About MONOCHROME Watches
For more than twelve years, MONOCHROME has been dedicated to fine watches. Our team of experts is always looking for an opportunity to explain every aspect of Haute Horlogerie – whether manufactured by well-known watch brands that have been in the business for centuries or by artisanal watchmakers. MONOCHROME is one of the most read watch blogs (or online magazines, as we prefer to call it ourselves) in the world, and besides news, we serve you reviews, historically relevant articles, videos and in-depth technical explanations in our Technical Perspectives.
What sets MONOCHROME apart, is that we love to explain, educate and share the passion for technically complex aspects and the beauty of hand-finished mechanical movements. Not everyone understands the nitty-gritty of a constant force mechanism, a tourbillon or a perpetual calendar, and many technical aspects remain ‘abracadabra’. That’s why we explain everything in a way that makes it easy to understand. It’s our passion, and explaining the beauty and technical marvel of mechanical wristwatches, is what makes our horological hearts beat faster.
With our team of experts, we hope to serve you the most interesting stories and the most beautiful watches. MONOCHROME has a small team of passionate and knowledgeable watch experts and I’m delighted to introduce them to you…
Frank Geelen
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Brice Goulard is based in Tours, France, and before becoming a full-time watch nerd he worked as an investment banker. For him, everything began with an old mechanical chronograph at the age of 15. Since that time, he manages to keep in touch with everything related to watches. Two main interests for Brice: vintage aviation chronographs and moon-phase watches as a collector and Haute Horology as a passion. He has a strong taste for aesthetics and loves the beauty of mechanics!
technical editor
Xavier Markl became hooked on mechanical watches when he started working in the watch industry. In 1997 he began as Marketing Manager for Cartier, Vacheron Constantin and Panerai, and later became Marketing Director for Girard-Perregaux. A field of interest that was initially a professional necessity later turned into a horological obsession. Xavier knows the watch industry like the back of his hand. He started by writing Technical Guides for MONOCHROME before covering watches as well. Xavier lives and works in Switzerland.
Editor
Rebecca Doulton is a freelance journalist specialising in watches and jewellery and she began writing for the Financial Times in Mexico City in the early 1980s. Formerly the web editor of Tiempo de Relojes website, and watch editor of The Jewellery Editor, Rebecca brings with her over thirty years of experience as a wordsmith to her new position as editor at MONOCHROME.
Writers
Erik Slaven is based in Los Angeles, CA and has always been fascinated with mechanical movements. He disassembled dozens of old watches growing up just to see what makes them tick. His first serious mechanical watch was a high school graduation gift, a fairly unusual American-made watch and he’s since been a big enthusiast of lesser known, more unique timepieces. Dive and sports watches are often his preference for daily wear, but that doesn’t stop him from seeking out a variety of both modern and vintage styles. He also has a passion for technology and has been reviewing smartphones, smartwatches and related tech for several years.
Robin Nooij, financial expert, Dutchman and a huge watch-enthusiast. What defines Robin is that he finds something appealing in every single watch. Whether it is mechanical or quartz, futuristic or classical, on a leather strap or metal bracelet, square or round, he sees the beauty in just about any watch from just about any brand.
Santiago Tejedor lives in his hometown Madrid and has a BA in English Philology and a MBA. He has been writing about watches for several online publications, and in 2014 he founded HorasyMinutos.com, which has become the most important watch website in Spanish.
Tom Mulraney, editor for MONOCHROME, loves spending as much time as possible getting hands-on with high-end mechanical watches. Although passionate about all things horological, he is particularly fascinated by independent watchmakers, often travelling the globe for the chance to spend some time up close and personal with their breathtaking creations.
Previous contributors who helped shape MONOCHROME
Evan Yeung started out with just a simple appreciation of mechanical devices, particularly of timepieces. A former consultant turned business school student, his appreciation heightened when he got his first vintage watch courtesy of his first paycheck. Before he knows it, his appreciation has evolved into a consuming passion. Scouring the world for timepieces worth owning, be they from the golden age of horology (vintage) or from the innovations of the watchmakers of today, his desire to share his passion is what drives him to write articles on timepieces of value. His taste for wristwatches may be unorthodox at times, but his principle in selecting remains the same – that is to find a timepiece that is genuinely good.
Matthew Catellier, or short Matt, got his first watch, a Timex, from his father and he can still remember that clearly. Ever since then he has had a strong passion for a large variety of timepieces, which quickly morphed into an obsession for high-end horology. Coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and IT background, Matt founded WatchReviewBlog.com, where he reviews more affordable timepieces. For MONOCHROME he will be covering our selection of the most interesting watch brands that emerge on the Kickstarter platform. Of course only timepieces with a mechanical heart, otherwise it would never be “MONOCHROME material”. Besides Kickstarter brands, he will also focus on other value propositions, and show you that a nice watch shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Mario Squillacioti got his first watch as a gift at age nine. That first watch started a life-long passion for watches, mechanical devices and design-oriented consumer products. Based in Shanghai, China, we look forward to reading his exploits as he experiences the very best the international watchmaking industry has to offer.
Max E. Reddick – ‘Time in Eternity, Eternity in Time’ – Max’s love of watches began as a boy with his attempt to emulate the world’s most famous spy -James Bond. With a vivid imagination and a prized Seiko (sorry Omega), the watch fever started albeit through a laughable impersonation. Having left boyish pretensions behind, his new daydreams all revolve around the ocean. Classic Marine Chronometers, Dive Watches, and Nautically Themed Chronographs are true oves. Max’s interest in Reformed Theology, Jungian Psychology, and Haute Horology means that Switzerland is an enduring focus.
Ilias Giannopoulos lives in Athens, Greece and he has been fascinated with wristwatches for as long as he remembers. His affection for the small mechanical wonders, as he calls them, began when he was a young boy, standing in front of a Porsche Design boutique staring at a weird looking ‘object’ (IWC Ocean 2000). From that point, he was bitten by the watch bug and throughout the years discovered his true fascination: vintage wristwatches. His point of focus will be vintage, and especially military and tool timepieces.
Roberta Naas is a veteran watch journalist who began her career in the watch and jewellery world during the quartz era in the early 1980’s – when Japanese brands were threatening the survival of Swiss mechanicals. She witnessed the reshaping of the Swiss watch industry, the growth and disappearance of many brands and reported on it for trade, watch-specific and consumer magazines over the past three and a half decades. In fact, she was the first woman watch editor in the United States. She is a true insider in our industry with access to the top executives of the brands and to the hallowed halls of watch manufactures. She has written six books on watches and brings forth in her work the essence of what makes watches tick.
updated 11-05-2019
