Watches NEWS
Announcing "The Vintage Corner" and New Contributor Alistair Gibbons
For the past 10+ years MONOCHROME has been about new watches and although the focus has pretty much always been on “new” – we always blended in a lot of history, technicalities and finishing – there was sometimes the odd story about a vintage watch. But that’s gonna change. Today we’re starting “The Vintage Corner”, our weekly rendez-vous on the topic of anything vintage. It’s my pleasure to introduce the man who’s gonna run our Friday afternoon vintage instalment, book author, watch collector, vintage enthusiast, content creator, Alistair Gibbons.?There were plenty of reasons why we didn’t cover vintage. First and foremost, our core team (which includes Rebecca, Brice, Xavier and myself) is not very knowledgeable about vintage. Sure, we know a bit, but not enough to bring you the expertise that we can do in the field of new watches. The world of vintage is a murky world. I’ve seen too often that the most sought-af
Longines Spirit Green Dial Time-and-Date Watches
Introduced in mid-2020, the Longines Spirit collection was not only a highly important launch for the winged hourglass but also marked an entirely new line from the brand. Inspired by legendary aviators and explorers who rely on Longines watches and combining historical references with modern mechanics and contemporary codes, it is a more “mainstream” collection than the hardcore Heritage models, but still features multiple retro-inspired elements, as we’ve seen in our video review. Following the black, silver and blue inaugural versions, the brand enlarges the collection with the addition of the trendiest colour currently, green… Meet the new Longines Spirit Green Dial, available for the time-and-date models in 40mm and 42mm.The Longines Spirit is a collection of classic, nicely executed pilots-inspired watches – a speciality of the brand – with old-school design cues, contemporary execution and higher-end features. It isn’t a hardcore re-edit
Industry News: Swatch Group Revenues and Profit Down in 2024
It’s the time of year when businesses announce their financial performance. Following Richemont and LVMH, Swatch Group has just released its 2024 results. In a challenging environment for the watch industry, the sales of Swatch Group – the Swiss powerhouse and owner of Omega, Longines or Tissot – were CHF 6,735 million, down 12.2% at constant exchange rates and 14.6% at current rates. The operating profit came in at CHF 304 million versus CHF 1,191 million in 2023.After reaching records in 2023, the luxury watch market is facing a slowdown as Swiss watch exports are expected to be down by about 3% over 2024, impacted by the challenging situation in China. In this difficult environment, Swatch Group sales have been impacted. In this context, Swatch Group's revenues and profits are down; the press release mentions a persistently difficult market situation and weak demand for consumer goods overall in China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR), and on the other hand,
Roger Dubuis Hommage Minute Repeater Tourbillon Automatic (Specs and Price) - Monochrome-Watches
Watch and Wonders is very productive this year. We’ve already introduced you the Panerai?Radiomir 1940 3-Days Automatic with Panerai's first micro-rotor movement and the Richard Mille?RM 57-01 Tourbillon Phoenix and Dragon. Now, it’s the turn of another highly interesting manufacture, Roger Dubuis, to come with a stunning watch, bringing a minute repeater and a flying tourbillon, with an automatic movement, always adorned with the Geneva Seal (as the rest of their production). Welcome the?Roger Dubuis Hommage Minute Repeater Tourbillon Automatic.?Roger Dubuis is the only manufacture that is able to have a collection entirely adorned with the Geneva Seal, a warranty of a very high level of finish and precision. And not only they can proud themselves to have superbly finished timepieces but we’re also talking about very complicated ones. Recently, we reported you about the Pulsion Skeleton Flying Tourbillon, a watch proving?that sports and Haute Horlogerie are not neces
Vacheron Constantin "Mecaniques Sauvages" - A Collection of Grand Complications and Artistic Crafts - Monochrome Watches
Defying the restraint and moderation that has settled over the watchmaking scene of late, it is refreshing to see such a magnificent display of mechanical luxury and grandiose craftsmanship. Unleashing a menagerie of majestic wild animals, Vacheron Constantin gives a riveting display of its inexhaustible creativity and mechanical expertise. Mecaniques Sauvages is a bespoke collection of unique pieces made in Vacheron Constantin's very own customisation department - Les Cabinotiers – where horological fantasies spring to life. To give you an idea of what the watchmakers at Les Cabinotiers are capable of producing, think back to Reference 57260, a private commission delivered in 2015 with no fewer than 57 complications under its belt, making it the most complicated timepiece on our planet.There are reportedly 20 Les Cabinotiers animal-themed watches in the Mecaniques Sauvages collection. For the moment, the brand has shared five models demonstrating a powerful combination of grand
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