The Speedmaster Chronicles #4 – Aurel Bacs, Auctioneer at Phillips Watches

The former-NASA engineer who certified the Speedmaster, the journalist turned watch-designer who initiated “Speedy Tuesday”, a seasoned Speedy collector… What could have been the next step when it comes to the Omega Speedmaster? At a certain point, when you look at such an iconic watch, you have to talk auctions and markets. So no shortcuts, we asked renowned auctioneer Aurel Bacs from Phillips Watches to join us and talk about the Speedmaster. And the best surprise was that not only he talked about his professional view on this piece of history, but this movie ended up to be much more personal than expected. Please meet Aurel and his personal Omega Speedmaster.

6 years ago

The Speedmaster Chronicles #3 – @VintageWatchzilla, Watch Collector

Our series of videos “The Speedmaster Chronicles” started with two insiders. One is the former-NASA engineer who tested and certified the Moonwatch before going to the Moon. The other is no less than Mister Speedy Tuesday, our dear friend Robert-Jan Broer. Today, for Episode 3, we move on the other side of the watchmaking planet, with a collector. We won’t show his face nor mention his full name. Some of you may know him from his Instagram pseudonym: @VintageWatchzilla. What we’ll show you though is one of the greatest collections of Omega Speedmaster we’ve seen recently. VintageWatchzilla has some pretty nice watches and the knowledge that goes along.

6 years ago

The Speedmaster Chronicles #2 – Robert-Jan Broer, Mister Speedy Tuesday

Today is Tuesday. What else then, except having the one-and-only Mister Speedy Tuesday featured for our second instalment of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. Yesterday, we started this series of videos with the man that certified the Omega Speedmaster to go to the Moon. Today, we give the floor to fellow watch-journalist Robert-Jan Broer, founder of Fratellowatches. Most importantly, RJ (as we all name him) is one of the top-tier sources for the Speedmaster, the founder of the “Speedy Tuesday” movement and the man responsible for the creation of the highly coveted Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition. Needless to say, he knows quite a bit about the “Moonwatch“.

6 years ago

The Speedmaster Chronicles #1 – James H. Ragan, The Former NASA-Engineer Responsible for the “Moonwatch”

Here it is: Episode 1 of our series of videos dedicated to the one-and-only Omega Speedmaster “Moonwatch“. Certainly one of the most iconic watches ever created, many stories have been written about this stopwatch. Yet, today, we are proud to have a special guest with us for the first episode of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. Without him, the Speedmaster would have never been named the “Moonwatch” and all the fame and dreams around this watch wouldn’t exist. Here is James H. Ragan, Former NASA Program Manager and Aerospace Engineer – or the man who tested the Speedmaster and who gave it the “Flight Qualified By NASA For All Manned Space Missions” certification, allowing the Speed to finally make it to the Moon.

6 years ago

Announcing – “The Speedmaster Chronicles”, Our Largest Video Project Ever (and It’s All About The Moonwatch)

Today, we’re extremely proud to announce that tomorrow, 11 December 2017, our largest video project ever (and we’ve done quite a few – see here) will go live, and it will last for no less than 5 days. It took us some great efforts to gather all these amazing guests, to find the right angle, to define what it would look like, and of course to film it… Here it is, “The Speedmaster Chronicles” will start tomorrow 5:00 PM (Europe Time) – 11:00 AM (New York time) – 12:00 PM (Hong Kong time).

6 years ago

NEWS – Phillips Sells the Omega Tourbillon 30 I, One Of The First Tourbillon Wristwatches Ever, For a Monumental CHF 1,428,500 (Most Expensive Omega Ever Auctioned)

Today is the second day of the Geneva Watch Auction Six (GWA6) by Phillips. While there were some impressive lots (is that even a surprise from Aurel Bacs and Phillips…), with a Patek 2523 or an incredible Patek 2497 in white gold, the star of the show for us here, at MONOCHROME, certainly was the Omega Tourbillon 30L – a 1947 watch and one of the very first tourbillon wristwatches ever made, and the first to have been completed in Switzerland. This watch just sold for an impressive CHF 1,428,500, making it the most expensive Omega ever auctioned.

6 years ago

Buying Guide – 8 of the Best New Tool-Watches Built For Adventures

It’s now time for our Year-End buying guides to gather 8 of the toughest watches launched in 2017. We have picked tool watches of various types, not excessively priced, but designed to hold up to outdoor activities, or constructed to tolerances for specific purposes. Perfect gifts for adventure seekers or simply for a rugged cool look for an afternoon trip into town.

6 years ago

Industry news – Omega Opens New High-Tech Factory in Biel and Prepares for the Future

Today, Omega just unveiled their brand new eco-friendly premises designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. Located next to the brand’s historical building where the brand is headquartered, the new factory was inaugurated today (Editor’s note: November 2, 2017) and it is an important step for the brand, allowing to regroup its forces hitherto spread out between various sites. No revolution there (which Omega does not need) but an evolution bringing watch assembly training and quality control (T2/T3/T4 for those familiar with the Swatch Group production flows), under one roof, providing a cutting-edge setting to operate the brand’s production activities.

6 years ago

Watch of the Year 2017 with CH24.pl and the Special Jury Prize for #SpeedyTuesday

For several years I’ve been a member of the jury of the Watch Of The Year in Poland, organised by our friends of CH24.pl. Last week was the gala award ceremony, as per usual held in the beautiful Sobanski’s Palace in Warsaw. Last year we celebrated the many prize winner, and especially the Grönefeld brothers who won no less than two prizes! This year the Special Jury Award went to a fellow Dutchman and that’s #SpeedyTuesday founder Robert-Jan Broer.

6 years ago

Buying Guide – 5 of the Best Chronographs of 2017 under 10k Euros

The chronograph is without a doubt one of the most popular and sought-after types of watches. While it’s a pretty useful complication, the chronograph is also among the most complex mechanisms to design and manufacture. We have picked 5 time-stoppers of 2017 that will be perfect for both daily wear and special occasions – and that won’t kill your savings because they are all priced under 10,000 Euros!

6 years ago