Watches NEWS
Four stand-out artisanal watchmakers we've seen at Geneva Watch Week
As advocates of the whole mechanical watchmaking industry, sharing the passion for watches on a daily basis, even we sometimes discover truly fascinating new people, brands and watches. We've always had a devotion to bringing you the best in the business, and this includes providing a podium to the smallest of the small. We're madly enthusiastic about people dedicating their entire life to painstakingly creating what they believe is the best possible watch. And in true artisanal watchmaking, that means by hand, all alone or with a very small team, and with tremendous amounts of patience. During the recent Geneva Watch Week, we got up close with four such watches by small independent makers, often working solo. Some familiar faces, and some entirely new, but all of them equally fascinating and astounding to behold.Earlier this year published three Sunday stories (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) where we listed some of the best independent watchmakers outside of Switzerland. In a sense, today's
The Collector's Corner: The Youngtimer Appeal of the TAG Heuer Monza Calibre 36
When you hear the name TAG Heuer, which watches come to mind? The Monaco, the Carrera, or perhaps the Autavia? Maybe the Aquaracer? But what about the Monza? The Monza can be considered the dark horse of TAG Heuer's lineup, occasionally popping up over the years but never having quite the staying power as other, more famous, TAG Heuer models. 2023 saw TAG Heuer relaunch the Monza yet again, this time clad in carbon fibre and powered by an in-house flyback chronograph. We thought it would be a good idea to feature the Monza on The Collector's Corner and take a closer look at an iteration of the model that was released in 2001, the Monza Calibre 36, which is, in our books, the best iteration of this watch to date And here's why.The Monza LineageThe first watch to be mentioned in the Monza lineage was a cushion-cased monopusher chronograph produced in the 1930s. You have to remember that round watches were not as ubiquitous in the first half of the 20th century as they are today. Watchmak
Ulysse Nardin Classic Sonata, a Complex Alarm Watch with Cathedral Gong - Monochrome Watches
The concept of the Sonata by Ulysse Nardin is not new, but still, you'll see later in this article, it's a very captivating concept. Several watches have been created with the Sonata complication; however, most of them, even if mechanically attractive, were bold, highly sportive and masculine watches. In the last few months, Ulysse Nardin has given a new identity to its watches, with more subtle and more elegant designs, and it will be the case for this Sonata too. Here is the?Ulysse Nardin Classic Sonata, a complex and unique watch, with a melodic cathedral gong for its?alarm complication.Basically, the new Ulysse Nardin Classic Sonata is an alarm watch… but not any kind of alarm watch.?An alarm watch is designed to ring a signal at a defined time.?It is probably one of the oldest horological complications. It is?the legendary Vulcain Cricket calibre that truly raised the bar for such watches.?Traditional mechanical alarm watches ring by means of a mainspring, tensioned to power
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Co-Axial Limited Edition James Bond 007 Spectre - Monochrome-Watches
James Bond is known for many attributes: he drives an Aston Martin, he wears tuxedos, he shoots his enemies with a Walter PPK… However what tickles our interest is, of course, the watches he wears. After sporting?a? Submariner, and later,?during?the 1980’s, a?Seiko that could perform many extraordinary tricks, he?has been waering?an?Omega Seamasters?for many years now.?For starters there was the now famous Seamaster?Professional 300m that is nicknamed after its famous wearer. Later there was a 45.5mm Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m and a 42mm Seamaster?Planet Ocean 600m with ceramic bezel. For its latest adventures, it seems that magnetic fields will be an important factor, as he will strap a?Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Co-Axial, with the new antimagnetic movement, on his wrist.?Here is the Omega Seamaster James Bond 007 Limited Edition ‘Spectre’.To celebrate the newest episode of James Bond 007, Omega chose to use a discreet and reasonably sized Omega Seamast
The Stuff of Legend - Celebrating 50 Years of Moonwatchs Lunar Landing - Monochrome Watches
No watch can compete with the story of the Moonwatch. Period. And you can be sure that Omega will be pulling out all the stops and rolling out the red carpet to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Speedmaster’s Moon landing.On 16th July 1969, the Apollo 11 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and four days later, on the 20th of July at 20:17:40 UTC, reached the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle lunar module on the surface of the Moon, while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the command module. Ad - Scroll to continue with article KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. — The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lifts off with Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.Glued to their televisions, 600