Chrono24 Magazine

"We’re trying to change what no one really expects to be changed." - In our new series, we'll be featuring portraits of independent brands. To start, we're taking a closer look at the company responsible for some amazing Swiss-made watches like the Skyquest and Oceanking: Monta.

The world of luxury goods is crowded these days. There are countless brands in the luxury industry already, and numbers are constantly rising. Generally speaking, there are two types of luxury brands: specialist brands and multi-category brands.

Le Brassus, Geneva, Biel, Neuchâtel, and Plan-les-Ouates: These Swiss towns are well known among watch enthusiasts as home to some of the most iconic Swiss watch brands. Switzerland is certainly at the heart of the luxury watch industry, but there are also locations beyond the Swiss borders with impressive watchmaking traditions. The most famous is probably the town of Glashütte in Saxony, Germany.

Collecting vintage watches can be a fantastic hobby, but it can also be an all-consuming and extremely expensive one, particularly if your interest lies in historically significant models. With the crazy sums being paid for sought-after pieces recently, you would be forgiven for thinking you have to have impossibly deep pockets to play this game. There’s definitely some truth in that, but if you’re willing to cast your net a little wider, there are still tons of great vintage options out there at relatively accessible prices.

Along with vintage-style models like the Breitling Navitimer and the ongoing bronze trend, it's clear that cases are shrinking once again – something that's actually been going on for a few years now. But just as there's a yin to every yang, there's a counter-trend to every trend.

Let's be honest, every now and again we all enjoy a little extra attention. This is certainly the case when you're wearing a new watch on your wrist, which likely cost you a fair amount of time and money to purchase. It always feels like a bit of a disappointment if no one notices your new timepiece. But does that mean watches are purely status symbols?