Watches NEWS
Six Watches with Unique Power Reserve Displays - Monochrome Watches
There’s a certain tyre manufacturer from Italy that claims “Power is nothing without Control”, and to an extent, that is very true about mechanical watches as well. Sure, you can have the most beautifully constructed watch, but if you don’t harness the energy that’s generated by winding it properly, it’s useless. Luckily, we’ve figured out how to regulate that a long time ago and in some watches, you get a very practical display to keep track of things. This so-called Power Reserve display (or indicator) can take many shapes and forms, some more intuitive than others, but it’s always a very useful element, especially in manually wound watches. For that simple reason, we’re taking a closer look at some of the most original, clever and impressive ways to display power.Longines Conquest Heritage Power ReserveLongines has one of the most impressive archives in the business, and it’s a regular source of inspiration for the brand. T
Collector's Series - The Christiaan Van der Klaauw Planetarium 2000
Watch collectors are kinda crazy, of course, but it's a nice kind of crazy' says Mr. Alias, a 45 years old entrepreneur from the Netherlands. His collection is eclectic and whenever he no longer wears a watch it is mercilessly discarded. His love for the technique, craftsmanship, and the painstaking devotion high-end watchmakers display, however, keeps him eternally intrigued by the world of watchmaking. One of his most interesting complication watches is the Christiaan Van der Klaauw Planetarium 2000 he bought in 2012. “This infatuation will never pass,” he said to me…Note: Mr. Alias is not currently in possession of his Planetarium, because I am wearing it. In a brotherly whim of trust, we have exchanged our Christiaan Van der Klaauw watches so we can wear each other's watch for a couple of weeks.The author’s CDvK Eclipse on the left, with the Church and Windmill (can’t be more Dutch than that…) and Mr. Alias’ CDvK Planetarium on the rightFra
Value Proposition: Olivier Randin Technomatic - When you want to measure your pulse and speed after discovering that a massive thunderstorm is approaching quickly - Monochrome Watches
OK, that’s a long title to start with, however it explains what you can do with the Olivier Randin Technimatic: measure your pulse (pulsometre), measure your speed (tachymetre) and how far lightning is away (telemetre). A while ago we asked you what you wanted to see more on Monochrome, and value propositions was one of the things you would like to see more on Monochrome. So when we saw a photo of the Olivier Randin technomatic, and heard the price, we thought it would make a good idea to have a closer look.I guess you already thought that the face of this watch looks familiar. It features pretty much the same scales and dial layout as the?Patek Philippe 5975 that was introduced for the brand’s 175th anniversary. So when you were too late to get hold of one of the Patek Philippe ref. 5975 models (or lack the budget) than there’s an alternative. No… kidding. Not in terms of build and quality, but at first glance you certainly see a lot of resemblance.?The Olivier
Video Review IWC Big Pilot Annual Calendar Petit Prince Steel IW502710
The connection between IWC Schaffhausen and Saint-Exupery's heirs and their charitable organisation, the Antoine de Saint-Exupery Youth Foundation, dates back to 2006. And since then, we've seen multiple editions dedicated to one of the most important characters of literature, Le Petit Prince. While the Saint-Exupery editions are characterised by their warm colours and tobacco brown dials, the Petit Prince models display midnight-blue dials, stylised numerals and a certain vintage vibe. Today, the collection is enlarged with the new Big Pilot Annual Calendar Le Petit Prince IW502710, which is now available in stainless steel.The Annual Calendar complication appeared first at IWC in 2015, within the Portugieser collection. And it has been within the Pilot's Watch range since 2016. But keep in mind that this practical display of the calendar remains sort of a rarity and not many Big Pilot watches have been equipped with this complex movement. We've seen it in the 150-year edition of 2018
SIHH 2014: Introducing the Vacheron Constantin Malte Small Seconds and Malte Tourbillon Openworked - Monochrome Watches
Nearly as old as the art of horology itself, Vacheron Constantin cemented its position as the father of the barrel-shaped watches known as tonneau cases, an iconographic design feature that has stood the test of time for over a century and continues to be a sign of prestige. The “tonneau” Malte collection is without question one of Vacheron’s gifts to the horological industry.With the hallmark of the Geneva seal in place, we know the company’s Malte piece will be truly something special, and this year at SIHH, we aren’t given just one, but rather two new Malte pieces from Vacheron Constantin. These two watches may come from the same line of tonneau cases, but the similarities end there. Having each been created under watchmaking's two different, overarching schools of thought, the new Malte pieces are polar opposites of one another. One favors refinement and balance; the other, sheer horological prowess. We introduce to you the new white gold Malte Small S