2020 has been a difficult year for the Swiss watch industry, and for the entire luxury market. As we reported recently, the industry has had to face its steepest decline since 2009, with exports plummeting 21.8% in value, below the level of 2011. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a strong impact on the watch […]
A few days ago, Maurice Lacroix launched its Aikon Venturer GMT digitally and simultaneously inaugurated its new studio to monitor online initiatives. To find out more about the brand’s new strategy, we interviewed the brand’s Managing Director, Stéphane Waser, and International Product and Marketing Director, Thiebaut Bentz. Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – 2020 has been a […]
Some of you might not know about it but Girard-Perregaux’s link with the automotive world has been long-lasting. Following this tradition, the La Chaux-de-Fonds-based haute horlogerie manufacturer has just announced a new partnership with one of the most respected brands in the car industry, Aston Martin. MONOCHROME talks to Patrick Pruniaux, Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin’s […]
If watch brands are proudly trumpeting their watchmaking expertise and manufacturing capabilities, suppliers don’t always get the credit they deserve. Today we are taking a look at Timeless, a movement manufacturer that just hired two well-known industry veterans, Pierre Favre and Dominique Renaud. A good reason to make us think that we’ll hear more about […]
If watch brands are proudly trumpeting their watchmaking expertise and manufacturing capabilities, suppliers don’t always get the credit they deserve. Today we are taking a look at Timeless, a movement manufacturer that just hired two well-known industry veterans, Pierre Favre and Dominique Renaud. A good reason to make us think that we’ll be hearing more […]
This shouldn’t come as a surprise for you now, and most readers of MONOCHROME should be well aware that Patek Philippe’s most desirable (sought-after) model, the classic time-and-date stainless steel Nautilus 5711, will be discontinued in a few months. While the brand didn’t officially communicate on this topic yet (it was known through the indiscretion […]
Wilhelm Schmid has been ten years with the brand that ‘never stands still’. After a career at BMW, among others in South Africa, he arrived in Glashütte to be the new CEO at A. Lange & Söhne, the pinnacle of German watchmaking. With a background in sales and a strong passion for mechanics, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Wilhelm Schmid’s past ten years at Lange were during a pretty turbulent period. It already started in the aftermath of the massive global recession that started in 2008, now the corona pandemic that has a huge influence on the watch industry, the opening of the new manufacture, and of course the sad passing of Walter Lange.
We’ve said it repeatedly, but cars and mechanical watches are a natural match. The dedication to precision and fine mechanics, the passion they arouse, and the fact that many car enthusiasts are also watch aficionados (and vice versa) have made collaborations between watch manufactures and car brands a classic cocktail of our industry. But not […]
It is no secret that Bell & Ross has a long history of military-inspired watches. From the earliest days of the brand, Belamich and Rosillo have made clear that pilots and their instruments were the foundation of the design behind most B&R models – such as the iconic BR 01. So much that these watches […]
2021 has kicked off with challenges for the industry, in a rather difficult context, but also important news. Indeed, the LVMH Watch Week 2021 was the opportunity for the brands under the French luxury powerhouse to unveil some of their novelties. It was also the perfect occasion for MONOCHROME to interview Antoine Pin, Managing Director […]