Category: Interviews

The Collector’s Series – @Watchesbelike Loves his Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A

I guess at MONOCHROME we do not have to tell you about cultural differences, however there’s one that stands out for people who are passionate about horology and wrist watches in particular. Watch collectors uniting in a club-like manor is something that did not happen, or hardly, in main land Europe. Most European watch collectors prefer to fly under the radar and do not feel any urge to share their, often pretty expensive, collection with others. That is, until Instagram came along and made it easy to meet like-minded collectors, in complete anonymity. And that’s how I got in touch with @Watchesbelike. He’s a 34-year old finance professional and watch collector, who lives in Paris and can be found under this alias on Instagram. We exchanged quite a bit about watches in general, collecting and his love for his Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711a. Although he’s been asked to, he would never sell it. He explains why.

4 years ago

Interview – Wilhelm Schmid, 10 Year at the Helm at A. Lange & Söhne

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.

4 years ago

Interview – Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer, On the Partnership with Porsche

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 […]

4 years ago

The Collector’s Series – Kelvin Sa and his De Bethune DBS

In this week’s installment of The Collector’s Series, we’re talking with Kelvin Sa about his amazing De Bethune DBS. Kelvin, one of the founding members of the Shanghai Watch Gang (@shanghaiwatchgang), knows a lot about the watch that we discuss today and meeting fellow watch enthusiasts certainly contributes to this. Kelvin Sa, or Mr_Kelvinator on […]

4 years ago

The Collector’s Series – Justin Hast and his Platinum Grand Lange 1

Today we’re talking with non-other that Justin Hast about his platinum Grand Lange 1. You might remember Justin from when he did The Collector’s Series for MONOCHROME. So now he’s on the other side of the table, being the interviewee! After helping us out with The Collector’s Series, Justin continued to work in the world of watches; photography for several auction houses, writing for Hodinkee, and much more. Justin also recently published his first book, but today he’s explaining why he spend a hefty amount on a pretty simple classic watch, the A. Lange & Söhne Grande Lange 1.

4 years ago