Five Exceptional Watches With Super-Lenghty Power Reserves
Whether you like watches with manual or automatic wound movements, one of the key attributes of a mechanical watch is its power reserve. We regularly see comments on the power reserve of a movement being too short, as most watches hover around the 38 to 50-hour mark. Movements like the Powermatic 80 sort that for most people, thanks to its reduced frequency and improved mainspring and barrel providing 80 hours of running time. But what if you want something with a bit more autonomy, like a couple of weeks, a month or longer, for instance? Well, you’re in luck, as there are plenty of complex and admittedly rather pricey watches around that do just that! With that in mind, today’s Buying Guide focuses on watches with a power reserve of 31 days and up.A. Lange & Sohne lange 31 – 31 daysThe Lange 31 by A. Lange & Sohne starts us off with a month-long power reserve. This exceptional piece was introduced in 2017 and is still part of the collection (albeit as a very

History of the Pilot Watch Part II - Zenith Montre dAeronef Type 20 - Monochrome Watches
The Wright Brothers and Alberto Santos ushered in the golden age of aviation as well as the Pilot Watch (as we told you in the History of Pilot Watches Part 1), and Louis Bleriot assumed their mantle.? Once it was possible to fly, newborn pilots raised the goals, and people attempted to do the impossible, like flying across the English Channel.? These newly minted pilots, these fledgling birds, having just left the nest, were now trying to write their names in the record books.? Bleriot succeeded, and Zenith was there, forever establishing the fusion of horology and flight. The prize to fly across the English Channel was 1,000 pounds - adjusted for inflation, a tidy sum in any age.? The French newspaper Le Matin disparaged the contest by declaring that there was no chance of a pilot winning the prize; the attempt was unreasonable.In 1909 with a Zenith strapped to his wrist, Bleriot crossed 31 miles of open water, stretching from horizon to horizon.? The flight from Calais to Dover last

Ulysse Nardin Diver 42mm, The Brand's new Entry-Level Watch (Live Pics, Specs & Pric)
Just a few weeks ago, on the occasion of the Monaco Yacht Show, Ulysse Nardin unveiled its?new Diver Chronometer, a streamlined and cleaner take on the emblematic model. This collection is now complemented with a smaller 42mm model (vs. 44mm for the Diver Chronometer). Most importantly, not only does the diameter change, but this watch will be the new entry-level piece of the brand. For those looking for a Ulysse Nardin watch, the new Diver can be yours for CHF 5,800. Let's take a closer look at the new Ulysse Nardin Diver 42mm.If the design inspiration remains the same, with a concave bezel and a domed sapphire crystal, the new Diver 42mm is not just smaller. This three-hander has a cool neo-vintage look. The uncluttered dial has a pleasant grained texture with a sand-blasted finish and retro-styled beige indications. It also includes a surprising line of text, which actually is the longitude and latitude of Le Locle, Switzerland, the hometown of the brand. As you would expect from a

The 4 New Patek Philippe Minute Repeaters of the Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 Collection - Monochrome Watches
During the Rare Handcrafts 2020-2021 exhibition held at its headquarters on Rue du Rh?ne from 16 – 26 June, Patek Philippe offers visitors a chance to admire its latest collection of one-of-a-kind watches, pocket watches and clocks decorated with rare handcrafts. Ranging from miniature enamel painting to wood micro-marquetry and from Grand Feu cloisonne enamel to manual engraving, Patek showcases the Maison's consummate artistic craftsmanship. Marking the occasion, four minute repeaters in the current collection have been given the rare handcrafts treatment. Ref. 6002R-001 Sky Moon Tourbillon Haut ArtisanatPatek's second most complicated wristwatch, the Sky Moon Tourbillon, gets a makeover and now appears in a rose gold case with a brown Grand Feu enamel dial. Making its debut in 2001 with Ref. 5002, the 12 complications spread across the two dials of the Sun Moon Tourbillon were surpassed with the Grandmaster Chime of 2014 and its s

Caviar Makes an Interesting Addition to your iPhone (Sort Of) - A Skeletonized Watch Movement on your Phone Case - Monochrome Watches
The Omega Point is a theory - not a retail location. It is succinctly postulated by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin by the notion that everything that rises must converge.? Those of us old enough to remember the way that mechanical watchmaking had to pull itself up out of the wreckage of the quartz-age are also well aware of how mechanical watchmaking has to fight for relevance on the manifold fronts presented by the digital age. In a time when you use a phone to take a picture, why not use a phone to tell time too? Now, we have connected watches that look like watches (sort of) but act like smartphones. Perhaps the currents lifting both the digital revolution and the mechanical revolution are putting them on a collision course? TAG Heuer produced a series of Android-based phones. Ulysse Nardin produced a phone powered by a mechanical oscillator. Why even Kari Voutilainen produced a series of dials (just dials mind you - not functioning watches) for some random Chinese smartphone maker (no,