A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Date // Video Review
It is often said that in watchmaking the entry-level complication – understand here any additional indication that isn’t the hours, minutes or seconds – is the date function. While this is true for most of the watches, when it comes to a masterpiece of engineering such as the A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk, adding a date was a veritable technical challenge. Because of the ultra-complex display of this watch, adding a simple date window wasn’t possible. But this wasn’t enough to stop the team managed by Anthony de Haas, director of product development, who today gives us a full explanation of how the A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Date was developed and how it is manufactured, in the video at the top of this article.?What’s so special about a date window? Usually, the answer is nothing. It is the most common, the simplest of all complications. You can find it in the most affordable automatic watches, simply because it is a disc rotating under the dial a

Breguet Classique Complications 3797 Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon (Specs & Price)
A compendium of Abraham-Louis Breguet's ingenious inventions and style, the Classique Complications 3797 is a magnificent perpetual calendar tourbillon laden with nostalgia for the undisputed horological star of the 18th century. Released in 2014, the 3797 is Breguet in his purest, unadulterated form with all the unmistakable signs' of the creator and a couple of 21st-century tweaks that the maestro would surely relish. Although almost all the heavyweights of the watch scene have produced a perpetual calendar tourbillon combination - ALS Lange 1, IWC Portugieser,?Patek, Chopard et al. - none of them can match the historical clout and legitimacy of Breguet in this department. The 41mm case of the 3797, in?rose gold or platinum, is a time capsule transporting the wearer (or in this case, the admirer) on a historical journey back in time.The extraordinary talents of Abraham-Louis BreguetEvery detail of the 3797 shouts Breguet: from the engine-turned dial to the Breguet overcoil below deck

De Bethune DB28 Black Matte - Reviewing an Unusual Masterpiece (Photos, Specs and Price) - Monochrome Watches
In the past years we have reviewed some quite impressive timepieces. We showed you classic styled Haute Horlogerie, like for instance the JLC master ultra-thin 1907 and the iconic Lange 1 from A. Lange & Sohne. The good things about Haute Horlogerie is that it is not bound by certain style codes, and is rather defined by the quality. Recently we've worn a thoroughbred Haute Horlogerie piece that, in its looks, does not share much with the aforementioned watches, except that it indicates the time with an hour and minute hand. Upon closer inspection however, there are much more similarities than expected based on a first glance. We're talking about the De Bethune DB28 Black Matte.For those unknown with De Bethune, I think it's best to say that all their timepieces feature a rather unusual look/style, although most come in a round case, feature two hands to indicate the time, and are attached to the wrist with a strap. It's mainly details that are just different. For instance the crow

Recap - MONOCHROME's 10 Most Read Articles Of 2022
The end of the year 2022 is nigh. And once again, at MONOCHROME, we’ve seen a lot of new watches (in all fairness, it was more evolutionary than revolutionary), and we reviewed more models than ever before. We’ve also published an incredible amount of articles – close to 1,200 this year, a record that will be hard to beat, but we’ll keep on trying. It is now time to look at your favourite articles of the year… And I’ve been slightly surprised by the results. Contrary to past years, it’s not only about ,?Patek?and Omega occupying top places on the charts. In 2022, you’ve also praised accessible watches from brands such as Citizen, Tissot or Seiko. Here are our Top 10 Articles of 2022.10 – Going Deep into the Green SubmarinerAlright, I was lying a bit in the introduction… There are some ?articles in our top-read reviews of 2022, but it’s not even one of the new watches released this year. Instead, it’s a watch

Patek Philippe Ref.5270/1R Gets the Midas Touch - Monochrome Watches
The combination of a chronograph and a perpetual calendar is the epitome of what Patek Philippe does best. This year we were regaled with not one but two 5270 references, one in platinum with a much-praised salmon-coloured dial and this rose gold model with an ebony dial. Dripping in 18k rose gold from head to toe, Patek's Ref. 5270/1R is as different from its platinum brother as chalk and cheese. With the same sophisticated in-house manual-winding movement as its sibling, the 5270/1R comes with a sumptuous rose gold bracelet with the QP correctors artfully hidden in the links.The King of ComplicationsThe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is considered by many as the pinnacle of Patek Philippe's watchmaking prowess and its first chapter was written in 1941 with the launch of legendary Ref. 1518. The first serially produced perpetual calendar with chronograph, Ref. 1518 was decades ahead of other brands. A holier than holy grail piece, the $11 million paid for a stainless steel 1518 model