Category: Industry News

In-Depth – Zenith DEFY LAB, 3 Centuries of Regulation & Chronometry Revolutionized with a Radically New Oscillator (Technical Insights & Video)

It’s now time to lift the veil on the big and truly exciting news we had anticipated further to Jean-Claude Biver’s (President of the LVMH watch division) and Julien Tornare’s (CEO of Zenith) press conference last May: a groundbreaking development in the field of chronometry, exploring unchartered territories and challenging the basic operating principle of the mechanical watch regulation, invented in 1675 by Christiaan Huygens – a principle that has remained basically unchanged since its creation. The name of this watch is the Zenith DEFY LAB, and it comes with a revolutionary, yet technically quite simple, type of oscillator.

7 years ago

Business News – Richemont Announces Solid Double-Digit Sales Growth at Annual General Meeting

While times have been difficult for the industry in the last 2 to 3 years (see the 2016/2017 results of Richemont Group), signs of recovery are now more and more blatant. Indeed, Swatch Group’s Half-Year Report 2017 showed growth (with increase of sales and better profitability). It’s now time for the other luxury powerhouse, Swiss-based group Richemont, to announce a massive increase in sales for the five months ended 31 August 2017, as we’re talking double-digit numbers and no negative data to be seen in any region or segment.

7 years ago

News – GPHG 2017 Finalists Announced – Plus Our Analysis and Predictions

Every year in Geneva is the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève), or the so-called Oscars of the Watchmaking Industry, which celebrate the best watches of the year – the most advanced, the most innovative, the most creative timepieces – as well as the best in show, the Aiguille d’Or. Today we’re able to bring you, hot off the press, the complete list of finalists selected by the Jury. Only six watches remain in each of the twelve categories and, while the final jury selection will only been given on November 8th, 2017, we can already give you the full list, our impressions and our usual predictions about the possible awarded watches.

7 years ago

Business News – Swatch Group Half-Year Report 2017 Shows Signs of Recovery (Positive Growth of Sales and Net Income)

After two years of consecutive decline and an overall negative mood over the watchmaking industry, it seems that 2017 could be the turnaround year – at least for Swatch Group, as we have seen that Richemont Group 2016-2017 results were showing a decline. In its Half-Year Report 2017, Swatch Group depicts several positive news, including slight increasing sales and mainly, a better profitability, with high increase of operating margin and net income. Overview.

8 years ago

Behind-the-Scenes – How Urban Jürgensen detail-obsessed watchmakers manufacture hands, turning raw material into works of art

The Swiss/Danish high-end watch manufacturer has just unveiled its new “ateliers” in the center of Biel / Bienne. The brand was already headquartered in the city and it is now based in a superb 1920 mansion, which has been tastefully renovated to provide the perfect setting for its detail obsessed craftsmen. We took the opportunity of our recent visit to their new home to take a close look at the way they manufacture hands. If fine craftsmanship and a meticulous attention to details are evident with the brand’s watches, it is nonetheless captivating to see their watchmakers at work – because without doubt it is one of the last and very few places where things are still made this way…

8 years ago

BREAKING NEWS – Richemont Announces Resignation of Georges Kern (Head of Watchmaking, Marketing and Digital)

In the past months, there have been some massive shakeups at Richemont (Compagnie Financière Richemont SA), which abolished CEO Role, and appointed IWC’s Georges Kern as Head of Watchmaking and Montblanc’s Jérôme Lambert as Head of Operations. A few weeks later was the “Big Reshuffle“, with 4 CEOs (Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Dunhill) leaving – voluntarily or not. Earlier today, 14 July 2017, Richemont announced the resignation of one of its key elements, Georges Kern, the recently appointed Head of Watchmaking, Marketing and Digital and ex-CEO of IWC.

8 years ago

Announcing – Roberta Naas joins Monochrome and we’re starting to cover Ladies’ Watches

Well, this is a big one, and I feel humbled to announce that non-other than esteemed watch journalist Roberta Naas is joining Monochrome-Watches. Having such an experienced journalist, who has been covering the world of watches since the early 1980s, is a real coup. She’s got more than thirty years in the industry and has written a half a dozen books on the subject. With that comes an incredible amount of knowledge about the industry, about watch models, styles and, of course, about those lovely mechanisms with a beating heart. She joins us to cover the topic many of you told us that you would like to read more about: women’s watches.

8 years ago

VIDEO – Frédérique Constant, Visiting the Manufacture and Understanding the “Affordable Luxury” Concept

Within the last 10 years, Frédérique Constant has gained massively in popularity. And it is justified. Indeed, the brand has created a clever strategy of “affordable luxury“, in which collectors must receives a lot for what they paid for. While many other brands would do so by encasing out-sourced movements, Frédérique Constant has chosen the complex path of independence, by developing their own movements, yet with prices that should slightly scare the competition. In order to fully understand this brand’s strategy, as well as its past and its future, we’ve decided to head over Geneva and to visit their manufacture. And here is our video report.

8 years ago

A Technical Perspective – A Guide To The Hairspring, A Crucial Part Of The Movement (Technology, Manufacturing Process, Future Developments)

Sprung to life: who manufactures Hairsprings? An industry perspective on this key component whose production is still shrouded in secrecy – Barely one centimeter in diameter, the hairspring is the beating heart of a watch movement. It is a strategic component in several respects. Manufacturing hairsprings is a complex process and the whole Swiss watch industry has been relying on one supplier, Swatch Group’s Nivarox… at least, until very recently!

8 years ago