10 accessible but interesting watches from Phillips Geneva Watch Auction Two - Monochrome-Watches
There’s no doubt about it; Phillips is clearly the growing auction house for watches (the arrival of Aurel Bacs – ex-Christie’s – at the head of the watch department is clearly paying off). In May, the?Phillips Geneva Watch Auction One made a lot of noise, with 4 watches breaking the 1-million barrier and a 5-million Patek Philippe Chronograph in steel. Coming November the?Phillips Geneva Watch Auction Two will be held,?off which we already showed you several of the highlights. However, not all collectors can afford such lots and for this reason, we have a selection of 10 watches, at?accessible?prices but with great interest.When it comes to auctions (whether watches or any kind of art), journalists tend to focus first on the top-lots, the grails, the potential record-breakers or the rarest ones. It’s fair in way, as we all need to dream and to catch interest of readers. When looking at the previous?Geneva Watch Auction One by Phillips, people talked mainl

Patek Philippe Aquanaut - Complete History Part 1 (in-depth)
It's taken some time, but the Patek Philippe Aquanaut has become sought after by watch collectors – especially in steel (no surprises there). That will probably sound strange if you're relatively new to the world of high-end watches and are accustomed to seeing Aquanauts advertised at double retail. After all, based on the way the market is behaving now, it's hard to imagine these watches weren't always in red hot demand. The reality is a little different, however. In fact, the story of the Aquanaut by Patek Philippe is an interesting one. That's why we've put together this in-depth, two-part series on the history of the Aquanaut.In Part 1, we'll be talking about the origins of this collection, the environment in which it was conceived and launched, and how the design was influenced by the Nautilus. We'll also take a closer look at some of the key early models. There's a lot to cover but we hope you'll stick with us. In true MONOCHROME fashion, we've done our best to be as thorou

Cartier Time Art, Mechanics of Passion - a book Monochrome Watches
Our contributor Martin Green was one of the first to receive the book Cartier Time Art, Machanics of Passion and reviewed it. The book is written by Jack Forster, editor in chief of Revolution USA and manager of the Revolution online forum, and published in honor of Cartiers incredibly rich and often unknown watch history.?Not many people realize that when they put on their Santos Galbee, Santos Demoissele or even Santos 100, that they are wearing a design that is in essence almost a century old. In fact, most people don't know that Cartier redefined wristwatch design when the wristwatch itself was barely born. Time for Cartier to open its treasure trove with an exhibition of their private collection in Museum Bellerive, located in Zurich, Switzerland. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Cartier christened this exhibition Cartier Time Art, Mechanics of Passion,

Review: The Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF And What High-Frequency Means
In 2012, Chopard made waves with the introduction of the L.U.C 8HF, featuring the groundbreaking L.U.C 01.06-L calibre with a silicon escapement, oscillating at an impressive 8Hz (57,600 vibrations/hour), double the speed of most mechanical movements. Notably, it became the first high-frequency calibre to receive chronometer certification, marking a significant milestone. Encouraged by this success, Chopard continued its innovation journey, resulting in the 2014 release of the L.U.C 8HF Power Control, powered by the L.U.C 01.09-L movement. Subsequently, the Superfast Power Control Porsche 919 HF edition, equipped with the 01.11-M calibre, debuted in 2017.In 2021, Chopard’s high-frequency Calibre 01.12-C movements took centre stage in the limited Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF in titanium. In 2023, following a decade of sporadic high-beat models in limited editions ranging from 100 to 250 pieces, Chopard introduced a non-limited production model – the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF ref.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine small model - for women and men? - Monochrome Watches
Vacheron Constantin just released the Patrimony Contemporaine small model. It’s an incredibly elegant dress watch with a diameter of 36 mm. Do you think it’s a mens or ladies watch? We think it’s superb for both? The press release starts with these words: “Classic yet contemporary. Understated and refined. Moderate and yet sensual”. We can only agree. This is the ‘iced’ dress watch that even men who think that diamonds are for girls, can wear without feeling girlish. Classic, contemporary, understated, refined, moderate and sensual… Ad - Scroll to continue with article The new Patrimony Contemporaine small model comes in pink?and white gold and the side of the case is set with 62 brilliant-cut diamonds, with a total weight of approx. 0.39 carat. Traditional dress watches used to be roughly between 33 mm and 36 mm,?