The History of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas - The Other 1970s Icon - Monochrome Watches
In the 1970s, the post-war global economic boom came to an end. The new, accurate quartz watches gained popularity and plunged the Swiss watch industry in a deep crisis. As the inexpensive electronic watches began to flood the market, the competition from foreign manufacturers created a major economic turmoil, and with it, the need for Swiss brands to reinvent themselves, making necessary disruptive changes. And that includes the Vacheron Constantin Overseas, a watch born in that exact period.It was at that time that Audemars Piguet decided to introduce something totally new. Together with the celebration of postmodernism, the 1970s style was all about freedom and eclectic, informal, laidback looks. To break away from their classic – somehow conservative – gold dress watches, Georges Golay, the brand's managing director then, contacted Gerald Genta to design an entirely new genre of wristwatch. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

The new IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Classic Meets Collectors in Amsterdam during IWC GTG - Monochrome Watches
What happens when you put 28 watch-nuts in a room? Indeed, the restaurant staff gets crazy. Last Friday, 28 IWC collectors and aficionados from various countries gathered in Amsterdam to chat, do some activities in the city and spend the evening together in the Okura restaurant. During dinner, IWC surprised its fanbase by showing all three models of the new IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Classic with calibre 69730. Yes, IWC has a great online fanbase with its forum, but they do also meet offline, for even more fun.The first thing I have to say is that I felt really sorry for the restaurant staff. The kitchen prepared a delicious dinner and the staff had to find their way amidst rotating people, photo bags on the floor, and watches on the table. They survivedbarely. Honestly, they did a great job accommodating the group. They remained friendly and service-oriented. In the meantime, the group had a wonderful time catching up, showing rare watches, bringing back good memories, and talk about l

Found - A Habring2 Monopusher Chronograph Japan Edition Black Dial
Habring2 is a brand that is special on many levels. Not only is it one of the rare manufactures to produce mechanical watches in Austria, but it is also the shared vision of a couple, Maria and Richard, some of the most pleasant and passionate people we know. And of course, the independent watchmaker is also known for making cool, finely crafted and creative watches – with a focus on chronographs and dead-beat seconds. Among these watches, there’s one that has to be seen as extremely desirable, the Habring2 Monopusher Chronograph Japan Edition, a rare watch retailed exclusively through a Tokyo-based retailer… And one of these superb models just appeared for sale.?Habring2 is the result of a shared vision between husband-and-wife Richard and Maria, founders of a small independent watchmaking atelier that, over the years, has gained great respect and fame. Born in 2004, Habring2 is not your typical, ultra-famous and demonstrative brand. It comes from Austria, from the s

Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph - The Minerva Style Made Accessible (SIHH 2018) - Monochrome Watches
Looking at recent collections by Montblanc, one series of watches clearly created a strong interest amongst the collecting community. You guessed it; the Minerva-inspired Montblanc 1858 Chronograph Tachymetre and its superb (to say the least) hand-wound Monopusher movement. One not-so-superfluous problem though with these watches… Their prices. Well, if you like the Military- and vintage-inspired Minerva chronographs and if you have a normal budget, MB has the solution at the SIHH 2018: the?Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph.The?Montblanc 1858 Automatic Chronograph (left) next to a 1930s Minerva Chronograph (right) Ad - Scroll to continue with article The recipe is simple and well-known… but it works. Take most of the design elements of the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter watches, meaning a military/pilot-style chronograph with cathedral hands, 1930s o

TAG Heuer Appoints Alec Monopoly As Art Provocateur & J.C. Biver explains us why
A few days ago, right from the Miami Contemporary Art week, TAG Heuer and its CEO, Jean-Claude Biver (also President of the LVMH Watch Division), announced the appointment of American street-artist Alec Monopoly as Art Provocateur for the Avant-Garde brand. Well, as you may have seen already (it was all over social medial feeds), some reacted quite?fiercely to this announcement, judging the collaboration rather irrelevant. However, we were there and we took the time to sit down with Mister Biver and Alec Monopoly, to understand what was behind this appointment. And we can tell you that first, it’s far from being a stupid idea, then it’s a real first in the industry and finally, it’s a great idea for an industry that faces a lack of creativity.Who’s Alec Monopoly? Alec is a famous street-artist (while usually a rather underground field of art, he is well-known, at least in this sector), born in New-York, now based in California and in his thirties – ps. don