It was 40 years ago... the first automatic chronograph - Monochrome Watches
40 Years ago, on 3 March 1969, the first automatic chronograph movement was introduced. This movement,?nick-named Chronomatic, was developed by a joint venture of Heuer, Breitling, Buren and Dubois-Depraz. The Chronomatic was used by Heuer, Breitling and Buren under the name of caliber 11.Cover of Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal – nr.2 1969It actually started with the development of a HMS (hours, minutes, seconds) movement that got it’s power from a micro-rotor! Buren patented a micro-rotor winding system, that was called planetary rotor, in 1954. However it took them untill 1957 before it saw production and later, in 1962, the design was refined into caliber 1280.The new caliber 1280 had a slightly larger swinging mass than the earlier caliber and the swinging mass now swung over the center of the movement. This caliber, also called Intramatic, won the Prix d’Honneur at the 1964 Swiss National Exposition in Lausanne. A year later the micro-rotor was further refined i

Hands-On - Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Sapphire (Specs & Price)
Launched in 2016, the L.U.C Full Strike was Chopard's first foray into the world of minute repeaters and was a true reimagining of the complication: the watch featured a monobloc sapphire crystal and gong assembly and an independent power source for the striking mechanism, along with a host of safety features preventing the user from accidentally damaging the movement. The Full Strike went on to win the top honour at the 2017 GPHG, the Aiguille d'Or. Following the first model, which was crafted in Chopard's ethical Fairmined 18k rose gold, Chopard launched a version in 18k Fairmined white gold in 2018. And now it's time for the sapphire gongs to be joined by a full sapphire crystal case.To mark the 25th anniversary of its Haute Horlogerie L.U.C collection, Chopard has just unveiled a highly limited, five-piece run of the Full Strike, this time with a case made of sapphire. The case of the Full Strike Sapphire shares the same dimensions as the earlier versions of the watch, which means

The silently released black dial TAG Heuer Autavia
It appears that it’s an increasingly common tactic to launch a new watch and not communicate about it whatsoever. We’ve seen it with the Tissot PRX from yesterday, but in the past also with watches like the Omega CK 859 or the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX. Today we bring you another one that’s quietly released and immediately available, this time from TAG Heuer. Following the redesigned special editions for the 60th anniversary of the Autavia from last year, this new model combines a stainless steel case with a strong and classical black dial.The Autavia collection goes back a very long time and is important in TAG Heuer’s history. With a name that combines both Automobile and Aviation, its intentions are clear as day, especially in this chronograph variation. Joining the Autavia family is the new reference CBE511A.FC8279, an adaptation of the silver dial presented on the occasion of the Autavia turning 60 last year. This still uses the sturdy 42mm wide stain

The 2022 Tudor Ranger 39mm 79950 In-House (Specs-Price)
While most of us might know Tudor (at least its modern side) for the countless editions of the Black Bay, the brand has far more to offer… And that, for its historical or modern collections. If you recall, in 2014 Tudor paid tribute to its involvement into exploration, by bringing back an important model, the Ranger. A robust, no-nonsense instrument made for adventure, it came back modernized with an oversized case but the same overall spirit. The Tudor Ranger has since been discontinued, but today it’s back with multiple evolutions, making it a far stronger offering. 39mm in size, equipped with a chronometer movement and some tricks under its sleeve, here’s the new 2022 Tudor Ranger 79950.?Tudor, Exploration and the BNGE is known by many for its connection with exploration, as of the 1930s, including testing watches on Himalayan expeditions. The peak of this story occurred with Sir Edmund Hillary and expedition partner Tenzing Norgay, when they summit Mount Everest

Ochs und Junior - Luna Mese - Monochrome Watches
Ludwig Oechslin has achieved an astronomical moon indication based on just four individual components. Intelligent minimalism and aesthetic clarity.Ludwig Oechslin already made a huge impression with the Freak and the Trillogy of Time he created for Ulysse Nardin.Later he created the MIH Watch with an annual calendar comprising of only 9 components and later the Ochs und Junior Anno Cinquanta where the annual calendar needs only 5 components! Now Ludwig Oechslin’s quest was to find?the best way of portraying just the moon, clearly and distinctly. An astronomical moon indication, but based on a brilliantly simple mechanism… Ad - Scroll to continue with article Ludwig Oechslin’s latest concept watch, created for his Ochs und Junior brand, is the Luna Mese idea. The Ochs und Junior Luna Mese is an astronomic moon phase watch capable of indicating