Watches NEWS
A Technical Perspective - The Peripheral Rotor, A Smart And Stylish Solution
Since 2009 and the introduction of the Carl F. Bucherer Calibre A1000, peripheral rotors are becoming more and more fashionable. With this smart and stylish solution, the winding mass is an annular segment mounted and swinging around the movement, instead of a centrally mounted oscillating weight rotating over the movement. This offers an unobstructed view of the movement along with providing the convenience of automatic winding. In addition, peripheral rotors allow watchmakers to design thinner self-winding watches, without adding to their thickness with an oscillating weight rotating over the movement.The calibre CFB A1000 series by Carl F. Bucherer. In 2009, it was the first movement with a peripheral rotor to be produced on a large scale.The 1950s - First attemptsThe idea of peripheral winding is not exactly new. We can refer to a patent applied in June 1955 by Paul Gosteli of Geneva, (Swiss patent N¡ã 322325 pictured below, filed on June 6th?1955, published on July 31st?1957) descr
The best watches of 2010 - Monochrome Watches
Now the year has almost come to an end it’s time to look back and to see which watches made the best impression. So here is Monochrome’s selection of Best Watches of the Year 2010. Like every year, there where many new watches. Some expected for a long time, some unexpected and a total surprise. But the question is which one made a lasting impression? Some have only been released on the drawing board, but are not completely ready yet. These watches, although some are really impressive, won’t count for this years election.Because watches come in all price ranges I can’t compare a $500,000 watch with a $1,500 watch. So there will be a few categories, based on price. The first category is without any limits, the second category is up to $200,000 , the third category is up to $15,000 and the fourth and last category is below $5,000.?The only verdict is my personal opinion ?? Ad - Scroll to continue with article
First Look: The new Chopard L.U.C Qualite Fleurier in Lucent Steel
A compact, elegant, and sublimely discreet L.U.C Qualite Fleurier heralds two firsts for Chopard. It is the first watch to receive the coveted seal since Chopard became the sole guardian of the Qualite Fleurier Foundation in 2022, and it is also the first watch of this elite family to be made in Lucent Steel.The Qualite Fleurier Certification was created in the early 2000s by three high-end Fleurier manufactures – Parmigiani Fleurier, Bovet and Chopard. It differs from the COSC or Geneva Seal because it evaluates the whole watch, from the quality of the finishing to the accuracy and from the assembly to the durability and reliability of a model. One of the most rigorous certifications in the industry, to obtain the Qualite Fleurier seal, the watch must have first passed the COSC chronometer certification, and the head of the watch (not including the bracelet or buckle) must be 100% Swiss-made. Following the withdrawal of three Maisons from its advisory board, Chopard became the s
2021 Yema Superman Heritage GMT Pepsi and Grey-Blue Hands-On
Yema is arguably one of the best-known French watchmakers with a rich history. Younger French brands such as Baltic have been getting a lot of attention lately, but Yema dates back to 1948 with several historic watches. The Superman model is its crown jewel, which debuted in 1963 and became a favourite of French Air Force pilots and professional divers. It came standard with a 300-metre water-resistance rating and unique bezel-lock mechanism. Yema draws from the past with two new Superman Heritage GMT dive watches, one with an always popular Pepsi (blue and red) bezel, and one with a more toned-down grey/blue colour scheme. Let’s have a closer look at these two new editions.The Yema SUPERMANBased in the town of Morteau, France, Yema has definitely left its mark in a crowded industry. Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti wore a Yema Rallygraf chronograph and Jean-Loup Chretien brought the first French watch into space in 1982, the Yema Spationaute 1. A specialised model was also used
Event Recap: Sharing the Passion for Fine Watchmaking with Montblanc - Monochrome Watches
Last week we organized a very special evening, together with our friends of Montblanc. The evening was dedicated to ‘Sharing the passion for Fine Watchmaking’ and took place in the Montblanc boutique in Amsterdam. The main stars that evening were five of the magnificent creations from the Montblanc manufacture in Villeret.Montblanc’s manufacture in Villeret is to experts and knowledgeable collectors also known as the former Minerva manufacture. That means magnificently hand-finished bridges, levers, cams and plates, that are characteristic for the iconic chronograph movements and other calibres. The stunning creations from the Villeret manufacture are rare, maybe not as rare as the Heuer Autavia with prototype orange dial that we showed you yesterday, but rare enough to clear your schedule for an evening and visit the Montblanc boutique.Some of the timepieces from Montblanc’s Collection Villeret 1858And that is exactly what many of Monochrome’s readers did