Pierre Jacques Appointed CEO of De Bethune
David Zanetta, President of the Board of Directors and his co-founder, Denis Flageollet, Director of Production, have announced the appointment of Pierre Jacques as Chief Executive Officer of De Bethune. Jacques will officially take up his responsibilities effective March 1, 2011. Jacques holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and in 2000 he co-founded GMT magazine. Since January 2010, he had been serving as Branch Manager of Les Ambassadeurs Gen��ve, and he also headed the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix as director of the organizing companymenting on the appointment, Mr. David Zanetta said: “The arrival of Mr. Pierre Jacques marks a new stage in De Bethune’s international development.”

Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteel Limited Edition Watch
When you think of watches associated with space (and space programs), it probably calls to mind the Omega Speedmaster, or perhaps the Poljot Strela. Did you know that Breitling also has a watch associated with the great space race of the mid-20th century? It did, and Breitling is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the watch's flight into space.On May 24th, 1962, a Breitling Navitimer was on the wrist of Lt. Cmdr. Scott Carpenter as he orbited the Earth three times in an Aurora 7 capsule. What separated this watch from others of its day was the fact that it featured a 24-hour dial, allowing for easy demarcation between day and night (which isn't an easy thing to do when you're orbiting the globe). A couple years ago Breitling released a limited edition Navitimer Cosmonaute in honor of Mr. Carpenter's mission (hands-on here). Now, in 2013, Breitling has released the Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteelin black steel.Of course, this model harkens back to its predecessor of fifty years ago.

A History of Omega: From Observatory Trials to the Moon
It's pretty hard to dispute �C or underestimate �C the importance of Omega SA when discussing the Swiss watch industry. They were an early and more than worthy rival to Rolex in the luxury watch arena �C and in fact, lured James Bond away from the crown. They made numerous important contributions to the watch industry, both from a customer perspective and a business perspective. They've been an official timer of the Olympic games upwards of two dozen times. And of course, there is the glorious Speedmaster Professional.So how did the brand start, and where did it come from?Early HistoryLouis Brant was 23 when he founded the Comptoir d�䨦tablissage Louis Brandt in 1848. Brant located his workshop in La Chaux de Fonds and assembled pocket watches there, to be distributed throughout Europe.Sons Louis-Paul and C��sar joined the company in July 1877, and the name was modified to Louis Brandt & Fils.The elder Brant died in 1879, and his sons, Louis-Paul and C��sar Brandt took over the company.

Race theme appreciation
It is a boring day, took our my humble watches out for some cam whoring.. Please feel free flaunt your racy watches, so we can all appreciate in time to come!

New Strap
Last year I purchased a SuperOcean II 44 Special. It originally was supplied with an Ocean Racer rubber strap with tang buckle. While this strap is great for diving (I use a short wrist lanyard looped through one of the holes for added security), I recently ordered a Military Rubber strap with deployant buckle. IMO this is a much better look for this watch and is more comfortable. I included photos of the before and after.