Alain Delon's Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo sells for Absolute Record Price - Monochrome Watches
This is unheard of, the vintage Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, which belonged to French actor Alain Delon, was sold at an auction last week, for an absolute record price of € 68,750 Euro!!This price is even more spectacular, when considering Delon’s Royal Oak Jumbo does not have the much desired dial with the AP-logo at 6 o’clock; something the newly released Jumbo does have. Nor did the auctioneers website mention whether it’s an A-series or one of the later (also seventies) B, C or D-series. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Last month a very sought-after A series with AP @ 6 dial from 1972, that our friends of Hodinkee showed us, sold for € 31,200 Euro (37,500 CHF). That price was was already an absolute record.Alain Delon has worn his Royal Oak during the shooting of several of his movies, like “Comme un boomerang” (1976) a

Richemont's Big Reshuffle - 4 CEOs Leaving (JLC, Vacheron, Piaget, Dunhill)
This was predictable. After the announcement by Richemont of first shakeups, by?abolishing the CEO and CFO roles, by appointing Jer?me Lambert as head of operations, by appointing Georges Kern as head of watchmaking, marketing and digital and already scheduling?several drastic actions for the group, it’s now time for the big reshuffle at the head of?the brands. The CEOs of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Dunhill will be leaving?in the coming weeks.Today, in a discreet letter on its intranet (as related by letemps.ch), what we were waiting for is now official. Richemont’s?Chief Executive Officer Richard Lepeu and Chief Financial Officer Gary Saage have announced the departure of 4 brand’s CEO: Philippe Leopold-Metzger (Piaget) – see?photo below Ad - Scroll to continue with article Juan-Carlos Torres (Vacheron Constantin)

Omega and METAS - The start of a new Era - Visiting the Omega Manufacture & the METAS certification (Part 2) - Monochrome Watches
In the first part of this article, we showed you the importance that METAS certification has for Omega and, through the words of President Nick Hayek and CEO Stephen Urquhart, what are the challenges, ins and outs and issues of implementing such a new, proprietary and innovative certification. It's time now to transport you in the heart of the Omega Manufacture and to have a detailed look at the facilities where METAS certifies the new Omega Master Chronometer watches.As collectors and lovers of beautiful watches we admire craftsmanship and product quality. We expect accuracy, consistency and smooth operations. Hour after hour, day after day, year after year. We expect minimal maintenance and a long life of our watches. In this article we will discuss how does Omega ensure this for their co-axial watches. We focus on the assembly and certification processes. Production of watch components, distribution and sales are left out to keep the article concise. Ad - Scroll to contin

Omega Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 Limited Edition - Monochrome Watches
Earlier this year Omega introduced a new version of a classic and highly collectable variation of the Speedmaster, the Speedmaster Mark II. This very attractive re-issue immediately won the hearts of collectors around the world. Speedmasters and limited editions are a commodity, however today we’re introducing a new (and the first) limited edition Speedmaster Mark II. The Speedmaster Mark II Rio 2016 pays tribute to, and is inspired by, the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.The new Speedmaster Mark II looks pretty much similar to the original Speedmaster Mk.II that was first introduced in 1969. Its typical tonneau-shaped case features a beautiful polished and sun-ray brushed finish, with lovely beveled and polished edges. The dial features the typical tri-compax 3-6-9 lay-out: a 30-minute register at 3 o'clock, a 12-hour register at 6 o'clock and a small seconds sub-dial at 9 o'clock.The tachymeter scale is rather special and is unique in the Omega collection. It is placed underneath

Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer - Hands-On, Price
It has been quite a while since we’ve heard from independent German watchmaker, Bernhard Lederer. One of the first members of the AHCI (Academie Horlogere des Createurs Independants), Lederer established a reputation with several disruptive horological concepts. In 2002, he launched the brand BLU (Bernhard Lederer et son Univers). Now based in Saint-Blaise, on the outskirts of Neuchatel, Bernhard Lederer works behind the scenes for some of the greatest names in the industry. And now, he is back with a series of chronometer watches dubbed “Tribute to the Masters of Escapements”. To kick off this collection, tribute is paid to one of the greatest watchmakers of the 20th century, Georges Daniels. Meet the Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer regulated by a natural escapement with two independent gear trains and two remontoirs d'egalite!The essence of watchmakingThe escapement is one of the most critical parts of a watch, the brain of the movement, or the heart as