Where does the name of your favourite watch model come from? - Monochrome Watches
Ever wonder how watches got their names? A few weeks ago we told you about the brand names and their origin. Today we’re going to look at the watch model names. With hundreds of past and present watches, what has been the inspiration for watchmakers and brands to call them certain names? Some are pretty straight forward, other more obscure. Finding a great name is not an easy task and is often essential to the success of a new watch. It needs to fit within the brand’s universe, while also telling its own story. It needs to be relevant, easily pronounceable, memorable and discoverable (in particular for internet search engines today). Ideally this shall be valid in different languages and for different cultures. Lastly, with the purpose of legally protecting the product's name with a trademark application in class 14 (which includes jewellery and watches), brands need to make sure there is no infringement of an existing trademark. Monochrome looks at the back stories of some

Value Proposition - Hands-On With The Aramar Long Beach Racing Chronograph - Monochrome Watches
Vintage-inspired watches have been one of the hottest trends of 2017 and this looks set to continue in 2018. Automotive-focused watches from the golden era of the 1960's and 1970's, such as the Bell & Ross Vintage Bellytanker and the Heuer Autavia, have been particularly popular, no doubt helped along in no small part by the $17m sale of a Daytona owned by some guy. Not everyone can afford the premium price tags these types of watch command, however, so today we're getting hands-on with a much more accessible alternative from Netherlands-based watch designer and producer, Aramar Watch Co. Called the Long Beach Racing Chronograph, it's already exceeded its funding goal on Kickstarter, with just under a month still to go. Read on for all the details.The Aramar Watch CompanyThe idea for the Aramar Watch Company came about in 2010 after a proposed collaboration with an already established watch brand failed to come to fruition. Rather than relying on someone else, the team thought th

The Auction Hammer: Bonhams to auction Reinhard Furrer Omega Speedmaster Professional NASA 145.022 - Monochrome-Watches
The Omega Speedmaster is getting more and more under?the scope of collectors. For a few years now, some of the rare editions have been?able to reach 40,000Eur or more. This is all due to a long and rich history, to a continuous production since 1957 and to the Space and Moon exploration. At Monochrome-Watches, the ‘Speedy‘ has always been one of our favorites, as we’ve been the very first to reveal you about?the watches worn by Aldrin and Armstrong during Apollo 11 Mission. Don’t expect to see such watches on auction soon – that would be an unaffordable dream. Bonhams however will soon auction another true astronaut watch, the?Reinhard Furrer Omega Speedmaster Professional, one of the very few to come with a radial dial.?Reinhard Furrer?(November 25, 1940 - September 9, 1995) was a German physicist and astronaut.?In 1977 Furrer applied for selection as an astronaut for the first Spacelab mission. He was finally selected for a space mission and?had been a p

Introducing All The New Panerai Models Of Watches & Wonders 2023
While last year was all about the Submersible, Panerai’s robust dive watch collection based on the famous nautical-inspired watch, this year’s focus shifts towards the more formal Radiomir collection. This instantly recognizable design, with its signature cushion-shaped case and wire lugs, receives several very interesting and funky new models in various materials, colours and complications. The collection is expanded with a completely new Annual Calendar, a trio of aged time-only models and a compact and rather elegant 40mm reference. Here we present you the complete rundown of the new collection for Panerai presented during Watches & Wonders 2023.Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar PAM01363 & PAM01432New to the Panerai Radiomir collection are a pair of Annual Calendar watches in Goldtech (PAM01363) and Platinumtech (PAM01432). Both have a 45mm diameter case made using a proprietary alloy that’s harder than traditional gold or platinum. The dials come in either

First Look: The Tissot PRX 40 Powermatic 80 with Gradient Dials or in Full Forged Carbon
One of the Swiss watch industry’s main successes from recent years, and Tissot‘s star collection, the PRX range has become a true hit since its inaugural release in 2021. Since then, this collection has been drastically enlarged to offer more movements, more colours, more materials, more straps and more dimensions. While we thought the mint green or ice blue editions would fulfil our needs for funky colours, the Tissot PRX is back this year with original gradient dials. And that’s not all, as Tissot also releases an unexpected, higher-end version with bold looks: the PRX Forged Carbon.?In only three years, the Tissot PRX has become a solid collection with countless options to choose from. First, it is available in two sizes – 40mm and 35mm – with a choice of an automatic movement (Powermatic 80) or a quartz movement. In addition, there’s also the PRX Automatic Chronograph with a 42mm case. To make things even more complete, the PRX comes in a wide ra