Watches NEWS
A Technical Perspective - A Guide To The Hairspring
Sprung to life: who manufactures Hairsprings? An industry perspective on this key component whose production is still shrouded in secrecy – Barely one centimeter in diameter, the hairspring is the beating heart of a watch movement. It is a strategic component in several respects. Manufacturing hairsprings is a complex process and the whole Swiss watch industry has been relying on one supplier, Swatch Group's Nivarox at least, until very recently!Christian Huygens is credited (by common consensus) with the invention of the first movement with a balance wheel and hairspring in 1675. Since then, the principles of the regulating organ of the watch have changed very little. The escapement gives impulses to the balance wheel. In return, it is regulated by the balance. The oscillations of the balance wheel regulate the flow of time: each swing of the balance allows the gear train to advance a set amount. Its role is similar to that of a pendulum in a clock. The extremely thin coiled hai
Bamford London Commando GMT and Predator GMT - Introducing, Price
George Bamford is best known for customizing (officially authorized) watches from heavyweights like Zenith, and Patek Philippe via his company, Bamford Watch Department. His latest watch brand, Bamford London, has been building watches from scratch for a couple of years now and had an unusual start. There are now two main collections with several variants and collaborations, and they exist alongside his famous customizations of outside brands. The Commando GMT and Predator GMT add new colourways to the existing GMT line, but the changes are visually striking. Let's take a closer look.?A customizer firstIt all started with a Daytona George received on his 18th birthday. A bit dismayed that many at a dinner party had the same watch, he decided to customize his Daytona with a DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating via the family business. The silver steel was now stark black and became an instant attention-getter. While vacationing in the south of France, he ended up with 25 orders before
Introducing the IWC Big Pilot Patrouille Suisse Limited Edition (specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches
If there’s a watch in this crowded industry that best represents aviation and jet fighters, it is?probably the IWC Big Pilot – so to say, a pure icon. Alongside the classical edition with a stainless steel case and a black dial, IWC also plays a lot with this timepiece to create limited editions but still keeping true to the classic icon, like for instance the ‘Le Petit Prince’ in rose gold, its sibling in stainless steel or these colorful Boutique Editions. For their latest partnership, IWC pays tribute to the?high-flying excellence of the Patrouille Suisse. Thus what other watch could have been better than the Big Pilot in order to create a limited edition? None. Here is the 250-piece?IWC Big Pilot Patrouille Suisse.This new “Patrouille Suisse” Limited Edition is based on the famous, yet iconic (to say the least) IWC Big Pilot’s Watch. As a reminder, what we’re talking about is a large pilot watch inspired by the 1940s German B-Uhr / Fl
Circula again relied on the help of the public when designing the Protrail
For those who have been keeping a close eye on MONOCHROME Watches, and Circula Watches in particular, it should come as no surprise that we like the strategy of employing the “power of the people”. And honestly, the resulting collections are often fine examples of well-built, honest watchmaking. When creating a new watch, Circula enlists the help of watch enthusiasts and collectors to determine the final design of new collections. A case in point is the all-new Circula ProTrail Automatic, the revived company’s first-ever field watch. Designed with input from the public, the new collection came to life through a multitude of options. Today we can show you one of the three models that will be available: the production-ready Circula ProTrail Automatic.Back in February, we informed you that Circula was working on a new field watch to be added to the brand’s portfolio of tool watches. Through a dedicated co-creation page, you could vote for things like the name of th
Hands-on TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 Full Black Matt Ceramic - Monochrome Watches
Earlier this year we told you about the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 Full Black Matt Ceramic, which made its debut at the 2017 edition of the Geneva Watch Fair. Now that the madness of the first half of the year is starting to subside, we thought this a perfect time to come back and give this watch a proper hands-on review.The first thing you notice when you strap the sizable case of the Carrera Heuer-01 Full Black Matt Ceramic to your wrist is just how light it feels. The second thing you notice is just how dark it looks. The reason why is the same for both; the 45mm matte black ceramic case. Arguably one of the most stealth looking watches produced by TAG?Heuer, the matt black case absorbs all the light around it, which ironically makes the watch really pop on the wrist – even though there is effectively almost no contrasting color on the dial. Ad - Scroll to continue with article