Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst - Monochrome Watches
Last week we showed you the Grand Complication that A. Lange & So?hne introduced earlier this year (click here). It was Lange & Sohne’s first ‘grand complication’ but it was the second watch from this Saxon watch brand with a striking complication. The first timepiece from Lange that features a striking mechanism was the Zeitwerk Striking Time. The magnificent Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, that was introduced last year, also has something in common with the Zeitwerk, which is synthesized in the word ‘Handwerkskunst‘.During the Watches & Wonders fair that starts today, Wednesday September 25th, in Honk Kong, Lange & Sohne introduce the new Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst. ‘Handwerkskunst’ probably best translates as handwork art or the art of craftsmanship. The solid white gold dial is decorated with a rare combination of tremblage and relief engraving techniques. For the first time in a Lange timepi

A Technical Perspective - The Curious Case of Hybrid Watches
Quartz and mechanical watches have learned to co-exist, but the call of nature still produces mixed offspring. If one almost killed the other, mechanical watches rose from the ashes and returned stronger than ever. However, just like the automotive world, things are changing, and the watchmaking industry has seen the arrival of new wrist-worn technologies, inventions which have nothing in common with classic watchmaking – whether we talk quartz or mechanical. Their survival is a matter of evolution, and maybe of merging And here comes the concept of hybrid watchmaking.Defining HybridHybrids entered our world in several areas, generating a fair amount of confusion about the definition. If you are a biologist, a hybrid would mean an offspring of two animals representing different species or varieties. A style combining two elements may be called a hybrid by a musician. In business, a hybrid would be a mix of in-office and remote work so employees have greater work-life balance and

A Technical Perspective - The Peripheral Rotor, A Smart And Stylish Solution
Since 2009 and the introduction of the Carl F. Bucherer Calibre A1000, peripheral rotors are becoming more and more fashionable. With this smart and stylish solution, the winding mass is an annular segment mounted and swinging around the movement, instead of a centrally mounted oscillating weight rotating over the movement. This offers an unobstructed view of the movement along with providing the convenience of automatic winding. In addition, peripheral rotors allow watchmakers to design thinner self-winding watches, without adding to their thickness with an oscillating weight rotating over the movement.The calibre CFB A1000 series by Carl F. Bucherer. In 2009, it was the first movement with a peripheral rotor to be produced on a large scale.The 1950s - First attemptsThe idea of peripheral winding is not exactly new. We can refer to a patent applied in June 1955 by Paul Gosteli of Geneva, (Swiss patent N¡ã 322325 pictured below, filed on June 6th?1955, published on July 31st?1957) descr

Video - Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic
It seems to be a never-ending success story. Another year, another new ultra-thin model, another world record… Once again, Bvlgari introduces a new, ultra-technical, ultra-impressive model in its Octo Finissimo collection, once again, it sets new standards for thinness, and once again, it proves that when it comes to ultra-thin movements and watches the brand is amongst the best in class. This year, Bvlgari archives its sixth record with an openworked watch equipped with a tourbillon and an automatic chronograph… and with a case that measures just 7.40mm in height (this is less than most time-only, ultra-thin watches…) and a movement that is just 3.50mm thin. Yes, the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic is once again a demonstration of savoir-faire, which is fully explained in the video at the top of this article with Jean-Christophe Babin, the brand’s CEO.More details about this new Octo Finissimo here, in our hands-on review, and a

The Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 Ultraman (But It's Sold-Out Already) - Monochrome Watches
Back in January 2017, Omega teamed up with our good friends and fellow watch journalist FratelloWatches to create the Speedy Tuesday limited edition – a watch that was intended for true Speedmaster collectors who gather under the #SpeedyTuesday community. This first edition was based on the Alaska Project watch with a radial/panda dial. Now, it is time for the?Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 and this time, the “Ultraman” Speedmaster is back. Again a 2,012 piece limited edition sold online (but it is now sold-out).The Omega Speedmaster Ultraman Orange Hand (1968, ref. ST 145.012-67)In the collecting world, there are the icons and there are the unicorns. The first category refers to the model themselves (think Omega Speedmaster in general). The second category refers to some exceptionally rare editions that some collectors could spend a lifetime searching for. The Omega Speedmaster Ultraman Orange Hand is one of them. What is it about with this