Hands-on - A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, celebrating the 200th anniversary of F.A. Lange (live pics & price) - Monochrome Watches
This year was quite special for the magnificent manufacture A. Lange & Sohne, celebrating the 200th birthday of its founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange (see the history of watchmaking in Glashutte here). 2 first watches had been introduced, 2 special editions dedicated to this event, the 1815 Limited Edition for the 200th Anniversary of F.A. Lange with black dial and the 1815 Limited Edition for the 200th Anniversary of F.A. Lange in honey gold. Naturally, the 1815 was the appropriate model and the pinnacle of this year of celebration is another special edition of a 1815 watch – and not the simplest one. Here is the?A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst, celebrating the 200th anniversary of F.A. Lange.Throwback on the?Handwerkskunst conceptAt A. Lange & Sohne, one word can make a world of difference, a complicated word for non-Germans but a word with a lot of sense:?Handwerkskunst. This German word for artisanship, is an attribute of distinction that A. Lange &a

The return of the historic A. Lange & Sohne Centennial Tourbillon
A. Lange & Sohne is renowned as one of the most distinguished watchmakers from Saxony on the market today, but life hasn’t always been smooth sailing. As a witness and victim of the vicissitudes of German history over the past two centuries, the destiny of the brand has come full circle. From its foundation in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolf Lange in Glashutte to its destruction during WWII, and from its expropriation after the war to its miraculous resurrection after Germany’s reunification in 1990 by the founder’s great-grandson, A. Lange & Sohne has taken a circuitous path but is now safely home. Today, A. Lange & Sohne is celebrating another return, this time marked by the return of a valuable pocket watch that was lost in the turmoil following WWII to its rightful place in the Museum Bautzen.Known as the “Centennial Tourbillon”, this exquisite gold pocket watch with a miniature enamel painting of the goddess Minerva was one of only a few tourbillo

Introducing the 2014 IWC Aquatimer Collection - With LIVE Photos - Monochrome Watches
Last year IWC completely revamped the Ingenieur collection, the year before that it was the Pilot’s collection, and this year the Aquatimer collection gets a fresh new look. Today we can already show you some of the new models, the rest will be ‘visually’ presented in a few weeks at the SIHH in Geneva. Now I have seen the entire new Aquatimer collection, I can already say that my favorite is made in bronze!IWC has a long reputation for using ‘new’ materials; new at least for the watch industry. Especially the Ocean 2000, a classic that IWC made for Porsche Design and one that most (fanatic) watch enthusiast will know, was a well ahead of its time. That was because of its smooth, rounded integrated bracelet, entirely made in titanium, and with a depth rating of 2000 meters. This particular watch was a huge source of inspiration for Christian Knoop, IWC's Creative Director, which can be seen in the new Aquatimer Automatic 2000 (Ref. IW358002). Ad

Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie California Dreamin' Chronograph Review
Czapek expands its Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph collection with the incorporation of this California Dreamin' model. Although its name will have you humming the Mamas & the Papas 1965 hit song, it has nothing to do with nostalgia for California sunshine. Nor does it have anything to do with the historic figure of Fran?ois Czapek, whose name is honoured by the brand. The latest chronograph is inspired by the first modern watch of the brand designed by its co-founders; a robust, vintage sports watch with a California dial known as the Czapek Design Study Watch. The sportiest, raciest and quirkiest chronograph in the Faubourg de Cracovie line-up today, we spent some time with the watch and this is what we found.BackgroundWith its high-falutin' brand name belonging to the other' founder of Patek Philippe, the name Czapek was registered by three co-founders in 2012. To legitimise the establishment of the brand they needed to produce a watch. The Czapek Design Study Watch was their s

Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutique Amsterdam Opens Its Doors at the Golden Half Mile - Monochrome Watches
Amsterdam is booming! Especially the ‘Museum District’ is taking the lead, with new luxury mono-brand boutiques popping up like tulips in spring, and the re-opening of two of Netherland’s most important museums – the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Just around the corner from the aforementioned musea is the Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat, or short the PC. That’s where Jaeger-LeCoultre just opened its first Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique of the BeNeLux. A good reason for us to visit them and they surprised us with the Master Gyrotourbillon 1, Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, Duometre Spherotourbillon and the Reverso Grand Complicationa Triptyque!Daniel Riedo, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO, was in Amsterdam for the opening. Together with president Benno Leeser of Gassan Diamnionds,?and Dutch movie star Carice van Houten (who stars in Game of Thrones), he opened the boutique on Wednesday June 4th. A few hours before the opening we?had a chance to sit down with him and