Interview – Andreas Wyss, CEO of the COSC, on the Need to Adapt and a “Super-COSC” Certification to Come

If you own mechanical Swiss watches, one of them potentially came to you with a COSC chronometer certificate. But not everyone knows exactly what this certificate means. The COSC is the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. COSC certifies Swiss-made movements or watches as chronometers (not to be confused […]

5 months ago

Portrait – After Hong Kong, a European Chapter for The Horology Club

The Horology Club, founded in Hong Kong and boasting around 800 members, is now expanding with the creation of a European chapter. This is an opportunity to have a conversation with the founder of The Horology Club Europe, Frank Smits, about the goals pursued as “watch clubs” are spreading worldwide. While brands are focusing on […]

5 months ago

Portrait – The Intricate Work of Chinese Indie Watchmaker Qian GuoBiao

Horological discoveries are the things that fuel a great deal of passion within the MONOCHROME editorial team. We know it gets a lot of people in the watch collecting community excited as well. Put 2 and 2 together, and you can understand why we regularly feature new and potentially never-seen-before watchmakers and other initiatives on […]

5 months ago

Portrait – For Professionals Only, Worldwatch.market, a Brilliant New Approach to the Global Watch Trade

The watch trade market has become sprawling. Digital channels have been added to single-brand and multi-brand points of sale: specialised platforms, digital media that have evolved towards an additional retail offering (limited and dedicated series), social networks (Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram) flooded with offers of second-hand (and sometimes new) pieces. A jungle characterised by a common […]

5 months ago

Portrait – Löbner Watches, “Vom Guten das Beste” or The Best of The Best

Swiss watchmaking captures all the attention. The most prestigious brands, trusted by the market, are “Swiss Made”, which acts as an absolute guarantee. The only one to dominate the watch landscape, historically, outside of Switzerland, is the great Japanese classic: Seiko. On closer inspection, however, watch-related know-how has developed outside of Switzerland, particularly in Eastern […]

5 months ago