Hands-On: With The Patek Philippe 5140R And 5140P, Classic Perpetuals Both With New Dial Options For 2014
While the two big releases for Patek Philippe at Basel World this year both happened to be in stainless steel (the new Nautilus Chrono Travel Time 5990 / Annual Calendar Chrono 5960A), it's worth noting that one of its more understated and elegant, but important, timepieces received two updates. The reference 5140 is Patek's round, traditional perpetual calendar, and this year we saw two brand new dials.It is the follow up to the iconic 3940, which is considered to be one of the most important pieces of Patek's modern history – many consider it, along with the 3970, the first serially produced truly complicated timepiece. Its 20-year reign came to an end in 2006 when Patek showed the 5140, which would use the same ultra-thin, self-winding, micro-rotor-powered caliber 240Q. Since then, the 5140 has been shown in white gold, yellow gold, rose gold with brown dial, and platinum with a blue dial. 2 OF 4 The platinum case with a galvanized black dial features

Historical Perspectives: 'The Watch & The War' �C A Short Film Tracing The History Of A 1
Watches tell the time, but they sometimes also tell us history. Filmmaker Benedict Campbell's short film "The Watch & The War" tells the story of Benedict Brucia, an American naval intelligence officer during World War II, and the origin of his very special watch – a 1938 Panerai Radiomir with a Rolex movement. As a young boy, Jim Brucia admired his uncle Ben's curious wristwatch. He ended up inheriting the watch in 1972, but never learned what his uncle did during the War. In 2007, Jim Brucia uncovered the history behind the Panerai watch, and in turn discovered what his late uncle did during WWII. 1 OF 1 Benedict Brucia In this short film, HODINKEE's own Benjamin Clymer joins Jim Brucia to explain the historical significance of this important watch.For more on the filmmakers, click here.

The wheels are in motion!
I have ordered an Royal Oak 15400 black dial which should be in my hands next week. Very excited. This will be my first time in this level having been wearing Rolex and Panerai for the last years. Looking forward to getting leather and rubber straps going soon also.Stay tuned.

Got a Speedy Pro Today!
Can't say it's anything rare, but it's mine. :)It's an important watch for me. Outside of work, I'm an amateur astronomer and I'm very passionate about astronomy, cosmology, and science & skepticism in general (especially science education.) I've been wanting one of these for years.Close decision back in the spring between this and my DJ41. I'm proud to say that now I own both. Cheers. :)Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

Some new AD procedures
So... I went into an AD, knowing how they never have any Professional models available. And I bought a Sub Date (they had two in stock), because those are never in stock. 5% discount, European price w/o VAT (6400ish).Anyway, some TRF-confirmed facts.a) No more stickers. They now rip off stickers when receiving the pieces. Everything on display must be w/o stickers, same with pieces they hold.b) Professional models are registered with Rolex. Buyer name, address etc are registered at Rolex SA before selling the piece. Rolex sends a 6 digit confirmation code to confirm the warranty has been registered.Apparently your open papers watches aren't warrantied anymore (card must match name in Rolex database for first owner).c) Clearly they really are chasing down on the gray market stuff, it took me half an hour to get everything sorted (and don't forget, I've bought a few hundred new watches from AD's, I know how to play this game).So, something really is changing.