VIDEO - The Brand New CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Fully Explained (SIHH 2019)
Here it is, the big (and clearly unexpected) one for the SIHH 2019. Audemars Piguet won’t only be presenting Royal Oaks and Royal Oak Offshores because there’s an entirely new collection launching at the SIHH 2019. Classic but contemporary, clean but full of superb details, modern but still infused with traditional watchmaking… Here is the CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet – and our exclusive video with CEO Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias to give you all the details, including the long-awaited, in-house, integrated automatic chronograph!While yesterday we provided you with all the details about the new CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet in a dedicated, in-depth, hands-on article on MONOCHROME, we thought that such a crucial launch deserved some words from the CEO of Audemars Piguet. This is why we’ve invited?Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias to talk to us, on video, about all the details of the CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet – including its genesis and its raison d’¨ºt

Industry New: Richemont Reports Sales up by 8% For Third Quarter, Jewellery Taking the Lead over Watches
Switzerland-based luxury conglomerate Richemont Group has just issued its trading update for the nine months ended 31 December 2023. The group, which includes brands such as Cartier, IWC, JLC and Vacheron, reports sales up by 8% at constant exchange rates and by 4% at actual exchange rates to EUR 5.6 billion for the last quarter of 2023. At EUR 15.8 billion, sales over the nine-month period ending December 2023 increased by 11% at constant exchange rates and by 5% at actual exchange rates.In an uncertain macro-economic and geopolitical environment, Richemont reports growth for the last quarter of 2023 in almost all regions, business areas and channels at constant exchange rates. The growth was led by Japan (+18%) and Asia Pacific (+13%), Middle East & Africa (+10%) and the Americas (+8%) but contracted by 3% in Europe. The retail network had sales up +11% versus +4% for the wholesale network while online retail had sales down -5%.By business area, Jewellery Maisons (Bucellati, Cart

First Look: The Updated IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide, The First IWC with a Silicon Hairspring
This year, IWC brings the emblematic Portugieser collection under the spotlight, introducing several stunning new additions to the collection, including the impressive Eternal Calendar and updates to several iconic models, such as the chronograph and the 7-day Automatic. On the occasion of Watches and Wonders Shanghai, the brand unveils a new version of its Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide. Now available in steel with an obsidian black dial, this sportier model debuts an updated movement featuring a silicon hairspring for the first time at IWC.Originally presented in 2020, the gold Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide introduced a complication that could not be more appropriate for the nautical-themed Yacht Club sub-collection. The original, specific functionality of the model relies on two sub-counters linked to moon phases and tide calculations.? Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Interview - Jean-Marie Schaller of Independent Watchmaker Louis Moinet
Although Louis Moinet was a prominent watchmaker between the 18th and 19th centuries, Les Ateliers Louis Moinet was only created 20 years ago. As Watches & Wonders 2021 just ended, we paid a visit to Jean-Marie Schaller, the brand’s CEO, to understand how he embarked on resurrecting Louis Moinet.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – How did you get into watches?Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO of Louis Moinet?– Well, I grew up in the Jura mountains in the small city of Delemont. As a boy, I felt a lot of passion from the people working in the watch industry. There was a brand known as Jura Watch; there were watchmakers, case makers, dial makers, etc. These people gave me the sense of the importance of having a mission. I felt they were working not just to make a living - of course, we all have to – but they were all pursuing a passion. Soon, I realised that watches were more than just a simple product. Watches are the expression of know-how, tradition and soul from the Jura Mo

Hands-On - Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205G Gradient Blue Dial (Specs & Price)
Blue dials have been popular for some time now. So much so, that they have almost become the rule instead of the exception. To stand out from the crowd with a blue dial nowadays, you are going to have to pull off something special. That's exactly what Patek Philippe has done with the latest iteration of its reference 5205G. Although not a new watch per se, the addition of a mouth-wateringly delicious blue gradient dial has reinvented this model in my eyes, driving its desirability factor through the roof. We spent some time hands-on with this watch recently, and let me tell you, the only thing harder than capturing the gorgeous blue tones was giving it back.If you're a watchmaking devotee, then you no doubt already know that Patek Philippe invented and patented the Annual Calendar complication back in 1996. More functional than a standard calendar, and more accessible than a perpetual calendar, it can automatically account for the difference in the number of days in each month (with th