Before going further with this article, I want to apologize… I’m sorry because this watch will certainly create strong emotions on some of you. I’m not the one to blame here, it’s all Audemars Piguet’s fault. Yes, this new edition of the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is simply stunning. Yes, it is the first time […]
When presented in 2019, the Heritage Bicompax Annual came as one of the best surprises Carl F. Bucherer ever did to the vintage enthusiast community. Nicely shaped and pleasantly complicated, it was styled to showcase the brand’s technology housed in designs inspired by watches from the mid-20th century. First released in two limited editions, one […]
Sparkles might pose a problem to gentlemen when it comes to watches. Luckily, in watchmaking, there are sparkles, and then there are sparkles. Unlike the flashy radiant light emitted by a gargantuan diamond on a Jacob & Co. watch, for example, the sparkling dial of the Saxonia Thin emits a gentle, refined shimmer produced by […]
Today Benjamin Arabov, son of Jacob Arabo, takes over the reigns of the über-luxury empire Jacob & Co, as the new CEO. When he left the company at age 19 he promised to come back when the time was right. And that was four years ago, in 2017, when Benjamin took over the social media activities of the company. Jacob & Co’s combined social media presence has grown spectacularly, from 200,000 followers to 2.5 million and it keeps growing at a fast pace
For us here, at MONOCHROME, one of the coolest dive watches of 2020 was the Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung Sharkhunter. Why that? Because the iconic Doxa was clad in carbon for the first time, while reconnecting with the brand’s history through a partnership with Aqua Lung. For 2021, the brand brings back the […]
If you know your dive watch history, the name Fifty Fathoms No Rad (for no radiations) should be familiar. In fact, it should even ring the bell twice. One, when Blancpain was a supplier to the navies of numerous armed forces worldwide, with a military Fifty Fathoms delivered to the Bundeswehr, the iconic and rare “BUND […]
For the first time in our Collector’s Series we talk about a Grand Seiko and we do this with Austria-based collector who can be found as @so.frech on Instagram. Grand used to be JDM (Japan Domestic Market) only and only opened up to customers from outside Japan since 2010. Although it’s not a young brand, for people outside Japan, Grand Seiko remained unknown. By now the brand is pretty well established among its peers and here on MONOCHROME we are always highly enthusiastic when we’re talking about Grand Seiko. And not only because of the Zaratsu polishing technique – an ancient method to polished Samurai swords – that results is stupendously good finished cases and hands. We will be talking with @so.frech about his Grand Seiko Spring Drive SBGA083.
The origins of Cimier can be traced as far back as in 1924 when Joseph Lapanouse founded his watch company in Holstein near Basel. Cimier made a name for itself selling important quantities of so-called Roskopf watches, good-quality yet low-cost timepieces also referred to as proletarian watches. Today, the brand is headquartered in Biel and, […]
Throughout over 150 years of history, IWC has had a long tradition of innovation in materials. Think for instance about its early use of titanium together with Porsche Design, or the 1986 Da Vinci Chronograph Perpetual Calendar, which was the world’s first pure ceramic watch. Even recently, the brand introduced Ceratanium, a innovative blend of titanium […]
When introduced at the SIHH 2019, the 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph came as a very pleasant surprise, bringing back this watch to more compact territories and proportions – the RO Chronograph was originally launched in 39mm, replaced in 2012 by a 41mm edition. A great alternative for men and women, the mid-size […]