SIHH Preview: Audemars Piguet Millenary Minute Repeater
Audemars Piguet created minute repeater and grand strike pocket watches from its founding in 1875, and they claim the first minute repeater wristwatch, produced in 1892. The new Millenary Minute Repeater incorporates the manufacture’s newest technical developments: the AP escapement and a double balance-spring, as well as the striking mechanism and its gongs. The result is an auditory and visual delight for the 21st century.The striking mechanism is the oldest of all complications. As early as the 15th century, certain pocket watches sounded the hours in passing, while quarter-repeating mechanisms striking the hours and quarters on demand appeared in the late 17th century. These watches, endowed with a mechanical memory and which initially served to tell the time in the dark, are now one of the greatest demonstrations of horological expertise, and the exclusive preserve of a few movement manufacturers.The Millenary Minute Repeater brings this complication thoroughly up to date wi

Please let me in on the jumbo (40th anniversary model)
I may get some flack for this but why is the jumbo the most coveted royal oak? I know of its horological significance but do people buy this model because of its heritage or because of the way it looks and wears? There may be an impression it may look too plain.For those who currently own this, did its horological value (Genta DNA, etc) outweigh its aesthetics when upon purchasing? Please don't get me wrong. I know this is a FANTASTIC timepiece. Just torn between this or the royal oak chronograph. I fancy the chrono more aesthetically, but I may be missing out on something very important with the 15202.

Parmigiani Mechanical Wonders @ La Vieille Russie New York
To attend a Sandoz collection exhibition, one of the finest old automat & timepiece collections, is like transcending one's horologic culture.Very often, when one sees the phenomenal prices reached during some horologic auctions, the question to be answered is the question of the sense. Meaning crisis? Investment crisis? Values crisis? Yet, it is on the contrary a tribute paid to the classic horologic culture: it is either an outright tribute, by buying rarities such as the Rochat brother's pistols; for example, the pair of pistols was auctioned for 5 million Dollars recently, in Asia.Alternatively, it is a bet on the future, when collectors put crazy amounts of money on a new Great complication; one could remember the Patek 3939, which was auctioned for 1.4 million Euros.The very high-end watchmaking purchases are those of technical concepts, the oldest being unique pieces for which fabrication secrets have been lost; we get close to the Art auctions, where the principle is to pu

How tight do you wear your watch?
I recently took out a link in my 5711, it's a pet peeve when the watch rolls around my wrist, but now it's like so tight to a point it's strangling my wrist, but good news no more wrist rolling around action. I am trying this method for a week and see how it goes. If it continues to be an annoyance I will have to go back to the AD and add the link back.

NYC- Minute repeater event
The minute repeater event in NYC was amazing!A group of 4 clients and 4 AD reps spent the day at Patek's NYC facility in Rockefeller Plaza with Larry Pettinelli and Laurent Junod. Laurent delivered a fascinating presentation on the history and culture of minute repeaters, during which time all questions were answered. In fact, interesting questions continued to be answered throughout the day by both Larry and Laurent providing some rare insight into the brand, history, and various references.Numerous minute repeaters were available for hands on examination. (!!!) Two additional advanced techs that I remembered from the recent exhibition at Cipriani were also there to facilitate examination and discussion.Absolutely attend if given the opportunity. Lunch at La Grenouille was a wonderful touch and a champagne toast with swag bags was the perfect close.A++ all around!!(I'll add here that it absolutely had the intended effect because a minute repeater is my new grail) I hope other friends