Stopping a Tourbillon - Monochrome Watches
The tourbillon is often regarded as one of the most prestigious complications and a demonstration of the skill and craftsmanship of the watchmakers capable of manufacturing this captivating mechanism. Invented by Breguet in 1801, its aim is to negate the influence of gravity on the regulating organ of watches. Changes in position have significant effects on the way watches keep time. In a tourbillon, a mobile carriage rotating at slow speed (most often once per minute) houses the balance, balance-spring and escapement to average out positional errors. Tourbillon watches are, therefore, built to keep time with superior precision, but, until very recently, they had one significant drawback. It was impossible to set the time with to-the-second accuracy with a classic stop-seconds function. Indeed, it would seem logical and obvious to be able to synchronize the movement to a time signal.The ability to stop the balance wheel and the seconds hand of a mechanical movement is critical. Traditi

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Openworked 16204BC
Initially introduced in 2022 as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the Royal Oak, the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked was first released in steel (reference 16204ST), featuring a steel-grey skeletonized movement and contrasting pink gold hands and indices. Following this, the watch was also made available in pink, yellow and white?gold cases. While the steel version is no longer available, the gold-cased references are not designated as limited anniversary editions, making them available based on production capacity. As such, they may be purchased directly from the brand but keep in mind; conditions apply.Though the coloured gold versions are undeniably striking - especially the pink gold variant with its contrasting openworked dark grey dial - it is the sleek white metal version of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked that continues to captivate and excite. Thus, we felt it was time for another report on our experience w

Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Green Dial (Specs & Price)
The Laureato, Girard-Perregaux's take on the luxury sports watch, has a surprising history and was launched in 1975, just three years after Audemars Piguet unleashed Gerald Genta's game-changing Royal Oak. Following a period of hibernation, the Laureato made a tentative return in 2016 to celebrate the brand's grand 225th anniversary, followed by a fully-fledged collection in 2017. Having been treated to the ultra-luxurious solid pink gold model with a sleek onyx dial just two months ago, GP returns to sportier stainless steel and decks its time-only 42mm Laureato model with a fresh green dial.The first Laureato (Italian for graduate) of 1975 played the nascent luxury sports watch game to a tee. With its raised octagonal bezel, sleek lines, hobnail engraved dial and integrated steel bracelet, the comparisons to the Royal Oak were inevitable and no doubt welcome. However, unlike the Royal Oak, the Laureato was fitted with a slim, ultra-precise quartz movement. After all, GP had pioneered

Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary SLGH002 New Calibre 9SA5 - Review
In March Grand Seiko unveiled its 2020 watch collection and prepared to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brand. Among the novelties were some elegant and discreet watches paying tribute to the first-ever GS watch, a robust and high-end diver with a brand new Spring Drive movement and watches focusing on traditional decorative skills. And… there was the SLGH002. A watch that, at first, appears as a rather classic piece, bearing all the usual features of the brand. Sharp but elegant, superbly finished and powered by an in-house movement. However, there is more to this watch, which is actually the most important of all the models launched in 2020. And it has to do with its movement.Preliminary note: the watch you see here is a prototype, with a movement that doesn’t entirely reflect the reality of the decoration. For this reason, the photos of the movement are from our colleagues at Hodinkee. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Hands-On - Ulysse Nardin Executive Moonstruck Worldtimer (Live Pics, Specs & Price)
Ulysse Nardin’s history is deeply linked to Marine chronometers, yet there’s another speciality, rather forgotten, that the manufacture masters (and which is not that far from Marine watches), the astronomical watches. Some may recall the mid-1980s Trilogy –?Astrolabium Galileo Galilei (introduced in 1985), Planetarium Copernicus (introduced in 1988) and Tellurium Johannes Kepler (introduced in 1992). This year, UN introduces yet another astronomical watch, the?Moonstruck Worldtimer, combining the movements of the moon and sun in relation to the Earth, as well as a map of the tides and (novelty) a world-time display. You say complex, we say exciting.In a strictly literal definition, there are in fact many astronomical watches on the market… as long as you consider a moon-phase display enough to warrant this definition. Thus, with a watchmaking approach in mind, the concept of an astronomical watch relates to a timepiece with several indications, which can includ