The 1675 Rolex GMT-Master was first produced in 1959 and is my favourite watch of all the watches I have owned. I was obsessed with it and loved it so much that it became like a romance. My first one was from 1960 but the version I was in love with was from the second […]
If the value of Swiss watch exports has slightly increased in 2019, the industry has been facing numerous challenges over the past years. Although high-end Swiss watches remain attractive, the low/mid-end segments have been under pressure as the smartwatch expansion seems to have come at the expense of the lower-priced Swiss timepieces. Most watch brands […]
The 2020 Australian Open is well underway in Melbourne and we have seen some major upsets in the first week of the tournament. Serena Williams was knocked out in three sets to China’s Qiang Wang. This leaves Williams still chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title. Fifteen-year-old American teenage sensation Coco Gauff knocked out Japanese […]
The 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) is currently underway in Davos, Switzerland. Davos has hosted the WEF since its inception in 1971. The mission of the WEF is “committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas“. Guests at […]
The Rolex GMT-Master II Meteorite 126719BLRO was presented at Baselworld 2019 as a “minor” launch, alongside the heavyweights of the show that included the Batman with a Jubilee bracelet. Funnily enough, this GMT-Master II Meteorite could be considered even more exclusive than the steel Pepsi or the Batman because of its original dial made from […]
In 1962, British military forces were pretty busy as post-war Britain became a post-colonial power and many of the former British colonies, previously known as the British Empire, sought independence. The Suez Crisis was followed by the Brunei Revolt, the Dhofar Rebellion and the Malaysian Confrontation regarding Indonesia, all starting in 1962. The same year […]
On 19 February 2019, legendary German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld passed away. He was best known for his time at fashion houses Chanel and Fendi, as well as producing clothing under his eponymous label. He was also known for his bold yet good taste, with a unique wardrobe and also a now-famous AP watch… But […]
Giorgia Mondani was a professional tennis player in her teens, becoming one of the best 400 players in the world by age 18. She left that behind at 19 to finish her studies and ultimately interned at Swiss auction house Antiquorum. Her father, Guido Mondani, is a Rolex expert, famed author of Rolex books and […]
If you are a regular reader of MONOCHROME, you should now be familiar with Artisans de Genève, a watchmaking company that offers customization services for private customers. But they are not your typical watch customizer… Don’t expect a black coating or diamonds on the bezel. What Artisans de Genève does is far more complex. We’ve already […]
2019 has been another hectic year for the watchmaking industry, with multiple announcements, debates on the watch fairs and numerous novelties. But 2019 is coming to an end and it is time to look back at what were the best models introduced. After a look at our 5 favourite chronograph watches and our 5 best favourite watches, we’ll now look at one important category, the traveller’s watches – GMT and WorldTime timepieces – as this is, to us, the most practical of the complications on a daily basis, for modern gentlemen. Here it is, our “best of 2019” guide for multiple-time-zone watches.