Recap: The Best GMT and Travel Watches of 2023
Yesterday, we started looking back at 2023 and all the new watches we’ve seen to try and make a list of the best ones. The MONOCHROME Editorial Team took votes to determine the Best Chronograph of 2023, which kicked things off, but also many other categories. Up next is the GMT/Travel category, and although the list wasn’t as long as the chronographs category, there was a lot of debate on which ones would make the cut. Going through the list reveals that there are plenty of directions to go in, but the diving travel watch is gaining traction. So, without revealing too much up front, here are the MONOCHROME team’s Best GMT/Travel Watches of 2023.Going through all watch novelties for 2023, we ended up with a little over 70 watches under the GMT/Travel tag. The list?before voting saw some usual suspects making the rounds, but some new brands, like Jacob & Co with its The World Is Yours dual time watch, also entered the mix. Nevertheless, we narrowed it down to the fi

The History of the Omega Constellation Collection - In-Depth
The Constellation family has been around for 66 years and is currently one of Omega's oldest collections. What started out as a chronometer for men in 1952 has undergone countless aesthetic transformations, from the pie-pan dials of the 1950s to the ultra-thin quartz watches of the 1970s leading to the consolidation of the collection in 1982 with the Constellation Manhattan and its hallmark claws. Today many Constellation models are equipped with Master Chronometer movements respecting the original vocation of this family to combine luxury and precision. Let's take a look at how the Constellation got its star power and its claws.Born as a chronometer in 1952To celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1948, Omega released the Centenary, its first limited-edition chronometer-certified wristwatch with an automatic movement. Given the positive reaction to this unrivalled combination of precision and practicality, Omega decided the time was ripe for a collection of automatic wristwatches with chr

First Look: The new Louis Erard Regulateur Grave Noir
Sector dials, with their unique segmented layouts designed over a century ago for improved readability, have a lasting appeal that continues to inspire modern watchmakers. Today, many brands incorporate sector dial watches into their collections, and Louis Erard – founded in 1929 during the peak of this design’s popularity – is no exception. Its Excellence Petite Seconde series offers a variety of colourful models, including the lovely Petite Seconde Terracotta, as a fresh interpretation of this classic style. Louis Erard’s latest release, Le Regulateur Grave Noir, builds on the sector dial’s clarity and legibility, blending it with the brand’s signature regulator layout for a new look.The new Louis Erard Regulateur Grave joins the brand’s Noirmont Metiers d’Art collection as a permanent addition alongside the Regulator with the Grand Feu Enamel dial introduced earlier this year as a limited edition; the two watches share the same case de

Hands-on - Patek Philippe 5204R Split-Seconds Chronograph Perpetual Calendar - Baselworld 2016 (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches
At Patek Philippe, there are the chronographs. There are also the super-chronographs. There’s a uber-chronograph too. And finally, there’s the 5204, which?could be called the “king of chronographs“, a beautiful blend of a split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar, so-to-say, the proper essence of what Patek Philippe is. This watch is complicated, it is extremely demonstrative and it is a collector’s grail. For Baselworld 2016, this uber-chronograph?is now available in 18k pink gold, to be precise under the reference Patek Philippe 5204R-001. This seems to be the perfect?occasion to have a look back at this split-seconds chronograph perpetual calendar.The?Patek Philippe 5204R is impressive. Right. So no big news here. Clearly, arguing that a split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar from Patek Philippe is an impressive watch is kind?of an?euphemism. But that doesn’t prevent us from drooling in front of it. The ref. 5204 was introduced a

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine small model - for women and men? - Monochrome Watches
Vacheron Constantin just released the Patrimony Contemporaine small model. It’s an incredibly elegant dress watch with a diameter of 36 mm. Do you think it’s a mens or ladies watch? We think it’s superb for both? The press release starts with these words: “Classic yet contemporary. Understated and refined. Moderate and yet sensual”. We can only agree. This is the ‘iced’ dress watch that even men who think that diamonds are for girls, can wear without feeling girlish. Classic, contemporary, understated, refined, moderate and sensual… Ad - Scroll to continue with article The new Patrimony Contemporaine small model comes in pink?and white gold and the side of the case is set with 62 brilliant-cut diamonds, with a total weight of approx. 0.39 carat. Traditional dress watches used to be roughly between 33 mm and 36 mm,?