The Hands of Time - A Guide to Names of the most used Watch Hands - Monochrome Watches
There are many ways to tell the time: digital watches show us the time using numbers, whereas the first mechanical clocks did not even have faces, and indicated time by chiming it. Hourglasses, candle clocks or clepsydras are other examples. And there’s a segment that we here at Monochrome, refer to as ‘Other Display‘, which include the URWERK’s MB&F’s and Ressence’s of this world. Still, most watches use hands on a dial to show us the hours and minutes, and as is their wont, watchmakers have displayed great creativity in the way they shape hands (for practical or more fancy purposes). These come in a variety of styles and are an integral part of a watch design. It would be tough to come up with an exhaustive list, but we'll take a look at the most used hand designs from watches we have photographed over the past few months.Alpha handsAlpha type hands have a wide base and a narrow stem to connect them to the center of the dial. Example ¡ú Parmigia

Introducing: Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono With Maritime Blue Dial
Presented in 2019 in time-and-date and time-only models, the Alpine Eagle collection was Chopard‘s take on the highly successful luxury sports watch with integrated bracelet category. Revamping a 1980 design, that of the St. Moritz watch, it has then been offered in a variety of editions, from compact ladies’ models to a highly desirable ultra-thin salmon watch or a bold and oversized chronograph sub-collection. The latter welcomes a new member, a watch exclusive to the brand’s boutique, with an unprecedented and surprising colour. Here’s the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono With Maritime Blue Dial.Chopard's take on the luxury sports watch occurred long before the appearance of the Alpine Eagle. Designed by Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in 1980, Chopard's first luxury sports watch was the St. Moritz.? A successful model that captured the over-the-top bling of the 1980s, complete with a very elaborate-shaped bezel with eight screws, the St. Moritz was eventually discont

Lug-to-Lug Size and Why We Don't Rely on It - Letter from the Editor
Since I began MONOCHROME in 2006, the information that brands disclosed about their watches has improved significantly. Diameter and height are now in pretty much every press release, and so is the actual movement. However, lately, we are often asked about the lug-to-lug size. Something that brands do not communicate about and neither do we. Here’s why.A good example of a watch that is rather big on paper, the Omega Speedmaster Professional, with a 42mm diameter and a 47mm lug-to-lug size. However, once on the wrist, the watch feels much more compact (and that’s something numbers don’t express).Over the past decade, communication about watches has improved significantly. Diameter, height and honest information about the movement are now available. Until a few years ago, we were confronted with too many ‘invented’ calibre names, while the movement was often supplied by ETA, Sellita or another third party and subsequently adorned by the brand's name on the r

Patek Philippe 5940g Perpetual Calendar - Hands-on with live photos, specs and price - Monochrome-Watches
Patek Philippe and the perpetual calendar are no strangers. We’ve already extensively covered some of these impressive watches, including?the honey-brown?Patek Philippe 5496P-014 Perpetual Calendar Retrograde?and the superb?Patek Philippe 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Blue. These?two are certainly among the?classical watches – we’re talking about Patek Philippe, a brand where tradition is not a motto anymore but a lifestyle. But they add?something unusual, a bit of ‘controlled eccentricity’. The Patek Philippe 5940g?Perpetual Calendar could have been?a?pure representation of the brand’s classicism.?But in the flesh, it also has this little extra that we love here at Monochrome-Watches.The Patek Philippe 5940g?isn’t exactly a new watch, as a yellow gold edition was issued in 2012. For the 2014 edition?of the Basel watch fair, Patek brought out an?18k white?gold edition. Briefly, what hides behind the reference 5940? An ultra-thin,?cushion-

Oris Divers Sixty-Five Silver Dial - Hands-On Review (Specs & Price)
In a recent piece of news, Oris announced a new iteration for?the 42mm Divers Sixty-Five. While this model already exists in?blue or green, it now comes with a rather unexpected dial, which even if strongly playing on the usual vintage theme of the collection (and maybe even more now) is featuring?a silver color, something rather unusual for a dive watch. Well, this?Oris Divers Sixty-Five Silver Dial was clearly requiring to be seen in the metal (no press photo can give credits to a watch), something we did during the brand’s pre-Baselworld Preview where we already saw the?Oris Altimeter Rega Limited Edition. And believe us, it was necessary.If you are here, reading these lines, you must have already a certain interest in watches. Thus, you are probably already aware of the?Oris Divers Sixty-Five and most of its variations. And if not, here is a small reminder. The “65” was introduced at Baselworld 2015, in its black dial / 40mm version, as a modern interpretation of