INTERVIEW: Rebecca Struthers About Old Watches Getting a New Life - Struthers London - Monochrome Watches
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with Rebecca Struthers, one half of Struthers London. Rebecca and her husband Craig are the master watchmakers and founders behind Struthers London. Having spent many years as vintage and antique watch restorers they launched Struthers London to re-commission high-grade antique and vintage watch movements recycled from the past. In the interview we discuss how the Morgan Car Company partnership came to fruition, who have been her watchmaking inspirations and what its like to work with your husband. Mono: Tell us a bit about Struthers?RS: The Struthers watchmakers are my husband Craig and me, between us we’ve been in the industry for nearly 25 years and trained in vintage and antique watch restoration, illustration, design, antiquarian horology, jewellery, silversmithing and diamond grading amongst other things. In 2013 we decided to set up our own business designing and making bespoke watches using a whol

Hands-On: The New Longines Conquest 2023 Chronograph
The name Conquest is an important one at Longines, as it refers to a long-lasting collection that was first introduced in 1954. A surprising fact about this name: it was the first step in an emerging marketing strategy for the brand, which was to give a name to a family of watches, creating a collection. Something that seems common these days but proved powerful back then. Since then, the name Conquest has been synonymous with classic, all-rounder watches. The previous Conquest (not to be confused with the dive-oriented HydroConquest) had been around for many years and had started to look slightly outdated. But this year, Longines has decided to revamp entirely its go-anywhere, do-anything collection with the new Longines Conquest 2023. And after our introduction of the entire collection, it’s now time to have a closer look at the chronograph edition.The Longines Conquest started its life in 1954 – to be precise, on April 3rd, 1954, Longines filed a patent for its Conquest

Swatch Group Reports Sales Up For 2022 At Correct Levels
Following a couple of years drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the luxury industry in general and the watch industry, in particular, have been on the rise again since the end of 2021. According to consulting company Bain & Co, sales of luxury goods are anticipated to grow by over 20% in 2022, and the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry has just reported record exports of Swiss watches for 2022. It is now time for Swatch Group, one of the main actors in the industry, to release its key figures for 2022. As expected, sales are up overall, combined with a comfortable profit. However, some figures should be nuanced.?Overall, Swatch Group – which comprises brands such as Omega, Longines, Swatch, Tissot, Hamilton, Blancpain, Breguet and more – has recorded net sales of Swiss francs/CHF 7,499 million, an increase of 4.6% compared to the previous year – which has to be compared to the numbers of the FHS, reporting exports of Swiss watches up by 11.4% over t

Industry Patek Takes Stake in Gem-Setting Firm Salanitro SA
Today,?Salanitro SA?has just announced that Patek Philippe has acquired a stake in its capital. The amount of the investment and the size of the stake were not disclosed. This entry into the capital of the gem-setting company materializes the coming together of two independent Geneva-based family businesses. If Patek Philippe requires little introduction, Salanitro SA is an institution in the Swiss watch industry, being the most prominent player in the jewellery and gem-setting activities for Swiss Haute Horlogerie. Founded in 1990, Salanitro SA counts no fewer than 230 employees. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Pierre Salanitro, founder and owner of Salanitro SAThe operation is obviously an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the two companies. For Salanitro SA, it is also a way to secure the company's future with the backup of Patek Philippe, all t

Konstantin Chaykin Mars Conqueror MK3 Fighter (Live Pics, Specs, Price)
Mars, our nearest neighbouring planet in the galaxy, is destined to be the next habitable place for us as a species. At least according to a wide range of experts and a number of initiatives bent on achieving that very goal. It is probably the most daunting challenge man has ever faced. Mars is a very different planet and is roughly 60,000,000 kilometres away. A lot further than the 400,000 kilometres we had to travel to reach the Moon. In reality though, the prospect of going to Mars has never been closer, and because time on Mars is (slightly) different than on Earth, a fitting watch is needed. It even has a name, the Konstantin Chaykin Mars Conqueror MK3 Fighter.Russian independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin, of Joker-watch fame, has been captivated by the idea of terraforming Mars and subsequently launched his own Mars programme in 2017 setting out to create a fitting mechanical timepiece. But what does it take to create such a watch? And perhaps more importantly, what does it m