Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias Will Leave Audemars Piguet End of 2023
What was once just an unconfirmed?rumour is now official. Fran?ois-Henry?Bennahmias, the charismatic CEO of Audemars Piguet, will leave the brand at the end of 2023. The news was announced in an interview together with Jasmine Audemars, released in Le Temps?today.Fran?ois-Henry?Bennahmias joined Audemars Piguet some 30 years ago and has been at the helm of the brand for the past 10 years. He will leave the company in excellent shape with revenues of about 1.6 billion francs and a production of some 45,000 watches in 2021. The interview released in Le Temps reports that the transition process has been under discussion since 2017 and that back then, Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias had informed the Audemars Piguet Board of his desire to retire after the 50-year anniversary of the Royal Oak in 2022. A date is now set. He will continue to exercise his functions as CEO, ensuring a smooth transition until the end of 2023.The Audemars Piguet Board has therefore decided to launch a search process for

Buying Guide - 5 Watches That Redefine Ultra-Thin Watchmaking
Ultra-thin is a truly fascinating area of watchmaking. Ultra-thin is the child of miniaturization, which has always been one of the watchmakers’ goals. Ultra-thin is where design and mechanics meet, where the ingenuity of the watchmaker isn’t guided by the need to pack more and more functions, but by the wish to make the watch as elegant as possible. Ultra-thin is a true watchmaker’s field of research that requires complex mechanical solutions. But for long, ultra-thin meant classic watches. Can’t ultra-thin be cool, bold, modern, slightly provocative or usable on a daily basis too? Actually, in the past years, ultra-thin has changed and is no more reserved for the so-called “tuxedo” watch. And here are 5 impressively slender models that prove you can be thin and different.?The Modern Classic – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-ThinMeet the thinnest perpetual calendar on the market… This watch combines the bes

First Look: The Amida Digitrend Steel, Black & Gold Editions
Brands today are enthusiastically revisiting the watch designs of the 1970s, riding a wave of nostalgia that has struck a chord with consumers. These retro-inspired pieces often feature updated characteristics, adding modern functionality to vintage aesthetics. Among the standout designs of that era is the driver’s watch¡ªa timepiece with a digital side display. While this concept traces its origins as far back as 1958 with a prototype by Gilbert Albert for Patek Philippe (featuring a Louis Cottier-designed movement), it wasn’t until the 1970s that the style gained traction. One notable example of a driver’s watch - designed for checking the time without turning your wrist while gripping a steering wheel - was the Amida Digitrend introduced in 1976, a mechanical piece that was able to compete with Girard-Perregaux’s Casquette and its then advanced quartz LED technology. Despite its initial success, Amida was unable to escape the fate of many watchmakers of the ti

First Look: The Edouard Koehn Legacy Rattrapante Chronograph
Himself a watchmaker and at one time the co-owner of Patek, Philippe & Cie, the name Edouard Koehn (1839-1908) resurfaced in the modern watchmaking scene in 2020 thanks to Bernard F. Fleury, a seasoned veteran in the industry known for his work as the CEO of Vulcain in the early 2000s. The latest Edouard Koehn watch we reviewed at MONOCHROME was the World Heritage II, a rare combination of world time and alarm functions. Now, the brand returns to its roots with a true classic in both style and function, an elegant split-second chronograph inspired by one of its antique pocket watches. Meet the Edouard Koehn Legacy Rattrapante Chronograph.Edouard Koehn is an independent watchmaking brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, paying homage to the watchmaker (1839-1908) of the same name. The brand was revitalized a few years ago by industry veteran Bernard Fleury, who had previously made a name as CEO of Vulcain in the early 2000s. Fleury’s journey with Edouard Koehn began when he discove

Hands-On - Jaeger LeCoultre Polaris Date 2018 ref. 9068670 (Specs & Price)
Right from the start of the SIHH 2018, we made sure that the new?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris 2018 Collection was covered here, on MONOCHROME. Indeed, it represents one of the main novelties of the show and is an extremely important collection for JLC as its only true sports range of watches. And while the Memovox will certainly be the most desirable of them all, we want to show you another model that we consider the?cornerstone of the collection. Non-limited, relatively affordable but still vintage-inspired, let’s meet the?Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date.Where does the collection come from? And why does it appear on the market now, not as a simple vintage re-edition, but as a complete collection? First of all, when your name is Jaeger-LeCoultre you can’t go too far in terms of technical looks, ruggedness or sportiness. In collector’s minds, JLC is a classic brand, with a certain elegance and a traditional design. Nothing too fancy, nothing too showy. Restrained and well ex