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 […]
Have you ever bought a vintage watch and wondered what life it led before it ended up in your hands? Well, this is a partial history of one such watch, a Heuer Autavia Viceroy 1163. In 2001 I had a long conversation with a retired Iowa farmer called Jim who had a vintage Heuer Autavia […]
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 […]
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. was not originally the urban teen clothing brand we know today… Named after its founder David T Abercrombie, it was bought and incorporated in 1904 to become Abercrombie & Fitch. It was essentially an early luxury brand focusing on outdoorsy types, offering very high-quality items, shotguns, fishing rods, canoes, camping equipment, […]
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 […]
For the past 10+ years MONOCHROME has been about new watches and although the focus has pretty much always been on “new” – we always blended in a lot of history, technicalities and finishing – there was sometimes the odd story about a vintage watch. But that’s gonna change. Today we’re starting “The Vintage Corner”, […]
Some stories are more fascinating than others. With most microbrands that are (successfully or not) launching, there’s very often the same pitch; at the beginning, a passion for watches and later the wish to create something that couldn’t be found on the market. We’ve heard that many times, true story or not. But with Dan […]
Recently launched movie Ford v. Ferrari is based on the true story of the failed attempt by the Ford Motor Company to purchase Ferrari and the subsequent efforts by Ford to produce a car to beat Ferrari at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. Paramount to the success of Ford GT40 that would finally […]
Yesterday, we brought you Part 1 of our History of the Patek Philippe Aquanaut. That article paints a picture of the environment in which the Aquanaut was conceived and launched. The heady days of the dot.com boom in the mid-1990s, marked by a decidedly more casual approach to luxury. With its finger to the pulse, […]
1969 was a revolutionary year for watchmaking with the advent of the automatic chronograph with three distinct projects presented almost simultaneously. Fifty years down the line, Zenith has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the El Primero with great fanfare, Seiko commemorates 50 years of automatic chronographs, and TAG Heuer pays tribute to its 50-year […]