As the end of the year is fast approaching, it was time for MONOCHROME’s editorial team to sit around the (virtual) table and to have a look back at all the new watches that have been introduced in 2020. Despite a complex situation and sales that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen […]
A little over two years ago, MONOCHROME covered the Portugieser Chronograph Classic Bucherer BLUE – a red gold model with a blue dial, but other than that, an identical base design of IWC Schaffhausen’s Ref. 3904 made in 2013. Fast-forward to last year and we reviewed the IWC Portugieser Chronograph Bucherer BLUE, another collaborative effort between […]
Military or pilot’s watches have always been a great source of inspiration for brands, and the complication that probably makes the most sense in this context is the chronograph. Merge these two and you often end up with a great combination of robustness, heritage and usefulness. And this year didn’t disappoint, as many brands embraced […]
Today, IWC Schaffhausen releases its Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “SFTI”. The watch – an extension to the company’s Pilot’s Chronograph TOP GUN model – is also the civilian version of a timepiece created in honour of the US Naval Aviation Community back in 2018. The “Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor” watch, which was exclusive […]
Most of the new watches for 2020 have been launched online. That’s pretty different from any other year when Baselworld and SIHH (now Watches & Wonders) were THE places for new launches. For the sales of watches, the digital world has already played a role for a longer period. Some brands already have e-commerce, some are testing it in selected markets. A rather big global player in this field might just be an unexpected player, namely the luxury fashion e-comm site NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER. Just after the latest Watches & Wonders launches, they partnered as the privileged multi-brand online retailers of Watches & Wonders. And we had a look and selected the coolest, the classiest and the funkiest of the Watches & Wonders novelties for sale at MR PORTER.
Today is the opening of Watches & Wonders Shanghai, a new watch fair dedicated to the Chinese market. While the main idea for exposing brands is to display the watches introduced in April, some of them have decided to benefit from this physical and digital space to launch some new models. Part of them is […]
During the 2020 online edition of Watches & Wonders, IWC unveiled this complicated Portugieser flying tourbillon, retrograde date and flyback chronograph model. Marking the top-end releases in the new Portugieser collection, along with an equally impressive Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon, the tourbillon chronograph watch was presented in precious metal cases of gold or platinum. If […]
The Covid-19 pandemic saw major sports around the world grind to a halt, due to the devastating impact of the virus and its spread. This included Formula 1, which has just restarted in the last few weeks, albeit with no crowds due to the coronavirus still causing havoc around the world. And prior to the […]
Partnerships with designers are a strong trend in the watchmaking industry today, a move designed to give watches a fresher, more contemporary face and appeal to fashion-conscious men. IWC partners with British apparel brand Orlebar Brown for a special edition of the Portugieser Yacht Chronograph decked out in smart navy blue with red and white […]
Last year, when unveiling its new pilot’s collection at the SIHH 2019, IWC also announced its partnership with a very cool project named “The Longest Flight”. On 5 August 2019, British pilots Matt Jones and Steve Boultbee Brooks embarked on their flight around the world in an antique, restored Spitfire plane. This was the occasion […]