Just Because: It's February 29th... What Exactly is a Leap Year? And What Does it Means For Watches?
If you’re one of the lucky few to own a perpetual calendar watch (or even rarer, a secular calendar watch), this is the day you have to wear this watch. It’s not even an option, it’s an order. Why? Because your movement is going to perform a mechanical ballet that only occurs every four years – well, almost… more on that in a few – and your dial will be showing a day and date combination that only occurs every 1,460 days. Indeed, today is February 29th, and 2024 is a leap year. But what exactly is a leap year? Why does it even exist? Why make things so complicated? And how does this translate in terms of watchmaking and calendar watches? We tell you all.?Horology and mechanical watchmaking are children of astronomy. The entire system of measuring time, days or seasons is based on the observation of our planet and its position in the Solar system. Time and calendars are, however, conventions created by men. They are systems, a standardisation that all

Interview - Jupp Philipp, New Owner of Fortis, on Reviving the Brand
Founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Grenchen, Switzerland, Fortis is known for manufacturing rugged, functional watches with a forte for pilot and cosmonaut watches. Among the milestones in the brand's rich history, Fortis has to be credited for its role (along with British watchmaker John Harwood) in the development of the automatic wristwatch in the early 1920s. Just a few months ago, the company was acquired by Jupp Philipp.?As the confinement period comes to an end here in Switzerland, we sat down with the new Fortis owner and CEO to talk about his plans to revive this fascinating brand.Xavier Markl, MONOCHROME – Thanks for welcoming us here in Grenchen. How did you manage the confinement period?Jupp Philipp, Fortis – We have taken advantage of the quiet period. There is so much to do when relaunching a brand like Fortis. We worked from home 10 hours a day, planning the future of Fortis with the management team, in particular, the new collections and new design. We have d

Panerai Luminor Marina Titanio/DLC Bucherer BLUE PAM01021 - Introducing, Price
Being the largest watch retailer over the world, Swiss-based company Bucherer has enough influence to do things its own way… And that means creating its own, personalised watches, manufactured by some of the most prestigious brands around, and themed after a concept named “Bucherer BLUE”. After multiple editions, including IWC, Longines, Breguet, GO or Oris, it is now time for Bucherer to have its own Panerai watch – in fact, the second of its type made with the Florentine manufacture. Meet the new Panerai Luminor Marina Titanio/DLC Bucherer BLUE.Who is Bucherer?Bucherer is a Swiss-based, privately owned company whose history dates back to 1888 when merchant and entrepreneur Carl-Friedrich Bucherer opened the first specialist watch and jewellery store in Lucerne. As business grew, Bucherer became one of the first retailers in 1924 and remains Bucherer's most important partner. After WWII, the business continued to grow and the family-owned company opened branc

Bamford London Popeye GMT Limited Edition - Specs & Price
Bamford London has built a reputation by customizing watches from top brands like , Zenith and Patek Philippe, and all of the work is officially authorized. The company even collaborates with outside designers like Black Badger for wild creations like the Zenith El Primero Superconductor. Bamford also has its own line of GMT watches and had a little fun in 2019 with a Popeye-themed limited edition, celebrating the cartoon character's 90th anniversary. You can't keep Popeye down and he's back for 2021, forearms and all, to claim the dial of another limited edition GMT. Character watches were all the rage when I was a kid and this latest Popeye GMT brings a mature Swiss automatic to nostalgic adults.?A few things have changed since the 2019 version, but the cushion case dimensions remain the same. Coming in at 40mm in diameter and 11.2mm in height, it's right at home on most wrists. The stainless steel has a darker matte black finish this time, a theme seen throughout the watch, with th

Testing the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge - Underwater Testing Video - Monochrome Watches
Back in February of this year we already showed you, what is probably the most simple yet smart mechanical depth gauge in a dive watch. Ever. Period. The Oris Aquis Depth Gauge features a brilliantly simple glass tube with one opening that allows water to enter. How far the water penetrates in the tube, depends on the pressure and thus on the depth. Simple as that, but does it really work?That’s a question that our new partners from Chronos / Watch Time also asked themselves. They had the chance to test the Oris Aquis Depth Gauge in its natural habitat and recorded a video (see above) of that test. Naturally we already explained every technical detail of this brilliant dive watch – check here for the full explanation -, but these test results complete the picture that we have of it. Since the video is in German, we will translate the findings for you. Ad - Scroll to continue with article