1. Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Review

Frederique Constant is a brand I often tell friends to check out if they are looking for something accessible and well put together. Their Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase watch, in particular, is a personal favorite of mine. It’s a smaller version of their Slimline Moonphase watch, and I find the 40.5mm size of the Classic Moonphase watch more well-judged for a dress watch. Inside beats the brand’s in-house made FC-715 caliber, which is beautifully finished for this price point. If a dress watch is high on your want list for the new year, this watch is well worth a look or two.

Source: Worn & Wound

2. NM, la Naissance d’une Montre: the first five years of the adventure

The Le Garde Temps Naissance d’Une Montre project is one of the most interesting projects being currently undertaken in the world of horology. The aim of it is to pass down traditional watchmaking techniques to a newer generation. To do so, one lucky watchmaker, in this case a certain Michel Boulanger, would be taught watchmaking skills from none other than Philippe Dufour, Stephen Forsey, Robert Greubel, and a host of other esteemed watchmakers and technicians. Boulanger would receive all the skills required to create a watch from scratch using traditional techniques and tools, all in the hope that he would be able to pass it down to a new generation of watchmakers. Find out more about this project in this interview with Boulanger himself.

Source: Watchuseek

3. IN-DEPTH: The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1

The word “icon” gets thrown around a lot when writing and talking about watches, but the Lange 1 is one watch that is truly worthy of that status. Introduced in 1994, it looked unlike anything else that was on the market at that time. It looked fresh then, and it still looks fresh today. It truly is one of the greats of modern watchmaking. For 2015, A. Lange & Söhne gave the Lange One a significant update. Although it kept the dial layout the same, the movement has been completely built from ground up. Find out what’s new about the new Lange 1 here.

Source: Time and Tide

4. The Sonnerie Souveraine By F.P. Journe: A Legend In Its Own Time

F.P. Journe watches are intriguing to me because they are very technical. What I mean is that most of Journe’s watches seek to address or solve a problem; or perhaps, to demonstrate a theory or idea. The Chronomètre à Résonance was a watch that showcased the theory of resonance. The Chronométre Optimum, on the other hand, was the result of his work to create a watch with as little internal friction as possible, using a unique and patented escapement that works without oil or any form of lubricants. Now, the Sonnerie Souveraine is arguably Journe’s most complicated watch and was the result of over six years of work. It’s a grande sonnerie watch that was designed to be foolproof and immune to mis-operation from its users. Find out the story of this groundbreaking watch here.

Source: Quill and Pad

5. REVIEW: Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum Worldtimer

One of my favorite new watches from 2015 is Montblanc’s Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum Worldtimer. The reason is simple, it’s one of the most technically interesting, attractive, and accessible worldtimers on the market right now. First of all, it has an interesting multilayer dial with a blue lower disk that rotates and clearly shows which parts of the world are day and night. It has a worldtimer complication, of course, but what’s interesting about this is that the complication was achieved using an in-house developed module built on top of a base movement from Sellita. Which brings me to my final point – accessibility. It’s priced at around $6,000, which represents fantastic value for money. Intrigued yet? Hit the link below for more of this watch.

Source: Monochrome