News: Remembering Walter Lange, Founder of A. Lange & Sohne, on his 100th Birthday
Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashutte, Germany, A. Lange & Sohne has become over the past years one of the most important watchmakers of the Saxon region. The story of Lange Uhren GmbH is, however, not as simple as it seems and despite subsequent generations of the family keeping the brand thriving, conflicts in Europe could have sounded the end of this great manufacture. But it was without counting on Herr Walter Lange, great-grandson of F.A. Lange, and one of the two men responsible, together with Gunter Blumlein, for the glorious return of Saxon precision watchmaking in 1990. Let’s remember a man who would have turned 100 today.?A young Walter Lange exercising his work as a watchmakerWalter Lange, born in Dresden on 29 July 1924, was the fourth child of Rudolf and Hildegart Lange and spent a sheltered childhood in Glashu?tte, which was influenced by the effects of the global economic crisis. Despite the complex situation in Germany, which would

Hands-On - Dominique Renaud Concept DR01 With Innovative Escapement (Live Photos & Video)
Innovation in the field of escapements and oscillators is the new frontier in technological breakthrough of mechanical watches, as evidenced by revolutionary concepts by Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, Parmigiani Fleurier or more recently the Zenith Defy Lab and its mind-blowing oscillator. Among these, Dominique Renaud presented an impressive concept dubbed DR01, the first of twelve just before Baselworld 2016. His idea is to manufacture 12 watches (each to be commissioned, personalized and priced at CHF 1,000,000), 12 evolutions of the concept to reach a fully developed version. It is now time for the horologist to unveil the progress made with this development and introduce the first watch in this series of twelve. Monochrome reports from Geneva where Dominique Renaud is exhibiting his project and the first watch in the series of 12.A veteran of the Swiss watch industry, Dominique Renaud is known for founding some 40 years ago Renaud & Papi (now Audemars Piguet Renaud Papi R

Introducing: Bucherer Releases 3 High-End Exclusive Watches from Chopard, Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin
Bucherer, one of the world’s oldest and most esteemed watch retailers, now owned by , has long been a leader in the industry, and for a few years, offers its customers exclusive access to limited-edition timepieces created in collaboration with renowned partner brands. For years, collectors and enthusiasts have enjoyed unique adaptations of existing models, often distinguished by signature blue tones under the Bucherer BLUE collection. However, last year marked a departure from tradition by introducing an amber-toned trio from H. Moser & Cie.This year, Bucherer Exclusive continues with three remarkable timepieces from Chopard, Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin. Unlike previous editions, these watches are not united by colour but by their exceptional craftsmanship and mastery of haute horlogerie.Bucherer Exclusive Chopard L.U.C Strike OneThe elegant case of the Bucherer Exclusive L.U.C. Strike One is crafted from ethical Lucent Steel, Chopard’s proprietary alloy with s

Moon Landing 50 - The Other Watch of Apollo 11, The Mission Control Heuer Stopwatch
We know all about the Omega Speedmaster ‘Moonwatch’, as the first wristwatch on the Moon, which cemented its place in the history when the Apollo 11 mission successfully landed on the Lunar surface on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin. But there’s a little-known Heuer stopwatch that played a small but very important role when Neil Armstrong was piloting the lunar module Eagle to land on the Moon.The iconic image of Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface, his Speedmaster Professional around his wrist… but this wasn’t the only timepiece involved in mission Apollo 11.Since the initial landing site was too cavernous and rocky, Armstrong had to manoeuvre the Eagle to a different location. This, in return, caused extra fuel to be used and it had reached critical levels. In the event of all fuel being used without a safe landing, an abort would have been necessary and thus no landing on the Moon would have been possible.Image from Mission Control – one of the flight contr

Ochs und Junior - Luxury 2.0 - Monochrome-Watches
What is luxury? Luxury was the topic of conversation at the lunch we had with Beat Weinmann, CEO and cofounder of the brand Ochs und Junior. The brand's technology and design maestro, Ludwig Oechslin, recently retired curator of the Musee International d'Horlogerie, was absent for our gastronomical affair, which happened in Lucerne, far, far away from the bustle of Baselworld 2014. Given that the discussion centered on luxury, you may be surprised to know that the Ochs und?Junior's headquarters sits several blocks away from the prestigious retail enclaves near the lake, and appropriate to the minimalist ethos of the brand, the shop/headquarters sits in an unassuming storefront. Inside is a spartan workshop with large tables for viewing Ochs und Junior watches, which as a rule have an unadorned, industrial feel. Where are the fashion models who waited on us in Basel? Where is the champagne? Where are the precious metals, which are polished to within an inch of their lives? In a word, wh