State of the Industry - Who Does or Doesnt Have an In-House Chronograph? - Monochrome Watches
If the chronograph is one of the most popular complications, it is also one of the most complex types of movements to manufacture. Not so long ago, just a handful of manufactures had the knowledge or the financial resources to produce their own, in-house mechanical chronograph calibre but the past 20 years have witnessed the birth of an impressive number of self-developed movements. During the 1970s, new accurate quartz movements gained popularity and plunged the Swiss watch industry into a deep crisis. Sales of mechanical watches declined sharply, production of mechanical movements was reduced to a trickle, and many Swiss watchmakers went out of business. Zenith is an eloquent example of how stock and production capacities were destroyed (and saved by an act of disobedience for El Primero – read the history of this iconic chronograph here).Following the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking in the 1980s and 1990s, brands massively invested in movement development and production

Piaget Polo S Black ADLC / Rubber SIHH 2017 (Specs & Price)
Launched with great fanfare in the middle of last year – see our introducing article – the Piaget Polo S was both a breath of fresh air for Piaget and, at the same time (and unfortunately) the most controversial watch of the year 2016. This is the sad part of the story. This watch is great… alone. But it lives in a market full of competitors. It seems that Piaget heard the complaints and for the SIHH 2017, some new limited editions have been showed, the?Piaget Polo S Black ADLC / Rubber 3-hand and chronograph – a world of difference… And?that’s were the deal becomes pretty interesting.BackgroundThe 2016 inaugural collection of the Piaget Polo S Ad - Scroll to continue with article When launched in July 2016, the Piaget Polo S has received a huge coverage from the dedicated press, including us here, at Monochrome-Watches. Still

Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon - Monochrome-Watches
In 2012 Richard Mille introduced the RM 056 Sapphire Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph, which was the first wrist watch with a case that was manufactured in pure sapphire. Last year they surpassed this with the RM 56-01, which has not only a sapphire case, but movement bridges and baseplate as well. An unparalleled achievement, which also reflected in its price tag of more than 1,5 million Euros. Later this year, during the Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong, Richard Mille will introduce the RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon.The new Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon takes design cues from the mechanical architecture of the RM 27-01 Rafael Nadal and its cable suspended movement. By incorporating this cabled movement design within a world of transparent sapphire, an ultimate expression of weightlessness and transparency is evoked within the world of extreme horology. The case itself, entirely made of sapphire crystal, takes 40 days (24/7) of continuous machining to be produce

Interview with Panerais CEO Jean-Marc Pontroue About Bucherer Collab and Strategy for 2020
Jean-Marc Pontroue was appointed CEO of Panerai in 2016, invigorating the brand with new energy. Change was needed but with a brand like Panerai, whose fame is based on a unique concept (1930s to 1950s military dive watches), evolution can be the enemy. We took the opportunity of the launch of the Panerai Luminor Marina Titanio/DLC Bucherer BLUE in Zurich to sit down with Mr Pontroue and talk about his first 18 months at the head of the brand, his partnership with Bucherer, and what to expect for 2020.“The Luminor was created in 1950… The 70th anniversary of Luminor will be our major theme (for 2020)”Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Managing Panerai is one of the most interesting but most difficult challenges for a CEO in the industry! What is your feeling after 18 months at the head of the company?Jean-Marc Pontroue, Panerai – Well, no, it is rather easy instead. So many brands are striving to create iconic products. When I joined Panerai, I was lucky enough to

Paint it black - the new Xetum Tyndall PVD - Monochrome Watches
Black watches are more then ever before a fashionable thing. Black luxury sports watches, like this unique set of dive watches from Richard Mille, are already well accepted. Lately we also see black dress watches like this Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Bi-Axial or this unique Piaget Altiplano for Only Watch.?Xetum is now painting it black and they do it in style. The Tyndall is one of Xetum’s watch models and we reviewed it for you here. A lovely and very affordable timepiece and now it comes in a black jacket. With a black leather strap and a black rotor and a black deployant clasp. A complete black Tyndall that looks absolutely very fine. Ad - Scroll to continue with article The Tyndall comes in a matte black PDV coated case. The black dial with white indexes, numerals and writing has an almost instrument-style contrast, that looks very practical. In the f