Just because it's February 29th - What to know about a Perpetual Calendar watch? - Monochrome Watches
Well, except if you're living on?different?planet?than us, normal?human beings, you certainly didn't miss out that today is kind of a special day - at least in the countries using the?Gregorian calendar (which represents 95% of?the world). Indeed, today is the day that occurs only once every 4 years and to us, watch lovers; it is a day that immediately refers to a specific features of fine watchmaking: the perpetual calendar. Thus, as 2016 is a leap year and as today is?February 29th, it is the perfect timing to have a closer look at why such a complication exists and how a perpetual calendar?works?Why is there a leap year and why every 4 years, we have a?February 29th?Before going into more technical details about the perpetual calendar function of a watch, we first have to understand the concept of leap year… which means a short astronomy and history lesson first. Don’t be afraid, as many?of the watch complications have been developed regarding?astronomical observations.

The Ateliers deMonaco Admiral Chronograph Flyback Saphir - Monochrome Watches
If some of you might know this watch manufacture by now (thanks to a?coverage here, at Monochrome),?Ateliers deMonaco is clearly not the most famous of them all… Which, in all honesty, is rather a pity, as the brand has a lot to offer. Forget about the affiliation with the Frederique Constant Group.?Ateliers deMonaco plays in a different league (with a collection that comprises tourbillons, minute repeaters or Hallmark of Geneva watches…) and their latest creation has some appeal, both?aesthetically?and technically. Here is our review of the?Ateliers deMonaco Admiral Chronograph Flyback Saphir.About the?Ateliers deMonaco brandAteliers deMonaco has been created in 2008, by Peter Stas and his head of watchmaking,?Pim Koeslag (now CEO of the brand), as a sister company of Frederique Constant. While the latter plays on the “accessible luxury” trend, by offering watches with nice technical content, in-house movements or even the cheapest perpetual calendar on the mar

The Battle of Automatic Chronographs - IWC vs. Glashutte Original (the White Dial Edition) - Monochrome Watches
This face-to-face article wasn’t something we actually planned to do… But recently, after shooting photos for the review of the Glashutte Senator Chronograph Panorama Date, I put the watch on my desk, right next to another chronograph… A white dial IWC Portugieser Chronograph 3714. And that’s how the idea for this battle of automatic chronographs emerged. Two slightly Germanic-looking watches, with white dials, elegant but not over-dressed designs, from two of the most respected brands. This is not going to be an easy battle!?In the left corner, the modern icon in IWC’s collection, the classic Portugieser Chronograph reference 3714 with white dial and blue indexes – the one with a Valjoux-based movement. In the right corner, another desirable watch, much more recent, with solid arguments regarding its movement, the GO Senator Chronograph in steel with a casual white dial. As with all our face-to-face articles, we reviewed both models first – he

The Certina DS-8 is a surprisingly vesatile and affordable collection
If you take a moment to consider the Swatch Group's current state of affairs, there are a lot of good things going on. Admittedly, some brands seem a bit lost, but for the most part, we're seeing some very nice moves by brands like Tissot, Hamilton, Longines and lately also Certina. We've had the funky DS-2 revival, the very good DS Action Diver Titanium and the chunky yet retro-cool DS Chronograph Automatic 1968 to play with! And Certina isn't done after those three, as there's also the more modern and sports-oriented Certina DS-8 range to consider. And it turns out to be a very good everyday watch, providing excellent value-for-money yet again.Admittedly, the Certina DS-8 is a watch that can be easily overlooked but if given a bit of attention can win over quite a few people, I'm sure. It's not going to break any records, nor does it look extremely outspoken but it ticks a lot of boxes most people might want in a reliable mechanical watch intended for everyday use. Ad - Sc

Introducing The Bamford B80 Titanium Field Watch Collection
If you’re into watches and regularly scroll watch content on social media, the name George Bamford should be very familiar. A pioneer in the customisation of luxury watches, Bamford now promotes his own exclusive portfolio of models under his second brand, Bamford London. Naturally, collaborations and unique creations will always remain central in his creative process, but today it’s something different, following up with recent introductions such as the Heritage GMT watches. A no-nonsense, field-inspired watch available in three different styles: meet the new Bamford B80 collection.What we’re looking at with the new Bamford B80 Titanium collection is, at first sight, a classic, well-proportioned and fairly priced field-inspired watch. But coming from the mind of George Bamford, you can expect a twist – and the three styles offered each have their own personality. First, the common features. Each model in the collection is built around the same technical archite