Observatoire Chronometrique+ New Alternative To COSC Chronometer Certification?
In an effort to justify the substantial premium in their pricing, as well as prove the performance of their products, luxury watch brands go out of their way to prove that they can live up to consumer expectations in what is an extremely competitive industry. A more tangible way of proving their claimed superiority is by providing certificates which, through a series of tests, ensure that each submitted timepiece complies with strict accuracy and-or aesthetic standards. Timelab's new watch certificate program is called "Observatoire Chronometrique+" and it offers a certificate claimed to be more thorough and comprehensive than that issued by the established COSC (the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) and more widely available than the Geneva Seal.The Observatoire Chronometrique+ is a new initiative in which any and all Swiss-made mechanical watches can be submitted, and they test fully assembled watches, not just for their chronometric performance, but also their power rese

Inside The Manufacture: Two Days With Parmigiani Fleurier (And Some Thoughts On What 'In-House&#
When we talk about fine watchmaking, the words “in-house” and “manufacture” invariably come up. We use them to describe how vertically integrated a company is – in other words how much of a watch is actually made by the company whose name is on the dial, rather than purchased from outside suppliers. Many a watch guy will say that, everything else being equal, the more in-house the better. When thinking about high degrees of vertical integration in the watch industry, the two brands at the very top of the ladder are Rolex and Seiko. However, arguably just one rung down on that ladder is Parmigiani Fleurier. HODINKEE took a trip to the beautiful town of Fleurier in Switzerland's Val-de-Travers to learn more. 1 OF 34 Fleurier, Val-de-Travers History Parmigiani Fleurier's namesake, Michel Parmigiani, is a world-renowned horological restoration specialist. He got his start in restoration work during the quartz crisis of the 197

Any alternatives to OP for crystal replacement?
I have a small scratch on my sapphire crystal and called Panerai NYC to see how much it would cost to replace. They would not get specific on pricing (must be sent in for an estimate) but they said it would be at least $300 plus they would have to evaluate the entire watch. They conceded it would take about a month to get the crystal replaced if they had it in stock.So my question -- are there any alternatives to going through OP that might be quicker and/or less expensive?

New to the world of Rolex
Good day everyone, My name is John, and I'm new to the forum and new to the world of Rolex. I'm 39 years old, and ever since i was a little kid I've had the itch to own a Rolex. My grandfather (before he passed) had a President, and he was responsible for giving me the itch. Fast forward several decades, and I'm finally in a position in life where i can scratch that itch. So last week i stopped by my local AD. Same place i bought my wife's engagement ring as well as my breitling. Jeff, who's one of their Rolex specialists and a stellar individual, was showing me my options. I wanted something sort of entry level, so i settled (key word there) on a rhodium-dialed Oyster Perpetual 39. I had him hold it aside for me, and that was that.Well over the course of this past week, i couldn't stop thinking about the fact that what i REALLY wanted was one of the new Datejust 41s with the new 3235 movement. It got so bad that i began to feel like i was settling for the OP39, simply because the pri

Batman versus Superman
If the SS BLNR is nicknamed Batman, then the WG BLRO should be Superman. Here's my Superman: