Some Of The Coolest Affordable Watches Of 2023, So Far - Monochrome Watches
Very few of us watch nuts are fortunate enough to hunt down and acquire tourbillons, minute repeaters or perpetual calendar watches. There’s no denying the appeal of such complex mechanical marvels, but there’s just as much fun (if not more) to be found on the lower end of the spectrum. And while we’ve compiled many lists of this year’s best sports watches, calendar watches or complex chronographs in various instalments of our weekly Buying Guide, it’s now time to take a look at watches that don’t break the bank. So, we capped the budget at EUR 1,500 and go through a selection of watches from the first few months of the year to see what’s out there for you to consider adding to the collection!Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba GreenWhen it comes to value for money, the Swatch Group is home to several brands impossible to ignore, Hamilton being one of them. The new Khaki Navy Scuba in 43mm stainless steel case looks very attractive in this new gradient g

Petrolhead Corner - Three racing cars so good they were banned
It is sometimes stated that the very first car race happened 5 minutes after the second-ever car was built. And to an extent, that is very true. Racing has been part of the automotive industry from day 1 basically, as people try to find out who is quickest in what car. The direct result is a race for innovation as well, as one tries to outdo the other. It’s pretty much an ego game at the end and something that attracts huge crowds the world over. But what happens if an engineer or race car driver has an idea that propels a car so much ahead of the field, it becomes unfair? Should it be allowed, should others try and catch up, should the rules be changed or should the car in question be banned outright? With that in mind, it’s time for another Petrolhead Corner episode looking at cars so good, they were banned from competition.?We’ve touched on the subject of banned cars before, but more from the perspective of legality or even downright cheating. Those focused on driv

Video The IWC Big Pilot 43 Racing Green IW329306
For almost 20 years, the name Big Pilot at IWC meant one thing: a 46mm, oversized, almost provocative watch inspired by 1940s B-Uhr, powered by a massive automatic movement with a 7-day power reserve and a dial so large that you could use the watch as a nightstand clock And it also meant a display with a power reserve indicator and date. But things changed in 2021 with the launch of the Big Pilot 43 watch. It was smaller, sleeker, less complex mechanically and more mainstream. This not-so-big Big Pilot is now available with a striking racing green dial, and we take a closer look at it now in our latest video review.?If the real Big Pilot, the oversized 46mm watch, is still IWC’s flagship pilot watch, the recent introduction of the BP 43 somewhat redistributed the cards. This slightly more compact, more straightforward and focused version is fast becoming the cornerstone of the collection, with many variations around the concept. This launch raised a few questions, mainly about th

Oris Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer, With Clever Bezel-Actuated Dual-Time Function (Hands-On with Price)
Over the past few years, Oris have wowed us with several practical, innovative timepieces that harness a utilitarian look, feel and features, with competitive prices. Think about the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Altimeter for instance: a highly practical watch with a hard to ignore bang-for-buck attitude, or the 2013 Oris Aquis Depth Gauge, a simple yet clever development. Today, there is a new kid in town, with yet another cool innovative element (even if its name tends to indicate a different type of watch). It is the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Worldtimer, and it is a very intuitive GMT watch.Oris is well-known for being mechanically creative, whilst remaining true to their DNA, which stands for well built, competitively priced and cleverly conceived watches for various uses. Whether we take a look at their dive watches, pilot watches or even the more fancier watches with the in-house Oris Calibre movement, each watch has a distinct feature not often found in other brands operating in the sa

Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark (live photos) - Monochrome Watches
As we recently showed to you, the Marine collection by Ulysse Nardin celebrates this year its 20th anniversary. In an interview we filmed during Baselworld 2016, the CEO of the brand, Patrik P. Hoffmann, was showing his pride with several new watches. However, these were not the only novelties of the brand this year, and the other successful model of UN, the Diver, is about to be introduced in a new version, a dive watch?in limited edition with quite a bold design and, for the first time, the manufacture’s chronograph movement. Here is the?Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronograph Hammerhead Shark.The Ulysse Nardin Diver is the brand’s interpretation of a diving instrument. Based on the Marine watch – the best seller and most emblematic watch of the brand – this timepiece adds three?dive watch essential attributes: a rotating bezel with 60-minute diving scale, a 300m water resistance and a strong legibility, via larger hands and markers. Overall, the Diver is a watch that