VIDEO - The 2019 Bvlgari collection explained by CEO Jean-Christophe Babin
The reputation of Bvlgari as a watchmaker is no longer under discussion. For the past five years, the brand has been hyperactive, especially in the field of ultra-thin pieces – which, even though we’re talking miniaturisation and not complications, certainly is one of the most complex fields of expertise in this industry. Today, thanks to this interview with CEO?Jean-Christophe Babin, we have the opportunity to offer you a preview of the 2019 collection that Bvlgari will introduce throughout the year. And once again, there are some pretty interesting things to discover.First, ultra-thin, which has been the main field of action for the brand recently, is still at the forefront but combined with the use of exotic materials – something that Bvlgari was famous for in the jewellery sector and that is now applied to watchmaking. As a result, in 2019 Bvlgari presents the ultra-ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon (the thinnest automatic watch in the world…) i

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

Weekly Watch Photo - Omega Watch Art - Monochrome Watches
Omega will be launching something new tomorrow, something exiting, but I don’t know what! Because of this, they are showing some incredible mechanical art pieces and Monochrome will share these as our Weekly Watch Photo. A slightly different WWP, but as good as the normal WWP.?From time to time, I’m browsing through Ebay, searching for some new, something old, something… well, something with a ticking mechanical movement inside. And sometimes I find these incredible products of someone with a lot of patience. Someone who made a small motorbike or car from old watch parts. I’m always amazed by how cool these pieces of art actually are. Omega must have thought the same, as they showed some computer graphics that remind me of the aforementioned art. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Reminding us of the Omega Speedmaster, the first watch o

Recap - MONOCHROME's 10 Most Read Articles Of 2022
The end of the year 2022 is nigh. And once again, at MONOCHROME, we’ve seen a lot of new watches (in all fairness, it was more evolutionary than revolutionary), and we reviewed more models than ever before. We’ve also published an incredible amount of articles – close to 1,200 this year, a record that will be hard to beat, but we’ll keep on trying. It is now time to look at your favourite articles of the year… And I’ve been slightly surprised by the results. Contrary to past years, it’s not only about ,?Patek?and Omega occupying top places on the charts. In 2022, you’ve also praised accessible watches from brands such as Citizen, Tissot or Seiko. Here are our Top 10 Articles of 2022.10 – Going Deep into the Green SubmarinerAlright, I was lying a bit in the introduction… There are some ?articles in our top-read reviews of 2022, but it’s not even one of the new watches released this year. Instead, it’s a watch

Christie's Sells the Unique F.P.Journe Rattrapante Only Watch 2017 for CHF 1,150,000 (Most Expensive F.P.Journe Ever, By Far...) - Monochrome Watches
We continue with Only Watch 2017 and the incredible prices that this charity auction is achieving. After the unique Patek Philippe 5208T sold for CHF 6.2 Million, what was under the hammer next was the unique?F.P.Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante, a watch created especially for the occasion of the auction – and not only unique in its style, but also featuring a movement created only for this watch, the first?Ever Split-Seconds Chronograph done by Journe, and most probably the only one, as the watchmaker said that it will remain unique. This watch just achieved?an impressive CHF 1,150,000, making it the most expensive?F.P.Journe ever auctioned… and by a long way. While in 2015, F.P.Journe created a unique watch based on an existing model, the Tourbillon Souverain, this year, for the charity auction Only Watch 2017, master watchmaker Fran?ois Paul Journe went much further in uniqueness, as he created his first ever?Rattrapante chronograph wat