The Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT was just presented by Audemars Piguet in the pool of other new Royal Oaks, distinguished by an even more aggressive design than its Concept predecessors and an exceptional automatic rattrapante chronograph calibre 4407 with the date and 24-hour GMT functions. This watch is a rightful heir to the […]
If you’re a recurring reader of MONOCHROME, you should know by now that we have a soft spot for salmon-coloured dials. So much so that it was the main theme of our very first Montre de Souscription. Salmon is original, warm, and luxurious, and despite the outpouring of love from the watch-collecting community, these dials […]
Following its strategy of crafting vintage-inspired chronographs priced at attainable prices, yet fully equipped and seriously built, Brellum remains a rather exclusive brand – no more than 299 pieces a year, including limited editions. A deliberate choice to remain focused and able to manage direct sales to final customers. The first model of the brand, […]
Scenes of nature and texture have long been a tradition for Grand Seiko. The Snowflake watch, also known as the Spring Drive SBGA211, is surely the most famous example of this design language. Since then, we’ve seen countless models built around nature, architecture or seasonal changes. One of the brand’s recurring themes is winter scenes […]
Sports events and timing instruments have always been closely linked, for obvious reasons. No longer satisfied with visually determining who came first, the pursuit of precision timing instruments consumed leading horologists of the day. The history in this field of clock and watchmaking is filled with names like Louis Moinet, Nicolas Rieussec and J.T. Winnerl, […]
Alpina, true to the pioneering spirit of its founder and nowadays commitments, has been a vivid supporter of an active lifestyle for many years and partners with the French Ski Federation, Swiss Surfing, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc valley – offering its timekeeping expertise and more. Last week, the Swiss brand announced a special […]
Since its launch during the mid-1980s (with the stunning, oversized reference 5251 and its moon-phase display), the Portofino has been the most classic offering of IWC. Even more than the Portugieser, it has to be seen as the brand’s dress watch and evokes pocket watches of the past. Recently revamped, with the 39mm Chronograph model […]
Introduced in 1984, the Portofino is IWC’s interpretation of a classical, stylish yet understated unisex watch collection. The minimalist round case design of the Portofino family can trace its lineage to the 1970s when IWC made a pocket watch based on a large Lépine movement. Combined with clean, uncluttered dials, the Portofino has earned the […]
While considering how to describe this new watch best, I got sidetracked thinking about how many vintage-inspired and retro-looking contemporary editions were so popular and unanimously accepted. What constitutes their appeal? Why do we keep saying how beautiful they are? Marketing efforts and sentimental issues aside, one train of thought suggested that the watchmaking business […]
In 2014, the “seed of AdC was sown in a coffee shop in the city centre of Barcelona“. Two years later, the newly born Atelier de Chronométrie presented the AdC1, the company’s debut watch, powered by a largely restored and hand-finished Omega calibre 266 movement with multiple aesthetical and functional improvements. The watch was a […]