Buying Guide - From Time & Date watches to Secular Calendars
As we’re coming up to the end of February, our nerdy watchmaking minds always tend to stray in the direction of Perpetual Calendar watches. And even though this year is not a leap year, the fact that a watch can switch from the 28th or the 29th of February to the 1st of March without any corrections is absolutely fascinating to us. But calendar watches, in general, not just QP’s, serve a very practical goal: keeping you informed of other calendar indications besides ‘just’ the passing of time. So from a basic time-and-date model as a start and a secular calendar at the end, today’s Buying Guide goes from the simplest calendar watch to the most complex.?Time & Date – Oris Big Crown Calibre 473One of the earliest time-and-date wristwatches, and quite an iconic one for that matter, is the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. Born in 1938 and in production pretty much ever since, it has a strong following of fans. What started as an early pilot’s watch

Hands-On - The 2022 Pasha de Cartier Skeleton ADLC (Specs & Price)
The Pasha de Cartier collection has a wonderful background story involving the fabulously wealthy Pasha El Glaoui of Marrakech and his request to Louis Cartier to produce a gold waterproof watch with enough panache to accompany him on any of his countless social appointments. The only snag with this story is that the alleged 1932 model has never materialised (see below). Be that as it may, the one fact we can confirm is that Gerald Genta was the designer behind the Pasha collection of 1985. Faithful to Cartier‘s tradition of shaped cases, the Pasha plays with the geometry of a square inside a circle and is easy to recognise thanks to its cabochon-capped crown protector attached to a small chain. Among the 2022 releases was a surprising and not very publicised version that proved even more surprising in the dark. We take a closer look at this Pasha de Cartier Skeleton ADLC.The classic, closed dial version of the Pasha de Cartier, in its revamped version of 2020The Pasha, as we kno

Pre SIHH 2015: Greubel Forsey GMT titanium Black ADLC - The Dark Side and the Earth (specs and price) - Monochrome-Watches
Since founding their unique watch company ten years ago in 2004, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have created an indelible footprint, instantly recognisable and firmly imprinted on the world of watchmaking. In the space of just one decade Greubel Forsey have become a benchmark watchmaker, and every move they make is followed keenly by collectors and other watchmakers alike. One of their most famous creations now comes in black: say hello to the?Greubel Forsey GMT titanium Black ADLC.For their latest foray, Greubel Forsey revisit the horological marvel that is their GMT from 2011-2012 and present the Greubel Forsey GMT Black in a new limited edition of only twenty-two pieces (we previously found a unique piece in?platinum DLC coated), and you know what, even if blacked watches are not your thing, they've nailed it again! It is hugely impressive and even though it's not a new concept, there is still so much to take in. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

Hands-on with the very original De Rijke & Co x Miffy Special Edition
The use of comic book characters or cartoon personalities in watchmaking isn’t new. However, we’ve recently seen a successful?revival of the classical Character Watches. Watches incorporating Mickey Mouse, Snoopy or Popeye have become very popular lately, and we can surely expect more to come in the future. Small-time Dutch independent watchmaker De Rijke & Co. now enters this humorous field of watchmaking with something very, very cool: Nijntje, or “Miffy” for non-Dutch people. This iconic little rabbit created by Dick Bruna is known the world over and now finds its way into a mechanical watch for the very first time. And we have the exclusive world premiere of this very fun and limited De Rijke & Co. x Miffy Moonphase.Dick Bruna & Nijntje/MiffyTo explain who or what Miffy is – for those who have no clue or need their memories refreshed – Miffy is a small rabbit-like character developed by Dick Bruna, perhaps the most famous Dutch graphi

Oris Aquis Date New York Harbor Limited Edition (Price)
Watchmaker Oris has been championing environmental projects around the world under its “Change for the Better” umbrella, always revolving around the theme of water. From whale and dolphin conservation to cleaning up the world's lakes?and rivers and saving coral reefs, Oris has struck upon another original project involving bivalve molluscs. This time, Oris is collaborating with the Billion Oyster Project, a non-profit determined to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor. To help the Billion Oyster Project reseed the harbour waters with baby oysters, Oris is releasing 2,000 pieces of its high-performance Aquis diver's watch with a wonderful watery green mother-of-pearl designed to evoke the colour of the waters of New York Harbor.Billion Oyster ProjectAccording to a report by NY's Department of Environmental Projection, the Harbor is cleaner today than it's been in nearly 110 years, attracting humpback whales feeding on menhaden, or bunker fish that are now thriving