With the SIHH 2019 just around the corner, we thought it was the perfect moment to look back at what the 2018 edition of the Geneva Watch Fair, a.k.a Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) had to show… And it had a lot to show. Technical, beautiful, innovative, ultra-complicated or simply well-thought everyday pieces. […]
Our 2018 buying guides have to come to an end. After the top 10 watches below EUR 2,000, followed by 10 watches between EUR 2,000 and 5,000, our 10 prefered watches between EUR 5,000 to EUR 10,000, and finally out top picks between EUR 10,000 and EUR 25,000, it is now time to look at the best of the best, when money doesn’t matter anymore: the best watches of 2018 in the high-end category, all priced above EUR 25,000. Complications, Haute-Horlogerie movements, hand-made decorations… what dreams are made of!
As the end of the year is fast approaching, we continue with our “best of 2018” buying guides. After the top 10 watches below EUR 2,000, followed by 10 watches between EUR 2,000 and 5,000, and finally, our pick of the best watches of 2018 priced between EUR 5,000 to EUR 10,000, we now move to true luxury watches (or even the start of the high-end category for some) with our 10 favourite watches of 2018 in the 10k to 25k Euros range. And yes, big money means big pleasure here.
The other day A. Lange & Söhne sent us two watches for review and not one, as they would normally do. The two watches were the new blue dial Lange 1 and Lange 1 Daymatic. While the new blue dials are stunning (really they are!), we already covered them and well, without being blasé about it, it’s a dial colour and we cannot say much more about this. The thing that really intrigues me, already since the Lange 1 Daymatic was introduced back in 2010, is how these two timepieces compare. So we put them next to one another, the iconic hand-wound Lange 1 that has become so important for the brand and the newer automatic sibling named Lange 1 Daymatic. How do they compare? What are the differences and common points? And, what is your favourite?
A bezel is a simple but extremely effective tool letting you perform all sorts of tasks: from timing a dive to calculating the average speed of a motorbike, from gauging your fuel supply or the distance of incoming fire to consulting the time in Japan, a bezel gets the job done and jacks up the functionality of your watch. The trick is deciphering what all the markings on the bezel or on the dial (in that case, we talk scales) represent and how to use them.
A watch is an essential item while travelling. Something that must be part of your “things to pack” list. We’ve said it already several times here on MONOCHROME, but multiple time-zone watches are certainly amongst the most practical you can find. Not only when travelling (obviously) but also for those working in an international environment – and there are more and more of them. For those who want to combine functionality and their love for fine watchmaking, here are 5 sophisticate watches with world-time complication or multiple time-zone indications.
A watch is an essential item while travelling. Something that must be part of your “things to pack” list. We’ve said it already several times here on MONOCHROME, but multiple time-zone watches are certainly amongst the most practical you can find. Not only when travelling (obviously) but also for those working in an international environment – and there are more and more of them. For those who want to combine functionality and their love for fine watchmaking, here are 5 sophisticate watches with world-time complication or multiple time-zone indications.
The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph needs little introduction. Presented in 1999 and updated in 2012, it is one of the most iconic chronographs on the market. The Dato features a flyback chronograph with a precisely jumping minutes counter, two sub-dials recognizable because of their unusual positioning, a quick-set oversized date and a power reserve indicator. Overall, the architecture and the finishing of its movement are a feast for the eyes. Any new model in the series always brings curiosity and excitement among A. Lange & Söhne fans (including team MONOCHROME…) So, when we learnt that the Datograph Up/Down was getting the “Lumen” treatment, it naturally caught our attention.
“Everyone has a Rolex. If you don’t have a Rolex by the time you reach 50, then you have clearly failed in life.” Some of you – at least our French-speaking readers – might remember this outrageous statement pronounced by Jacques Séguéla as the advertising tycoon tried to defend Nicolas Sarkozy’s bling-bling style on French TV. If owning a Rolex is the sine qua non of success for some, it’s a good time as any to review the entry-level prices of watch candidates from the leading brands.
The Moon phase function is the simplest and most prevalent astronomical complication. It is also one of the most attractive and bewitching of complications, a reminder of the beauty and mystery of our neighbouring satellite. Considered more of an aesthetic choice than a complication of intrinsic utility, moon phase watches have become a perennial favourite with their miniature recreations of the different phases of the Moon displayed in an aperture on the dial. So, take a look at our A-V Top Ten moon phase models and get ready to be moonstruck by their beauty – both superficial and mechanical – and in some cases, by their astronomical prices!