Discovering the impressive Kallinich Claeys Einser Zentralsekunde
Part of the reason MONOCHROME Watches exists in the first place is a deep-rooted love for independent watchmaking and the wonderful things some of the best watchmakers in the world can come up with. To us, that’s the very fabric of our existence and we try to provide a platform for these true masters of the craft. Even if you think everything has been done by now, there’s always something new to come when you least expect it. In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of young and extremely talented watchmakers come up who, with the help of social media, try to make it on their own. Although success is not guaranteed, nor is it instant, we can’t help but be amazed by some of the stuff that’s being done around the world. So when we learned of two former A. Lange & Sohne watchmakers working on something very special, we jumped at the chance to find out more. And even though the duo of Johannes Kallinich and Thibault Claeys are still working on their first p

Introducing The Audemars Piguet x 1017 ALYX 9SM Collection Of RO and ROO Models
It is not a secret anymore… More and more watchmaking brands are collaborating with external designers. The mission is to reach out to new customers and to cater to a clientele more and more influenced by streetwear and high-end urban fashion. Modern, influenced by street art or urban fashion, we’re talking about merging luxury watchmaking with a contemporary approach to design. Today, Audemars Piguet announces a new collection of four Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore watches designed in collaboration with Matthew Williams’ fashion brand 1017 ALYX 9SM. It’s polarising all right, but there’s something oddly appealing in this sleek, minimalist and almost rough take on the emblematic luxury sports watch.?1017 ALYX 9SM (what a name…) is a fashion brand founded in 2015 by Matthew Williams, a Chicago-born creative director active in the world of art, music, photography and fashion throughout his decade-long career. On the other side is Audemars Piguet, whi

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph 26622TI Review
Love it or hate it, call it a hype-collection, but the fact is that the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (and all its offspring) remains one of the most desirable collections on the market. It is also by far the most important collection in Audemars Piguet's catalogue but the brand isn't simply resting on its laurels. Considering how much it has evolved from the original ref. 5402 presented in 1972, the signature DNA is still very much present. Two decades after first released, the Royal Oak received an update into the far more masculine Royal Oak Offshore, which caused a sensation yet again. Now, in 2021, we've had the fortune to spend some time with one of the latest and most complex models in the line-up, the (take a deep breath) Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Flyback Chronograph 26622TI.It takes a bit of time to wrap one's head around all the details of this very technical and complex iteration of the Royal Oak Offshore. It also marks a step into a new di

Swiss Watch Exports Down Feb 2020, And Expected to Plunge Due to Coronavirus
The FHS, the Swiss Watch Federation, just released its export statistics for the month of February 2020, and, as you might expect, these are down. The value of exports contracted by 9.2% to CHF 1.6 billion. But, this does not even reflect the severe and jittery situation on the market provoked by the Coronavirus Pandemic. If exports were down 51% to China and down 42% to Hong Kong, shipments to the US were still up 17.8%, as the epidemic had not yet hit that country. The same situation is visible in Germany (+7.3%), France (+12.6%) and Italy (+5.0%). The Coronavirus Pandemic, as of March 2020, has now spread globally and this is just the beginning of the downturn for Swiss watch exportsNaturally, Coronavirus is first and foremost a health problem, but second an economic one. The luxury industry, including the Swiss watch industry, is expected to be amongst the hardest-hit sectors. Consumer consumption has collapsed as many countries are now under complete lockdown. Billions of luxury s

TA quick rundown of the upcoming Formula One 2023 season
As the new year is well underway by now, we’re gearing up for another season in Formula 1 racing, the highest echelon in motorsports. Will Max Verstappen continue his dominant form to clinch a third consecutive title? Will Ferrari show immense speed again? Can Mercedes bounce back or continue bouncing like last year? That’s all too early to tell, but with the pre-season testing in Bahrain earlier this week, we’re only moments away from lights out for the first Grand Prix of the year. The F1 paddock is once again kicking off the season in Bahrain, after which 22 more races will follow to decide who will be this year’s champions. So with that in mind, here’s a look at some of the important things to know for this year.The new Red Bull Racing RB19 of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.New rules and regulationsThe 2022 season of the Formula 1 World Championship was dominated by two things essentially: Max Verstappen and his Red Bull Racing RB18 and ‘Porpois