I guess you know Robert-Jan Broer, founder of the Fratellowatches online magazine, initiator of #SpeedyTuesday, and the Speedy Tuesday limited editions that OMEGA introduced in the past years. Robert-Jan and I met some fifteen years ago in The Hague, Netherlands, where both of us lived. We were both watch enthusiasts, and we craved more opportunities […]
I guess you know Robert-Jan Broer, founder of the Fratellowatches online magazine, initiator of #SpeedyTuesday, and the Speedy Tuesday limited editions that OMEGA introduced in the past years. Robert-Jan and I met some fifteen years ago in The Hague, Netherlands, where both of us lived. We were both watch enthusiasts, and we craved more opportunities […]
How is life as a jeweler and luxury watch retailer in 2020 with the pandemic? We talk with Alon Ben-Joseph from ACE Jewelers in Amsterdam about a year of running the brick & mortar business and online business with Corona challenges.
A while ago, Justin Hast contacted me to ask if he could use a particular photo that was taken by Xavier. Of course, was my answer, but what are you going to use the photo for? And in a few words, Justin described what he planned to do. For those who know Justin, he’s really […]
Approximately 99.9% of the articles we publish are stories are about watches. That’s what’s MONOCHROME is all about. However, recently I saw a watch box made by Rimowa. You know, that brand that makes beautiful aluminium suitcases and trolleys, dare I say it, iconic aluminium suitcases. The Rimowa watch case looks very Rimowa and is executed in the exact same iconic aluminium looks. We’re all watch enthusiasts (to say the least) and I wanted to have a closer look, so I reached out to the brand and asked for a review model. Would this make the best ‘travel watch case’ on the market?
Monochrome is all about watches, of course. The vast majority of what we cover are mechanical wristwatches, although every now and then we’ll highlight something intriguing like the quartz Citizen Calibre 0100 with an accuracy of +/- 1 second per year. In the same vein, we also dip our toes into the world of mechanical […]
Next week will see the launch of a new Kickstarter brand called Gyre. We’ve seen quite a lot of initiatives like this in the last five years, but this one promises to be completely different. Its founder is Bernard Werk, a man whom I’ve known for more than fifteen years, a man who (back in the days) gave me the chance to write for his magazine. Bernard is a seasoned watch journalist and the owner of Watching, the oldest watch publication in The Netherlands. With Gyre he plans to raise awareness for ocean pollution while raising money for its clean-up as well. I spoke to Bernard about his fresh idea and how that turned into a 3-year hurdle race now finally nearing completion with the launch of the Gyre SeaCleaner.
After we relaunched The Collector’s Series last week, with Brice interviewing myself about my lovely old Daniel Roth Small Seconds with salmon-colour dial, we reached out to a few collectors. What I have always liked so much about this series is to find out more about the motivation of why people buy a particular watch. We spend a (more often than not) serious budget on something that tells time, but more importantly, gives pleasure. And I love to tap into that and find out what drives a collector to make his/her choice; what’s the ‘rationale’ behind a choice. Today we’re proud to feature someone with a remarkably good Instagram name, namely @WineWhiskyWatches, and we’re talking about his Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance with a beautiful guilloche dial by Kari Voutilainen.
A few days ago we gave a big shout-out to some of our friends who also run online watch magazines. However, the online world for watch shopping offers much more choice! Now that you’re (most likely) in confinement – hopefully well and healthy – you can still buy watches and have them delivered to your […]
A few days ago an email from the IWC marketing team dropped into my inbox. Nothing unusual and like always I have a quick look at what the brand plans to communicate now. Maybe a new watch, another limited edition, or an update on the Silver Spirit Spitfire that is on its flight around the globe? Nope, the email was about three videos featuring legendary watchmaker Kurt Klaus and… a smartwatch.