Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie
With an ultra-thin perpetual calendar, an openworked tourbillon, a minute repeater Supersonnerie and more recently, a flying tourbillon chronograph, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet wasn’t short of complications… But the latest addition in the range goes a step further with a movement that features what’s probably the highest complication of them all, a grande sonnerie – something only a handful of watchmakers are capable of. So here’s the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie, which also pays tribute to the makers, featuring handcrafted enamel dials by master enameller Anita Porchet.The grande sonnerie at Audemars PiguetChiming watches, or watches that strike the time, take us back to the origins of watchmaking. Invented in the 14th century, striking clocks had no dials and announced the time with chimes. Audemars Piguet has specialised in chiming mechanisms since its establishment in 1875. Records show that more than half

Chopard Full Strike Minute Repeater (with price)
With the?L.U.C Full Strike, Chopard Watches’?high-end collection welcomes a minute repeater, a complication never explored by the brand, and launched as the crowning point of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture. We’ve seen some tourbillons, some perpetual calendars with?chronograph, super slim and eco-friendly watches?previously, but never a striking watch. At first glance you?could easily imagine that this?is just another minute repeater, nicely-designed and superbly finished but nothing?really?spectacular (relatively speaking of course, a minute repeater is always a little?spectacular…). However, this?Chopard L.U.C Full Strike features?something entirely?new and innovative, which makes it?different from any other minute repeater we’ve seen before.As a watch from Chopard’s?high-end collection – and we all know that these are pretty good watches, to say the least – you can safely assume the?L.U.C Full Strike

In-Depth: The History of the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498
How do a pair of manually wound, time-only, pocket watch-sized, potentially outdated movements introduced in the 1950s earn a place in our series on significant calibres, alongside the well-known El Primero and Valjoux 7750 chronograph calibre and the omnipresent automatic ETA 2824 and 2892? Several factors contribute to their importance. Despite seeming unusual today, the large diameter of these movements became a notable advantage during the mechanical renaissance of the 1990s. This era saw the international embrace of larger timepieces, a trend often credited to Panerai, which used the ETA/Unitas 6497 to power its reissues from that decade. The Lepine 6497 and its Savonette version 6498, known for their robustness, reliability, and accuracy, were well-designed and easy to regulate to chronometer standards. The 6497 is the most widely used teaching calibre in watchmaking schools, as it is easy to understand and handle. The versatility and adaptability led to these movements’ ad

Seiko Mechanical Automatic (SARB033) Fully Reviewed - Monochrome Watches
Affordable luxury… An oxymoron? Probably so, but we here at Monochrome know very well that such things exist.?Seiko has become the champion of this supposedly “made-up” category. Capability-wise, we all know the folks at Seikosha can easily rival their Swiss counterparts, and the Grand Seiko is a testament to that. But to make a timepiece equally good, without the price premium that comes with it… Impossible…? Let’s find out!?The dream timepiece for us collectors will always be the very best the industry could offer. The problem is…. that changes with every purchase, or sometimes every passing week. The phrase “you know you want it” kept plaguing our minds, a syndrome that we watch nerds cannot escape from. But what if our paradigms were to shift just as mine did? What if instead of looking for the very best, I look for a timepiece that hits the sweet spot and strikes the balance between quality and price? A piece that can be worn o

Smartwatch or smart watch: Frederique Constant & Alpina stumble onto the stage of smart-tech - Monochrome Watches
Ever since the dawn of the smartphones and ¨Ctablets, the discussion of smartwatches' has been looming in the dark. Over the past 12 months though, we have seen the concept solidify in the form of several smart-only watches (i.e. a watch that is fully smart and non-mechanical) and a few attempts of blending technology with tradition. For the hardcore enthusiast this is something of a concern, which seems valid when digging into the latest offering: Frederique Constant & Alpina Swiss Horological Smartwatches.We've seen the Kairos, that I am personally following closely as development moves closer to production, and we've seen the Montblanc E-Strap on the Timewalker Urban Speed. The latter of the two is perhaps the most interesting, and most unlikely to disturb the feel of a mechanical watch. You can still enjoy your TimeWalker, or any model you decide to strap it on to, while being notified in the case of an emergency or important event. True, the impact and usability of both can be