Watches and Espresso - Monochrome Watches
Last year Robert-Jan from Fratellowatches and Gerard from Horlogeplatform Nederland initiated an informal meeting of local watch enthousiasts. The idea was to make the Watches and Espresso meeting into a returning event in different locations in the neighborhood. Recently we met at a place near the sea, where it was very quiet due to the lousy weather. 8 Fellow watch enthousiasts joined to talk about watches, admire newly aquired watches and discuss the watch industry.TableshotOne of the things has become a returning topic is the size of watches and specifically the very large sized watches. I think most of us think that the BIG hype has gone far enough and it’s time to return to smaller sized watches.Personally i think large watch can be nice, but only for watches with a history of being big. Like the Panerai Luminor Marina and Radiomir models which have always been 45mm or 47mm large, which made sense for the purpuse they where designed for. Also the IWC Big Pilot has large anc

The Zoute Grand Prix Rally 2016 sponsored by Lebeau-Courally - Part 1, The Rally - Monochrome Watches
What do a classic car rally, handmade hunting rifles and mechanical watches have in common? The answer is Lebeau-Courally. The company was founded in 1805 and is well known in Royal families for its handmade hunting rifles and has moved into the field of haute-horlogerie by acquiring Le Locle based IMH. Lebeau-Courally is a platinum sponsor of the Zoute Grand Prix Rally. In part 2 of this article we will focus on Lebeau-Courally and their newest timepiece, the beautiful Phase de Lune with 18 layers of enamel. However first we’re going to have a look at the Zoute Grand Prix event, in particular the rally.Those of you who have read the articles about Goodwood, know that at Monochrome we love events that involve (classic) cars and watches. So when we were invited to the Zoute Grand Prix Rally, we didn’t hesitate to say yes. This rally has a?unique?atmosphere! What is the same? What is different? I’m curious to find out more! Ad - Scroll to continue with articl

The Collector's Series - David Brailsford and his Peter Roberts Concentrique Grand Complication 5 - Monochrome-Watches
This week, on the Collector's Series, we discover what it's like to own a watch that, when released, was the first wristwatch to have all five hands all mounted on the same central axis. This unusual watch is called the Concentrique Grand Complication 5 and is the work of one of the greatest British watchmakers, Peter Roberts. Fitted with a superbly finished Valjoux 88?as a base, it boasts many complications, something that its owner, David from Garrick Watches, knows how to appreciate. And as usual, there is a story behind a watch, and here is David's.Peter Roberts is one of the great veterans of British Watchmaking. He has spent 45 years in the business having been the the first British student to attend the Swiss WOSTEP course (the Watches Of Switzerland Training and Education Program, which was founded in 1966 and is considered the basis for modern education in horology for professional watchmakers). ?He has worked at IWC, , and more recently, British watch brand Bremont. This wee

Tissot Heritage Visodate Automatic - Value Proposition Review (Specs & Price)
They say some things were just better back in the day. Classic cars, classic movies, pinball vs. PlayStation Perhaps the same sentiment can apply to watches. It's no secret that vintage-inspired lines are exploding among brands, from Longines' Avigation BigEye to Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms, and the right mix of retro styling with contemporary engineering can become an enthusiast's dream. Tissot has its own Heritage collection that draws on over 165 years of watchmaking. We recently reviewed the Heritage Petite Seconde, a piece inspired by a 1943 Tissot classic, and now shift our attention to the Heritage Visodate Automatic, which harkens back to the 1950s when the brand celebrated its 100th anniversary (and something that was quite innovative back in the days).BACKGROUNDFounded in 1853 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Tissot is a real veteran in the industry. With the first mass-produced pocket watch in the 1850s and first anti-magnetic watch in 1929 (among many firsts), the company is a true

Petrolhead Corner: The Sheer Insanity Of The Isle Of Man Tourist Trophy
As a biker myself for a little over a year now, and having recently purchased my very first motorcycle, my interest is not purely focused on cars anymore. Admittedly, next to watches cars are my biggest passion, but the love affair with two-wheeled motorized fun is growing stronger and stronger with every ride I take. This perfectly blends in my love for racing, on both four and two wheels, although I have no intention of taking to the tracks myself. Instead, I am much happier watching from the sidelines and seeing man and machine in perfect harmony dancing from corner to corner at breakneck speeds. Those breakneck speeds are to be taken quite literally with the oldest continuous motor race in history; the Isle of Man TT. And with the 2023 edition just behind us, I felt it was time to take a look at this pure adrenaline-fueled insanity!Peter Hickman on the BMW M1000RR, winning 4 races this year and 13 in total.Admittedly, racing motorbikes on closed circuits is one thing, but what we&#