Patek Philippe Grande et Petite Sonnerie 6301P
Chiming watches are some of the most desirable marvels that watchmaking has ever produced. They can assume multiple forms, such as alarm watches or minute repeaters. But when it comes to watches that strike the time, that “musically indicate” the time, the rarest, most exclusive, most impressive and most desirable is the grande sonnerie. Only a handful of watchmakers are capable of manufacturing such a complication, which strikes the time “au passage” and not on demand. Today, Patek Philippe presents a new model, deceptively simple yet utterly complex. Meet the Grande et Petite Sonnerie 6301P.Background, Repeating & Grande Sonnerie Watches at PatekThe grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie hold a special place in the world of Haute Horlogerie. There is only a handful of watchmakers capable of manufacturing such works of arts, often regarded as the ultimate horological complication. Both the grande and petite sonnerie strike the hours and quarters in passing, th

Cartier, Shaping Elegance - The History of Cartier through Shaped Watches - Monochrome Watches
Jeweller-watchmaker or watchmaker-jeweller, Cartier excels in both. From this rich tradition, and as evidenced again recently with the introduction of the Drive, the Parisian Maison has drawn an unrivalled legacy in creating fascinating shaped watches. MONOCHROME brings together some of the most iconic Cartier masterpieces born from a unique perception of masculine elegance: sheer dandyism and the mastery of shapes.The first mention of a watch in the Cartier records dates back to 1853. The creation of pocket watches, chatelaines, table clocks, mystery clocks and other horological objets de vertu quickly became one of the most important activities for Cartier. At the beginning of the 20th century, watches started to be worn on the wrist – first for military use, before fashion spread, in particular after the Boer war and even more after WWI. Cartier is intimately associated with the migration of the watch from the pocket to the wrist. The first wristwatch created by Cartier, in 19

Taking the Vertex M60 Aqualion for a real-world underwater test
If you're a watch enthusiast who likes a good story to go along with a good watch, chances are you have heard of the Dirty Dozen military watches. In case you haven't and don't feel like a deep dive on the subject, here is the short version: the Dirty Dozen is the colloquial name given to one watch, supplied by twelve different brands, to British military personnel in the Second World War. The production of a single specification for a watch had to be spread across many brands in order to meet the massive production demand of 150,000 watches. Those twelve brands run the gamut from names you definitely know, like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, IWC, and Omega; to names you might know, like Buren, Cyma, Eterna, and Lemania; to names you might not know, like Grana, Record, Timor, and the one we are speaking of today: Vertex. But today isn’t about military watches. It’s about the M60 Aqualion.BackgroundVertex was originally founded in 1912 by a young Englishman named Claude Lyons,

Omega Constellation Co-Axial Master Chronometer 41mm
Although it doesn’t have the cachet of a Speedmaster with its legendary Moon landing or a Seamaster worn in an action-packed James Bond episode, the Omega Constellation is one of the brand’s oldest and most enduring collections that started life in 1952 as a precision chronometer wristwatch. Revisited over the years, the transformation that most influenced the contemporary look of the Constellation took place in 1982, the year the watch got its claws. Following the update to the 29mm Constellation Manhattan ladies’ model?in 2019, the gent’s 39mm and 41mm were also upgraded in 2020 and equipped with Master Chronometer calibre 8800. The time-and-date watch we are looking at today is the handsome 41mm steel version with a black dial and integrated strap. Although we have often referred to it as a luxury sports watch – given its shaped case, raised bezel and integrated bracelet – having handled the sleek black dial and bezel version, I am tempted to rela

The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph with in-house calibre 9300 - Monochrome Watches
The new Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph is equipped with a brand new in-house calibre 9300, the first chronograph in Omega’s family of in-house Co-Axial movements.This is the first co-axial chronograph movement that comes from Omega and they used the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean for its launch. With this new in-house chronograph caliber I think Omega created an absolutely great movement with magnificent specifications. Besides that, the Omega PO Chrono is cool and rugged dive/sports/traveler watch. Ad - Scroll to continue with article A great improvement is the new bracelet with screwed pins! The previous Seamaster bracelets where a serious pain in the *** when it needed adjustment. So finally Omega delivers a bracelet that is ‘on par’!The new caliber 9300 is a so-called column-wheel chronograph. The column-wheel’s purpose is to operat