All You Need to Know about Moon Phase Watches - Monochrome Watches
Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly. Then your love would also change?William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet –?The attraction the moon exerts on our imagination is almost as powerful as its pull on the tides. Beyond the evocation of the utilitarian ties between horology and astronomy, the reproduction of lunar cycles on the dial of watches is poetic and symbolic. Moon phase watches are a statement of style through a subtle and anachronistic connection to our past and our place in the universe. Underneath the dials, sophisticated mechanisms gear the moon cycles.There are different types of lunar months. What matters for watchmakers is the synodic month, the cycle of visible moon phases - the moon as visible in the sky. Its average length is of 29.530587981 days (29 d 12 h 44 min 2.80 s). In their attempts to reproduce the progression of our satellite, most moon phase watches usually feature a wheel with 59 teeth (2 x 29.5 days). It advances one tooth per a day, whi

First Look: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding 43mm
While there have been time-and-date and triple calendar versions since the mid-1990s, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore or ROO, has always been primarily known as a chronograph watch. It was actually designed as such when it launched in 1993. In modern days, non-chronograph ROO watches were mostly known as the Diver version, which was recently revamped. Well, things have changed because now there’s a new time-and-date ROO, the sleekest to date, with the new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding 43mm.What we’re looking at here is one of the rare Royal Oak Offshore models that does not feature a chronograph. In the current collection, most models are fitted with a chronograph complication (and other additional features), and only a handful of references have a simple time-only display. And it mostly has to do with the bold, sporty Royal Oak Offshore Diver, a 300m water-resistant watch with a 42mm case. It is now joined by another time-and-date model, this time even cleaner and

Audemars Piguet Millenary - perfect dress watch? - Monochrome Watches
Sometimes you see a watch that immediately grabs your attention. For me the Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano Forte is such a watch. Is this the perfect dress watch? I can still remember the first time i saw an advertisement for the Millenary Piano Forte. Deeply impressed…?A few days ago i was looking through the catalog of the upcoming Antiquorum auction. Seeing a Audemars Piguet Millenary for sale doesn’t happen too often. A Millenary Piano Forte i have never seen for sale before…. until now. This one will be auctioned in New York at September 17th.?What a beauty…Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano ForteThe Audemars Piguet Millenary has a classic, distinct and unique design. With the oval shaped case, is stand apart from other watch designs. The oval shaped case was?inspired by the architecture of the Roman Colosseum. The case has stunning details and the finish is beautiful with brushed and polished parts. Although it has a classic look of a dress watch, it’s

Buying Guide - From Time & Date watches to Secular Calendars
As we’re coming up to the end of February, our nerdy watchmaking minds always tend to stray in the direction of Perpetual Calendar watches. And even though this year is not a leap year, the fact that a watch can switch from the 28th or the 29th of February to the 1st of March without any corrections is absolutely fascinating to us. But calendar watches, in general, not just QP’s, serve a very practical goal: keeping you informed of other calendar indications besides ‘just’ the passing of time. So from a basic time-and-date model as a start and a secular calendar at the end, today’s Buying Guide goes from the simplest calendar watch to the most complex.?Time & Date – Oris Big Crown Calibre 473One of the earliest time-and-date wristwatches, and quite an iconic one for that matter, is the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. Born in 1938 and in production pretty much ever since, it has a strong following of fans. What started as an early pilot’s watch

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