Technical Perspective - Going Beyond the Rattrapante Chronograph
If the chronograph is one of the most revered complications, the rattrapante (or split-seconds) function takes it to a whole new level. The word rattrapante translates from the French “to catch up”. Rattrapante chronographs feature two superimposed seconds hands that time two events of different lengths simultaneously. One hand (the rattrapante) can be stopped to read an intermediate time, while the other one (the trotteuse) keeps running. A second push on the rattrapante pusher allows the stopped hand to catch up with the moving hand. Joseph-Thaddeus Winnerl is considered to have developed the first split-seconds mechanism in the first half of the 19th century. The split-second chronograph however is not the only mechanism to time multiple events Here are a few original solutions.The Double-Split or Even Triple-Split ChronographIf rattrapante or split-second chronographs traditionally allow to measure split-times up to 1 minute, a major enhancement to this classic complica

Buying Guide - 5 of the Most Iconic Luxury Sports Watches You Can Buy in 2018
Just like we did with chronographs and dive watches, it’s now time to look at the current hottest watch category: the luxury sports watch. Born in the 1970s as a truly disruptive concept with deliberately provocative ads – remember those ads claiming “a steel watch more expensive than gold”? – luxury sports watches are on fire at the second-hand market.?Since our buying guides only take the best of the best, here are the 5 most iconic luxury sports watches you can buy in 2018 – or at least, dream to buy, as some are close to being unattainable. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Note: as always, this list isn’t exhaustive. Please feel free to add your favourite watches in the comment section at the end of this article.What is a “Luxury Sports Watch”?While the concept behind a dive watch or a chronograph is

Czapek Place Vendome Tourbillon - Baselworld 2017 (Hands-on & Price)
Czapek, a brand reborn recently and founded on the roots of Patek’s ex-partner, is expanding its collection with a beautifully designed timepiece blending tradition and modernity. The Place Vend?me is the brand's first tourbillon and features dual time, power reserve and day/night indications, with a pleasant?contemporary take on watchmaking.The Czapek brand was revived at the end 2015, with the presentation of the elegant Quai des Bergues. Owing its design to a pocket watch (reference 3340), dating from 1850, the watch was awarded the Public prize at the 2016 Grand Prix de l'Horlogerie de Geneve – GPHG. Its proprietary movement, manufactured with Chronode, offers 7 days of power reserve (read our article presenting the model here). Ad - Scroll to continue with article Whilst the Quai des Bergues has been offered in different versions (different mate

Watches and Formula 1 - Episode 3 - Mercedes AMG & IWC Schaffhausen - Monochrome Watches
After a long hiatus over the summer, and the sometimes literal clash between Mercedes AMG F1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton reaches new levels race by race, it is time to look at the current leader of the pack for this third chapter in our Watches and Formula 1 series. Mercedes AMG F1 is the team that rose from the ashes of Brawn GP which in turn bailed out Honda Racing F1 Team. If you remember our first episode of this series, we covered the origin of motor racing, including the birth of Grand Prix racing and the start of Formula 1 in 1950. Coincidently, Mercedes played a major role in both of these! It just so happens that the German manufacturer teamed up with a Swiss Watchmaker from day one; IWC Schaffhausen!Before we take a look at the fireproof-glove-covering IWC's the team drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton wear during each Formula 1 Grand Prix, the team's racing history is too interesting to be ignored. It features illustrious names, groundbreaking technology, dis

Weekly Watch Photo - IWC Big Pilot's Watch - Monochrome Watches
IWC totally understands how to promote their watches. I think they’ve been looking closely at what watch fans have been doing at forums and what Monochrome also does once a week… sharing beautiful photos of beautiful watches.For the launch of the new Pilot’s watch collection, IWC created a set of very cool photos of their newest timepieces. We already showed you photos of the new Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun Miramar and the Pilot’s Watch Mark XVII. Today we show you the Big Pilot’s Watch ref. 5009 and the Top Gun and Top Gun Miramar Editions.When IWC released the first Big Pilot’s Watch (ref. 5002) in 2002 it was, together with Panerai, THE watch that changed the fashion of the watch world from what we call now-a-days ‘medium-size’ to BIG. In those days, any watch larger that 40/41 mm in diameter was considered large. I still recall people saying my TAG Heuer Monaco (square case, 38 x 38 mm) being very big. Imagine how much the perce