The Collector's Series: Koen's IWC Vintage Ingenieur - Monochrome-Watches
It is with great pleasure we welcome Koen?as a contributor?to the Monochrome-Watches team he is extremely active on the IWC forum and a truly passionate watch geek. When we first sat down on the Collector Series with Koen,?we discussed his stunning Vintage IWC Portofino. On this occasion, in a rather overcast London (no surprise there), his second instalment of the series, we discussed how his passion for IWC lead him to the glorious IWC Vintage Ingenieur.First off let’s take a look back. The first IWC Ingenieur was unveiled in 1955. It was equipped with the first bidirectional automatic movement and developed by the then Technical Director, Albert Pellaton. It wasn’t famous until the early 1970s, when a diver's helmet inspired freelance watch designer Gerald Genta (yes, that’s the same gentleman who designed the AP Royal Oak and Patek’s Nautilus.) His mission was to redesign the Ingenieur. Genta designed the Ingenieur SL, Reference 1832, which was launched in 1

History of the Pilot Watch Part I - Cartier Santos 1904 - Monochrome Watches
Today we’re going to look at the history of the pilot’s watch. It’s the first article in a series of five and we’re going to start with an unusual suspect… When it comes to the essential criteria for a pilot's watch, like functionality and readability, Cartier's Santos seems an odd fit except in one unassailable category: originality.?A Santos owner is a distinguished client who may well epitomize a certain daring that accompanied Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. In a time when men risked their lives to soar into the air, the world held its breath and watched. In the midst of all this attention, a novel wristwatch by Cartier appeared, and the world took notice. The watch is a tribute to a fearless age when determination knew no bounds.Article's Text: M. Santos Dumont after several preliminary trail in Paris on November 12th, when his flying machine had flown 75, 128, and 142 yards, decided to return to his starting point by going against the

Industry News: Richemont Reports 14% Sales Growth For First Quarter 2023, Driven Mainly By Jewellery
Following 2022 with impressive growth for the industry (a record year for exports) for luxury groups involved in watchmaking and jewellery (LVMH, Swatch), indicators and analysts were not so confident regarding the outlook for 2023. Growing inflation, geo-political tensions and a potential economic contraction could have led to lower sales. However, following the announcement by LVMH and Swatch Group of their Q1 or Half-Year sales (respectively +17% and +18%), it’s now time for Richemont Group to disclose its sales figures for its first quarter, which ended 30 June 2023. And here again, sales are up by a solid +14%, with jewellery as the main driver of growth.For the first three months of its fiscal year (Richemont closes the books on 1 April), the Group reports sales up by 19% at constant exchange rates or 14% at actual exchange rates, thus exceeding the 12% sales increase of the prior-year period. Sales are reported at EUR 5,322 million for this quarter versus EUR 4,654 million

Value Proposition - Laco Cuxhaven And Bremerhaven (Review)
Laco is a brand that sometimes flies under the radar (notably in America), overshadowed by German counterparts like Sinn, Junghans and MeisterSinger. It should definitely not be overlooked as it offers compelling, military-inspired watches at attainable prices. The brand is also older than two of the three mentioned above and is perhaps best known as one of five producers of the B-Uhren Observation Watches. There's currently a healthy portfolio of Laco mechanical pieces from pilot and navy watches to chronographs and classics (and B-Uhr reproductions). Today, we have the new Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven Navy watches on hand with old-school, hand-wound ETA movements, differentiated only by dial colour. Let's take a closer look at this intriguing pair from a brand you should probably know more about.BackgroundLaco was founded in 1925 as Lacher & Co. (La from Lacher and co from Co.) in Pforzheim, Germany. The original founders, Frieda Lacher and Ludwig Hummel, found success early on and H

Habring2 Chrono-Felix (with In-House Monopusher-Chronograph) Specs & Price
Not long ago, we reviewed a watch that many collectors and watch aficionados love (and for good reasons), the?Habring2 Doppel-Felix. Also, we took a closer look at the “simple” 3-hand version?named Felix. The?common thread running through them? The same?pared-down design and the same base movement manufactured in-house (quite an achievement for such a small company). But what if you take these two watches and try to find one that will stand right in the middle? Well, the answer is the?Habring2 Chrono-Felix.It always surprises us to see a company such as?Habring2 display such a high level of creativity – not only design-wise but also in terms of technical innovations. Surprising because Habring2 is actually a true family?business, founded by a couple – Maria & Richard Habring. With two employees they manage to?produce around 200 watches per year… But no generic cases with outsourced movements. What they do are truly in-house-developed watches (design an