Union Glashutte 1893 Johannes Durrstein Edition Power Reserve
The Glashutte region in South-East Germany is home to many very interesting watch manufacturers, ranging from relatively affordable to proper high-end stuff. The region is famous for a very distinct style of watchmaking, which radiates through pretty much any brand currently in operation. Clean, legible, nicely finished and often with clever and practical complications, it seems Germans simply do things differently. A brand we never covered before, for no apparent reason by the way, is Union Glashutte. With designs that tie in with the region’s aesthetical codes, Union Glashutte produces solely mechanical watches under the Swatch Group umbrella. But, as we’re about to see through the Union Glashutte 1893 Johannes Durrstein Edition Power Reserve, there’s plenty to say about this brand.The history of Union Glashutte goes back a century and a half and is intertwined with several other high-end watchmaking companies from the Glashutte region. The story starts in 1874 when

F.P. Journe Chronometre Optimum: Hands-on and explanations (with LIVE photos) - Monochrome Watches
F.P. Journe A name that sounds good to our ears. Some might say he's a genius, some are in love with his watches, and some just don't get what is hidden behind those pink gold movements. What is sure is that this man creates feelings, good or not. Back in 2012, he presented the Chronometre Optimum as the quintessential of his researches on chronometric performance. We did have the opportunity to spend a few hours with this - apparently - very simple timepiece. And guess what? This is far away from being simple. Explanations and feelings on Fran?ois-Paul Journe most precise watch.F.P. Journe is a brand that we didn't cover so much for the last months. But that's going to change as we get our hands on one of the last creation of Mister Journe (except the Historical Anniversary Tourbillon which was a 2013 limited edition). One of the main research areas of F.P. Journe had always been the chronometric precision. Of course, you can find some fancy complications in the whole range, such as t

Introducing the Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin 1931 Green dial Special Edition London Flagship Boutique (Specs & Price) - Monochrome-Watches
The Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s emblematic model, has a strong link with Britain.?The creation itself of the Reverso finds it roots in?UK, as this watch was created by Polo players that wanted?to protect the dial and the glass of their watches. How could it be more British than that? In order to celebrate the opening of its new flagship boutique in London, Jaeger-LeCoultre is about to introduce a special edition of the Reverso that both pays tribute to Britain and, because of its colour, to the sport that inspired its creation. Here is the?Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin 1931 London Special Edition with green dial.The?Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso was created in 1931?after a request by various?Polo players that wanted?a timepiece robust enough to survive the brutality of their sport with elegance to match – a request sent directly to Jacques-David LeCoultre. The French engineer in charge of the development of this new watch?designed a reversible case?able?to protect t

Event Recap: Sharing the Passion for Fine Watchmaking with Montblanc - Monochrome Watches
Last week we organized a very special evening, together with our friends of Montblanc. The evening was dedicated to ‘Sharing the passion for Fine Watchmaking’ and took place in the Montblanc boutique in Amsterdam. The main stars that evening were five of the magnificent creations from the Montblanc manufacture in Villeret.Montblanc’s manufacture in Villeret is to experts and knowledgeable collectors also known as the former Minerva manufacture. That means magnificently hand-finished bridges, levers, cams and plates, that are characteristic for the iconic chronograph movements and other calibres. The stunning creations from the Villeret manufacture are rare, maybe not as rare as the Heuer Autavia with prototype orange dial that we showed you yesterday, but rare enough to clear your schedule for an evening and visit the Montblanc boutique.Some of the timepieces from Montblanc’s Collection Villeret 1858And that is exactly what many of Monochrome’s readers did

Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition - Full Gold Aquis GMT // Specs & Price
When you think about the brand Oris, you might picture a robust dive watch, functional and utilitarian, with a nice no-nonsense design and a relatively accessible price tag. You might also think of actions to save the planet, as this has become a recurring theme for the brand. What you couldn’t expect is a full gold dive watch with a GMT function… Until now! Meet the new Oris Carysfort Reef Limited Edition, a full 18k gold Aquis GMT to save and restore damaged coral reefs.?dying Coral reefs and oris’ mission to save themLately, Oris has been producing watches that will help draw attention and raise funds to support several environmental projects. See, for instance, the Oris Ocean Trilogy, the Great Barrier Reef III or the Clean Ocean Edition. Recently, the brand which wants to save “the source of life” partnered with the Lake Baikal Foundation (to protect the world’s largest?lake on Earth), after several projects with the Clean Water project, the Ree