Hands-On Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
The epitome of technical complexity and restrained elegance, the?Vacheron Constantin?Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin was first presented in 2011. Appearing with a blue dial (2019) and a slate grey dial (2017), the most classical interpretation is the present pink gold model with a silvery opaline dial. Retaining the essential styling of the Patrimony collection that references VC’s minimalist 1950s watch designs, the watch is equipped with the legendary ultra-thin automatic calibre 1120 QP. Let’s have a closer look at this supremely elegant model.Vacheron Constantin produced its first perpetual calendar in 1884 (inventory no. 10155), a double-sided gold pocket watch that automatically recognised months with 28, 29, 30 or 31 days. The main dial indicated the time, while the hinged caseback opened to reveal four elegant counters with phases and age of the moon, the day of the week, months and leap year indicator and the date. By 1905, Vacheron had upped the complexity

Hands-On - The Garrick S1 Prototype With Skeletonized Dial (Specs & Price)
For the last few years, we've been hearing about the so-called “resurgence” of British watchmaking. Run by passionate Brits with a strong streak of defiance, these small independent brands are (very) slowly but surely gaining a foothold in the market and proving they have what it takes to stick around for a while. One such brand, which we've written about several times before on MONOCHROME, is Garrick (you can find all past coverage here.) Today, we're taking a closer look at the S1, the latest model from the brand, or rather a prototype of it.?SalonQP 2017If you attended SalonQP this year at the Saatchi Gallery, then you likely already know it was a lacklustre event in comparison to previous years. Not only was it smaller (an entire floor smaller) but it also failed to attract the major brand names like Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre, which in previous years had interactive booths set up. This seems to be part of a larger trend of big brands not finding regional

Hands-On - The Surprisingly Affordable Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar (Specs & Price)
If you want to dip your toe into the world of sophisticated complications, it usually comes at a price. A tourbillon, for example, can easily add CHF 20,000 or more to the price of a watch. The Longines Master Collection has been around since 2005 and serves as a contemporary alternative to its revered Heritage Collection (with more traditional designs). The Master Collection has a wide variety of complications, from power reserve displays to calendar chronographs with moon phase and more, but these new models are the first for Longines to have an annual calendar. The Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar not only offers a more sophisticated calendar complication than the norm but does so at an impressively affordable price.What exactly is an annual calendar? Well, there are several ways for a mechanical watch to display calendar information. First is a date complication, or a simple numerical day of the month. Then there's a day-date complication that displays both days of the we

Hands-on with the Ulysse Nardin FreakLab, a concept turned into reality (live photos, specs & price) - Monochrome-Watches
The Freak has always been an important watch, since it was first introduced in 2001. Not only for Ulysse Nardin, but for the entire industry. You may look at it as another impressive and technically advanced watch, with a strange way to display time, however it is so much more than just that. It has to be see as a proper laboratory of research, a watch that, 15 years ago, created a massive break all conventions of how a movement should/could be?construct.?Ulysses Nardin have redesigned the Freak a bit and it looks good! We go hands-on with the Ulysse Nardin FreakLab.Ulysses Nardin might be very well known for the Marine Collection?however this brand has a very rich repertoire including ?what used to be the very first perpetual calendar that could be adjusted forward and backward. Ulysses Nardin has an impressive R&D presence and the ability to innovate, to use unknown techniques and to really implement them into working retail watches. Last year, they introduced a new Anchor Escape

Buying Guide: Dress Watches To Suite Up For The Festive Season
It’s almost upon us, the most festive time of the year. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and plenty of others all kick off this month. And with it, there will be plenty of parties, dinners, social gatherings and other events filling up our agendas and keeping us occupied. To keep track of time in the most pleasurable way, a dress watch seems like an appropriate choice as it keeps things simple yet captivating. So with that in mind, here’s a series of classy watches to consider gracing your wrist, with the odd twist thrown in here or there, just for fun.Frederique Constant Classic premiere SalmonSimplicity doesn’t equal being boring, and the Frederique Constant Classic Premiere Salmon perfectly exemplifies that. The compact watch comes with a multi-level salmon-coloured dial enhanced by a range of textures and polished applied Breguet hour numerals and hands. Around the back, the calibre FC-301, based on the La Joux-Perret G100, is driven by a rose gold-coloured rotor to m