Cool Finds: a vintage Heuer Skipper, a mint LeCoultre Quartermaster and a gorgeous Vacheron-Constantin Triple Date Moonphase, sold by Antiquorum - Monochrome-Watches
Auctions are always offering superb opportunities to find cool watches, but (unfortunately) mainly vintage es and Pateks. Not that we have a problem here, at Monochrome-Watches, with these two brands, but we also love the exclusivity and originality of understated watches. Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 30th, 2014), the famous auction house Antiquorum will host a huge sale, full of interesting watches (at least, for us). Here are 3 of them that we wanted to show you.Lot 285 – A vintage Heuer SkipperThis is a rare one. Don’t be fooled by the Autavia shape. Even if it is technically speaking an Autavia, the Skipper is different and mainly, very hard to find. What we have here is a Heuer ref. 73464, produced during the 1970s (it was part of the 1971, 1972 and 1973 catalogs). What differentiates this Skipper from a classical Autavia is its blue dial and bezel and the 3-colour 15-minute counter. Inside ticks a?Valjous 7734 movement (the classical 7730 manual calibre with a date f

Hands-On: The Omega Aqua Terra Shades Collection, Including 2 New Solid Gold Models
If you’re a regular reader of MONOCHROME, you might remember this article from 2022. Indeed, the now-called Aqua Terra Shades Collection isn’t entirely new. It has been teased about a year ago when Omega presented 10 new models in its classic, time-and-date Seamaster collection, all adorned with colourful dials inspired by nature and newly-finished cases. However, two comments have to be expressed; first of all, some adjustments have been made, following some comments of the community; second, the watches are now officially available; third, new editions have been added to the lineup. And it’s time to have a look at the watches from the Aqua Terra Shades range, as they are now displayed in stores.All the watches from this new sub-collection of the Seamaster Aqua Terra are based on the brand’s definition of an everyday watch – understand by that a watch that is sporty-chic, resilient, adapted to all situations and overall, handsome. The Aqua Terra might not

Seiko 5 Military SNK809 / Review, Live Pics, Specs & Price
A few years ago, we published a story named “The Cheapest High-End Watch“. We searched for the?most affordable high-end watch, comprising a mechanical movement, in-house manufactured of course, from a brand with an undisputed pedigree, preferably family-owned, and the watch should be (relatively) small and elegant. And guess who won the title… not Patek, not Vacheron, not even or Omega. It was a Seiko 5!?While pretty much everyone thinks of Switzerland when we talk about high-end watches, we felt that one specific brand was often missing in the discussion… Today that’s changing already and certainly since Grand Seiko has been positioned as a separate brand, this Japanese giant is being taken very seriously. Japanese movements?are gaining traction in general, and despite being cheap (the word affordable doesn’t even work anymore), Seiko 5 watches are true mechanical, bang-for-the-buck “high-end” pieces. Time to demonstrate this, with the

"The Monochrome Video Week" - Montblanc, Hand Decoration At The Villeret Manufacture - Monochrome Watches
As watch journalists, one of the most recurring questions we come across?is how a small wrist accessory (a.k.a a watch) can have a 5 or 6-digit price tag? This is especially common?from?those who are not seriously?into watches, and to be fair is an entirely reasonable?question. In order to get an?answer to this highly complex and delicate question, we dove into a detailed discussion with Davide Cerrato, Managing Director of Montblanc Watch Division. Follow along as Davide takes?us inside the Montblanc?Villeret Manufacture, the haute-horlogerie sanctuary of the brand, revealing?the beauty of real hand-finishing as it’s executed by Montblanc’s watchmakers. Polishing, Anglages, Tourbillons… Let us immerse?you in this fascinating world of hand-decoration. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Video shot and edited by PMG Productions for Monochrome-W

Baselworld, the world's largest watch and jewellery fair, appoints a new Managing Director, Michel Loris-Melikoff - Monochrome Watches
The man tasked with reshaping Baselworld to meet the current challenges is a 53-old lawyer who started his career in Private Banking. He was previously with the MHC group (the company organising Baselworld) in Lausanne. The longstanding Managing Director of Baselworld, Sylvie Ritter, has decided to step down from her position at the MCH Group after 15 years. The transfer of management will take place on 1 July 2018.Baselworld needs to rethink itself and how it operates. If the industry has seen business improve over the past months after a prolonged downturn, Baselworld faces great challenges with the withdrawal of numerous exhibitors (several of them now showing at SIHH), the smaller size of the fair and increasing criticism about the organisation. The number of days of the event was reduced by two days in 2018. A few years ago, MHC invested massively to upgrade the show and build a larger exhibition area. Ad - Scroll to continue with article