Hands-On - Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer Bronze 43mm Anthracite
The latest Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer Bronze 43mm is a culmination of several things: the brand's recent use of bronze cases, the continued evolution of the Aikon line, and a focus on the diver aesthetic that began with the 1990s Calypso collection. This isn't simply a dive watch; it's very much an accessibly priced luxury sports watch as well. A hybrid, if you will. The first Aikon was introduced in 2017 with a quartz movement, but automatics debuted a year later and provided affordable alternatives to the Royal Oaks and Octo Finissimos of the world that many of us can only aspire to.?Maurice Lacroix generally defines affordable luxury, reminding me of brands like Frederique Constant, yet with a sportier vibe. The original Aikon automatics were luxury sports watches in three-hand and chronograph versions for enthusiasts without five-figure budgets. The Aikon Venturer series adds a more rugged, outdoorsy element with serious dive watch credentials. The Aikon Bronze first appeared i

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Jack Heuer Birthday Gold Limited Edition
Jack Heuer, the great-grandson of the founder of Heuer, former CEO of Heuer, and Honorary Chairman of TAG Heuer celebrates his 88th birthday today. To fete the man who oversaw the brand's exciting entry into racing-inspired wrist chronographs, a 188-piece edition inspired by Jack Heuer's favourite Carrera 1158CHN of the 1970s is being released today. Evocative of the solid gold watches Jack Heuer gave Ferrari Formula I drivers as tokens of good luck in the 1970s, these special watches conform to the new lines of the luxury 42mm Carreras Calibre Heuer 02 released earlier this year.Staying the courseInvolved with the family company since his late teens, when he enlisted his high school physics teacher to help create the science behind a tide watch for an American client (Solunar, 1949), Jack Heuer has stuck through thick and thin at TAG Heuer. Following a family tradition, Jack was sent to America in 1959 to learn about the world, specifically, to learn about the vast potential of market

Baselworld 2019 - Tudor Black Bay Chrono S&G 79363N (Hands-On, Specs & Price)
When Tudor first introduced its Black Bay Chrono model in 2017, there was a hullabaloo about incorporating chronograph functions on board a 200m water-resistant vintage-inspired dive watch. A diver without a rotating bezel replaced by a fixed tachymeter scale for the chronograph functions? For many, the combination of functions was unwarranted but over time, the initial animosity was replaced by enthusiasm. For 2019, the Black Bay Chrono is back in a 41mm bold two-tone steel and gold model with a host of bracelet and strap choices.The Midas TouchThe steel and gold case is by no means a novelty; Frank reviewed the Black Bay S&G model two years ago and predicted the unexpected return to two-tone case combinations. Following suit, the 41mm steel case of the new Black Bay Chrono S&G model is spruced up with yellow gold pushers (screwed to ensure the 200m water-resistance) along with a fixed (non-rotating) bezel in yellow gold with a black anodised aluminium insert for the tachymetr

Introducing the Romain Jerome Skylab - Monochrome Watches
Romain Jerome can be quite a polarizing brand. Even here at the Monochrome offices – all of us die-hard watch aficionados – we don’t share the same enthusiasm about the various RJ timepieces. However Romain Jerome’s newest creation can count on many “yaes”, leaving the “nays” well behind. No dial, a fully skeletonized movement and the iconic case with four struts grabbing the bezel. And now the diameter has been reduced to a very agreeable 44 mm, we believe that Romain Jerome hit the jackpot.What Romain Jerome has taught us, is that we do not have to take watches too serious. Most of his timepieces are equipped with an ETA/Valjoux 7750 (or similar) movement, which is a very strong and reliable movement that also used throughout the industry (for instance by IWC, Breitling and TAG Heuer). The real work goes into the design of the case, dial, hands and these parts set RJ apart from the rest. When we saw the new Skylab models, we were pretty

Industry New: Richemont Reports Sales up by 8% For Third Quarter, Jewellery Taking the Lead over Watches
Switzerland-based luxury conglomerate Richemont Group has just issued its trading update for the nine months ended 31 December 2023. The group, which includes brands such as Cartier, IWC, JLC and Vacheron, reports sales up by 8% at constant exchange rates and by 4% at actual exchange rates to EUR 5.6 billion for the last quarter of 2023. At EUR 15.8 billion, sales over the nine-month period ending December 2023 increased by 11% at constant exchange rates and by 5% at actual exchange rates.In an uncertain macro-economic and geopolitical environment, Richemont reports growth for the last quarter of 2023 in almost all regions, business areas and channels at constant exchange rates. The growth was led by Japan (+18%) and Asia Pacific (+13%), Middle East & Africa (+10%) and the Americas (+8%) but contracted by 3% in Europe. The retail network had sales up +11% versus +4% for the wholesale network while online retail had sales down -5%.By business area, Jewellery Maisons (Bucellati, Cart