Introducing The A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus Chronograph
If you turn up to the most important annual watch salon with just one model, it had better be good. And being A. Lange & Sohne, the watch in question will not disappoint as the Saxon brand unveils its first automatic chronograph movement – calibre L156.1 – inside its Odysseus sports watch. Regarded as one of the most challenging complications to construct, the new and highly ingenious chronograph movement dispenses with counters to relay elapsed times. Instead, and respecting the strong visual identity of this watch with its outsize day and date windows, the Odysseus Chronograph relies on two central chronograph hands, a reset-to-zero button and increased functionality of the pushers.The Odysseus, launched on 24 October 2019?– 25 years to the day of the first collection that marked Lange's revival – was the brand's take on the luxury sports watch, its first sporty-elegant' everyday model. Not only was it the first steel model for the brand, but it was also t

The dilemma of Constant Force in Watchmaking - Monochrome Watches
Constant force is a holy grail of watchmaking and chronometry. The varying driving force delivered to the regulating organ of watches affects their rate, because balance wheels are not perfectly isochronous - isochronous means that the period of oscillation is independent of the amplitude of oscillation. Modern barrels and the Swiss lever escapement offer satisfactory regularity. Still, in their ongoing search for precision, watchmakers are showing renewed interest in taming power even further. Here is our technical guide to the complex concept of constant force.The barrel is the device that stores energy in a watch movement. It contains the mainspring coiled around the barrel arbor, which is put under tension to power the movement. The force delivered by the barrel is irregular. Strong torque is provided when it is fully wound, then it slowly wanes throughout the power reserve duration. This affects the rate of watches because balance wheels are not perfectly isochronous. The period o

Omega Speedmaster 38 'Cappuccino' - Glamour and Resilience - Monochrome Watches
Last month we covered the launch of two new gold Speedmaster 38mm watches for women. Presented in either Sedna or yellow gold, the novelties flesh out the growing collection that currently has a line-up of 19 models in a wide variety of case materials, two-tone and single tone dials and the option of diamonds on the bezel. Although there are plenty of Speedmaster 38mm chronographs that play the unisex card extremely well, the model we had for our hands-on session is this beautiful Sedna gold and diamond version with a ‘cappuccino’ colour scheme.Size does matterThe 38mm Speedmaster made its debut in 2017, exactly 60 years after the introduction of the first Speedmaster in Omega's 1957 trilogy of Master instrument watches. For starters, the size of this watch is absolutely perfect. After all, it is a sports watch and making the Speedmaster any smaller would cancel the personality of the watch. Like the Speedmaster that landed on the Moon (ST 105.012), the case construction of

All You Need To Know: Polo, Clare Mountbatten and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso - Monochrome Watches
Polo (on a horse that is), has a mysterious allure. One of exclusivity and physical bravery. The ultimate sporting expression of man and beast working in perfect synergy. For those who don't play (and I count myself in that group), the sport of kings is also devilishly difficult to understand. And when I say that, it's not just the game itself that's hard to grasp - it's the culture, the financing and playing calendar that baffles.When it comes to watches – a subject I am more comfortable with – the link between polo and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is inextricable. But to fully appreciate the watch and its historical significance it almost seems wrong to not be able to really understand the sport. And for that reason, I sat down with a woman as qualified as any to take us through the basics: Clare Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven to give her full name. Clare is a Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassador and one of the most well-known faces in British polo. She took up the spor

Introducing The Yema Urban Traveller 2023 Collection (Live Pics & Price)
You might know Yema, the most famous French watchmaker, for its emblematic dive watch, the Superman. But there’s more to the brand than the Superman. In recent years, Yema has undergone an impressive change and has developed a large collection of accessible sports watches. With the Urban collection, however, it’s no longer about ultra-focused watches but about offering daily beaters. And the watch that best summarises this strategy is this new Urban Traveller, a model that has already been teased with two limited editions: the Wristmaster Traveller and the Wristmaster Micro-Rotor.With the 2023 Urban Traveller collection, Yema is making one of its recent signature designs available as part of the permanent collection. What we can say about this model is that it basically represents the brand’s vision of an accessible sporty-chic watch with an integrated design. And talking about design, this new Urban Traveller should look familiar to some of you, and for good reasons.