Industry New: Richemont Reports Stable Sales For the First Semester 2024, Results Down for Watches
Switzerland-based luxury conglomerate?Richemont Group has just issued its trading update for the six months ended 30 September 2024. The Group delivered an overall stable performance with flat sales at constant exchange rates and -1% at actual rates, at EUR 10.1 billion. At EUR 2.2 billion, profit is down 12% at constant rates and down 17% at actual rates. This resilience of sales in a challenging environment for the luxury industry was secured by the performance of Jewellery Maisons (Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, in particular), up 2% at actual rates. On the other hand, sales of specialist watchmakers were down by 17% at actual rates, to EUR 1.7 billion – showing the importance of Jewellery in the group, with sales reported at over EUR 7 billion. For reference, according to the FHS, the Swiss watch exports are down 2.7% compared with 2023 over the first nine months of the year. LVMH reported sales down 2% overall and down 5% for their Watches and Jewelry Division over the

Letter from the Editor - Frank's Take On Smart Watches
Smart watches even?the name annoys me. There?are however, a league of (more profound) reasons why we do not cover such wrist ornaments on Monochrome. Of course we get questions from our readers asking why we have not reviewed the ref. 5396 Patek Annual?Calendar, and rightfully so. We should have reviewed that watch, and as soon as we find a way to do so, together with the 178 year old family-owned brand from Geneva, we will. I'm actually surprised though, that we hardly get questions about smart watches, very pleasantly surprised in fact! So let my rant about these little electronic wrist devices begin.I started Monochrome 11 years ago to share my passion for beautifully made mechanical timepieces. The history of watchmaking in general, the history of certain brands, the beauty of finishing, and specific complications were all things that I wanted to share with our?readers. And that's what we are still doing today, 11 years later, albeit with a bigger team and a much bigger audience. T

It's Sunday, a perfect day to choose the color of your dress watch - Monochrome Watches
Dress watch dials rarely venture beyond white, silver or black. A classic dress watch with a white dial and black leather strap is as formal as it gets (and it is most often a man's first dress watch). Blue is also a fairly safe option that can be worn in nearly every circumstance. But, these do not have to be the only colors - especially if you are confident in your ability to carry off colors, or perhaps like to stand out. We’ve taken a look at three colored-dial dress watches.Jaeger-LeCoultre - Master Ultra Thin Small Seconds SteelJaeger-LeCoultre brings a touch of color to its Master Ultra Thin Small Seconds. This timeless classic is now paired with a blue dial, adding an undisputable extra measure of style and originality, while retaining its distinctive elegance. Its automatic movement (caliber JLC 896) runs at 4 Hz. with a power reserve of 43 hours. Pure class.Quick facts: 40 mm steel case - automatic movement caliber 896 with hours, minutes and small seconds. Alligator st

Chopard Redlines with the New Superfast Collection - Monochrome Watches
Anyone who has hit the RPM limiter while pressed back into a bucket seat, anyone who has done the pedal dance of heel and toe, anyone who snapped the rear end, Z rated tires screaming and the muffler thundering, anyone who has done these things knows what it means to go fast.Chopard knows what it means to go Superfast. As ubiquitous as racing legends Prost, Senna, or Schumacher are to the sport of Formula One, Chopard aspires to be to auto racing in general and takes top spot on the podium, champagne spewing in victory as they introduce a new Classic Racing line with three models, the Superfast Auto, Chrono and Power Control. Sleek, sophisticated and sporty, the Superfast line recalls motorsports at every turn (see our weekly watch photo). Made to dominate Spa-Francorchamps' Eau Rouge turn in the rain or attend such daydreams, the Superfast watches unite the thrill of racing with the art of horology. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Pre-New members of the IWC Aquatimer Family - Monochrome Watches
Not so long ago, at the SIHH 2014, IWC renewed one of their collections, the iconic, sporty and dive-oriented Aquatimer. That’s the way to do at IWC for the SIHH: renewing entirely a family to have a complete coherent collection. Last year was the Portugeiser, 2013 the Ingenieur and 2012 the Pilot watches. For the SIHH 2016, IWC has some new Aquatimer watches to show us, but do not?worry, this is not the SIHH 2016 highlight but just some new editions. The design you have known for two years is still on board, just with new colors and styles. Here are?the new members of the IWC Aquatimer family.The IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition La Cumbre Volcano (Ref. IW379505)This first edition is based on the chronograph version?– not the?Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau that we reviewed?here, that is equipped with a Valjoux 7750 – and is a limited edition of 500 pieces. It features the IWC manufacture 89365-calibre movement, with a flyback function