Category: Opinion

In-Depth – The Merging of Pocket Watches and Wristwatches – Conversions, Design Influences and Hybrids Maintain a Common DNA

Upgrading expensive mechanical devices is a centuries-old concept that prevents premature obsolescence as times change. In the American Wild West of the 19th century, black powder revolvers were commonly converted to shoot modern cartridges, forgoing the need to replace a vital necessity. Cameras are another example, such as early 20th-century screw-mount Leica rangefinders. The original […]

5 years ago

In-Depth – Is There Still a Place for Pocket Watches in the 21st Century?

The pocket watch… No style is more iconic and nothing has endured for as many centuries. These marvels of mechanical engineering have relayed status for elites, advanced transportation needs across land, air and sea, and just kept average folks on schedule. Outfits were even designed specifically to accommodate them. In the 21st century, three-piece suits […]

5 years ago

Opinion – What We Wish the Watchmaking Industry to Do In 2020

New year, new decade and… new expectations too. We, at MONOCHROME, love watches and the watchmaking industry as a whole. No debate. And well, you know the drill, “spare the rod, spoil the child”. Since we enjoy watches and horology that much, we can’t help being critical, expecting more, wanting the industry to improve, to […]

5 years ago

Opinion – SwatchPAY! Will Make Watches Useful Again

Here, at MONOCHROME, we adore watches. Mechanical, high-end watches, hand-finished. We’re not really the right platform to write about smartwatches, or even quartz watches – this is our editorial choice, and we’ll stick to that. But last week, Swatch introduced SwatchPAY!, and that is a big innovation. I actually believe that this new introduction could, […]

5 years ago

Letter From The Editor – Lug-to-Lug Size and Why We Don’t Rely on It

Since I began MONOCHROME in 2006, the information that brands disclosed about their watches has improved significantly. Diameter and height are now in pretty much every press release, and so is the actual movement. However, lately, we are often asked about the lug-to-lug size. Something that brands do not communicate about and neither do we. […]

5 years ago

Patek’s Home in Plan-Les-Ouates Pt. 3: A Manufacture inside a Manufacture

In 2013, a Christie’s auction stunned the world with a record setting, eye watering sale of a Patek Philippe Grand Complication. The specific watch in question? Stephen S. Palmer Patek Philippe Grand Complication. The hammered price? USD2.25 million for a Patek Philippe Grand Complication pocket watch completed in 1898 and sold in…

8 years ago

Hublot & TAG Heuer Sponsorships: Is Biver secretly the God of Gamblers?

If you’re a soccer fan and you’ve been in the watch industry long enough, you start to see patterns in the many sponsorships which can develop during the course of a few seasons – some of them are surprisingly magical – no, I’m not going to wax lyrical about how mechanical watches represent the…

8 years ago