing availability and exclusivity is key to fuel envy and to create desirability.Managing the life cycle and the availability of such products is fundamental. Scarcity is the foundation of the very notion of luxury. Being – or staying – out of reach is exactly what has made the Patek Philippe Nautilus or 's professional steel watches at the top of the watch food chain for years. “It’s not enough to make

Chronographs for Collectors: Hamilton Fontainebleau Chronomatic Calibre 11 - Monochrome Watches
Who still has the 1970s chronographs from Hamilton in mind? Set apart in the shadows by Breitling and Heuer watches, However Hamilton played a crucial role in the launch of the famous Chronomatic calibre. The brand's flagship model at that time was the Fontainebleau - named after a famous French castle. A nice chateau that deserves to be re-visited today.Collectable Hamilton chronographs today suffer from a communication, at the time of their launch, less striking than the others. On one hand you had Jack Heuer successfully associating his brand and his watches to the world of racing cars and Willy Breitling to the world of aviation. Hamilton however never associated its chronographs to any universe. Hamilton chronographs and in particular the Fontainebleau, today only have their design and technical quality to rely on. And those from the Fontainebleau should be considered.First of all, there's the movement. Equipped at its launch with the Chronomatic calibre 11, the Hamilton Fontaineb

The Type A11 DD-45, The Dirty Dozen Watch According To Praesidus
Watches have always been intertwined with big historical events all over the world. Many are connected to pivotal events or influential people, such as the Omega Speedmaster and the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the Moon or the watches worn by King Charles III of the British royal family. But some watches are not special because they are tied to a single person or event in time, but for having humbly served an entire nation or even the world. One type of watch that immediately springs to mind is the military issued “Dirty Dozen” watch. Even today, collectors are fanatically chasing these 12 different watches, issued by the British Ministry of Defense in 1943. This group is so popular today that other brands also take inspiration from the simple yet very effective design, which is exactly what Praesidus has done. Its all-new Type A11 DD-45 collection is a fitting salute to the original twelve that served so many during WWII.Let’s immediately make it clear that the n

Introducing: Montblanc Star Legacy Green Exploding Star Collection
In 1997, Montblanc launched its first watch collection, influenced, as you might expect, by its famous writing instruments. The Star Legacy collection, launched in 1997, featured the brand's famous white star logo on the crown. Introduced in 1913, the logo gracing the caps of its fountain pens that looks like a star is, in fact, a stylised representation of a bird's eye view of the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc and its six glaciers. Following the two limited edition models released last year with blue dials, Montblanc proposes an Automatic Date and a Chronograph Day & Date with lively green guilloche-style dials. The pebble-shaped 43mm stainless steel case and onion crowns shared by both models are inspired by Minerva pocket watches from the late 19th and early 20th century. The large 43mm case size, introduced in 2020, is coupled with a height of 11mm for the Automatic Date and 14.76mm for the Chronograph. The case is decorated with polished top surfaces an

Montblanc 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter Bronze Salmon Dial - Hands-On Review (Specs & Price)
In late 2015, Montblanc introduced the first version of the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter. Fitted with a Minerva/Villeret monopusher movement, we were instantly smitten. The initial 18k red gold edition was soon followed by a version in steel, and then a gorgeous bronze number with a champagne dial. This year, Montblanc continues the bronze theme with the introduction of its latest limited edition 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter, this time paired with a striking salmon dial.As you no doubt already know - and if not, you can surely guess by the name - Montblanc's 1858 collection is all about taking inspiration from the past and paying faithful tribute to the rich history of Minerva, the Haute Horlogerie manufacture acquired by the Richemont group just over a decade ago. The aesthetics of the collection are very much inspired by classic design codes taken from the original 1930s Minerva chronographs, including luminescent Arabic numerals, cloisonne cathedral hands filled with beige luminous pa