Alternatives to Off-the-Shelf Swiss ETA and Sellita Movements, with Seagull, Seiko and Miyota - Monochrome Watches
When talking about contemporary watches, companies generally use either in-house or off-the-shelf movements, the latter supplied by various manufacturers. Many high-end brands like Patek Philippe, Piaget, and Breguet can produce in-house movements that are optimized for their portfolios. A watch company is considered complete when it can produce its own movement, but many still rely on outsourced ones from large Swiss manufacturers like ETA and Sellita. Yet, the market has changed. A few established brands have decided to offer entry-range automatic watches and mostly,?microbrands are all over the place, with the need to offer mechanical movements for accessible prices. Alternatives to?the usual Swiss generic?calibres have thus become crucial.The time and expense to design and build an in-house movement isn't a viable option for many smaller brands, and even major companies with their own movement production facilities also rely on off-the-shelf calibres for many models. It's been th

Splitting Time Between Two Masters - Part II: The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Watch - 'Moonraker' - Monochrome Watches
“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry” I blame those kids at Fratellowatches.com, with their ‘Speedy Tuesday‘ presentations for corrupting my latest watch ‘scheme’! Once again in a turn fitting of an Ian Flemming novel, I found myself in London on a dreary, dark, cold day – minding my own business. All of the sudden an agent of a worldwide organization bent on my (financial) destruction [Harrods] flashes a glimpse of a watch to me… 3570.50.00, aka the Speedmaster Professional, aka the Moon Watch. The next thing I know, my plan to wear the Seamaster 2535.80 for the full year without discontinuation is somehow spoilt.Splitting time between two masters indeed! For those of you not fully aware of this by now – I am a person with precious little to do and much, much less in the way of intellect. For me a MAJOR goal for the year 2013 was to simply wear ONE watch to coincide with the Chinese Lunar Calendar… Almost as I

Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A by Samuel Ross
Artist and designer Samuel Ross is back at work with Hublot. A tradition for the brand over its 44 years of existence, Hublot has collaborated with many contemporary artists like Richard Orlinski, Maxime-Plescia-Buchi, Murakami and Daniel Arsham. Marking the third time the Swiss brand has worked with Samuel Ross, both parties bring back the bold, sculptural and lightweight Big Bang Tourbillon SR_A in a new colour scheme and with a carbon fibre case.?In 2020, to celebrate the watchmaker's 40th anniversary, the artist unveiled the REFORM sculpture, which inspired the design of the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross, the first collaboration between Samuel Ross and Hublot on a timepiece. Having worked together on two occasions, resulting in orange and green editions of what’s one of the boldest watches of Hublot, Samuel Ross and the watch brand now launch a new chromatic variation based around the colour blue, incorporating new materials, specifically carbon. Ad - Scroll to c

Introducing IWC Big Pilot's Watch 43 Racing Green IW329306 (Price)
If the real Big Pilot, the oversized 46mm watch, is still IWC’s flagship pilot’s watch, the recent introduction of the BP43 somewhat redistributed the cards. This slightly more compact, easier, simpler, more focused version is fast becoming the cornerstone of the collection. Following the initial black and blue versions in steel, we’ve seen the release of several special editions, such as the Spitfire and, a couple of months ago, the Top Gun ceramic version. And now, it’s time for new colours with this new IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Racing Green IW329306 and an array of new rubber straps.Big Pilot’s Watch 43 (left) vs Big Pilot’s Watch 46 (right)A quick reminder about the facts. 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, with a dial all about legibility (that thing can be used as a desk cloc

Sensible Back To Normal Life Watches With Bundles Of Character
As summer is drawing to an end, it’s time to pack away our swim shorts and bikinis, inflatable unicorns and snorkel gear and return to normal life again. Although pretty much everyone looks forward to the season of ‘fun in the sun‘, it’s inevitable that at one point we must return to our everyday activities, whether that’s a full-time job or perhaps college or university. And with this transition from pleasure to business comes a question; what to wear on the wrist? Well, you’re in luck as today’s Buying Guide offers some stylish suggestions, all with a very sensible sticker price.Tissot Chemin des TourellesWe’ve recently put the blue dial version of the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles in the spotlight, but the rest of the range is not to be overlooked. The Chemin des Tourelles comes in 34mm, 39mm or 42mm sizes, with a variety of styles and colours. The design of the case is fairly simple yet tasteful and houses the Swatch Group’s Power