Patek Philippe Opens New Production Facility in Le Brassus
Patek Philippe has opened a new production center in Le Brassus, near the heart of the Vall��e de Joux. The building houses three specialty workshops: Watchmaking, Fine Watchmaking and Restoration. Watchmaking specializes in setting up Patek Philippe perpetual calendar modules. The Fine Watchmaking workshop assembles, finishes, cases up, and sets the strikes for automatic winding minute repeaters. The Restoration workshop repairs and restores complicated timepieces.The facility houses 25 watchmakers: 12 in the Watchmaking Workshop, five in Fine Watchmaking, and eight in Restoration. The location allows Patek to be close to the Vall��e’s specialized schools and the skilled graduates they produce.

Hublot Manufacture Officially Inaugurated
Yesterday Hublot officially inaugurated is new manufacture and offices. Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver welcomed LVMH Group Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault and Philippe Pascal, President of the LVMH Timepieces and Jewellery division. Various celebrities, friends of the brand, partners, as well as representatives from local authorities and the press attended the celebration. The festivities took place 2 years after the first stone was laid. The building has been operating at full capacity since April. The building, which overlooks Lake Geneva and the Alps, measures about 65,000 square feet and houses 300 employees. The machine and assembly shops occupy the first two floors, along with after-sales service, technical departments and purchasing divisions. The 3rd floor is set aside for management, marketing, sales, accounts and a large showroom, as well as the Hublot TV studios. When workers return after the August break in 2010, the building will also serve as a training center, welcoming a

Help with my 15400
Greetings, as the title suggests, I am in need of some help with my new 15400. Just picked it up less than a month ago from a trusted seller here at TRF.i finished setting the date and time, and as I am trying to push the crown back in, I feel some resistance and as I turn the crown to tighten, I can hear this noise like gears engaging, the very sound you will hear when winding the watch manually. I managed to get it tightened despite this sound, but I'm wondering if this sound is normal ?.... I'm scared that I'm forcing the crown and wearing the gears?? Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated....

Omega FIFA chrono - restore options
Just invested in what i understand is a Speedmaster FIFA chrono case ref 11003. Chuck's site has some info and I see they are quite rare. I want to get it serviced ( cal 1045 ). Can anyone recommend a good watch repairer. The watch will also need a crystal and a general spruce up - dial clean,case regrain, case back refinish etc... Will any specialist be able to get a new crystal or will I need to go to STS?

Bottom Feeder
It is so Great for a Bottom Feeder like me to grab an occasional scrap that comes my way. Some of you folks are in a unique position to buy a Rolex like I would buy a pair of shoes. Thank you so much for sharing your Beautiful Watch purchases with the rest of us. For some of us buying a Rolex is a once in a life time event. So many thanks for your inputs, that help us in our decision makingas we do not have the luxury of buying another if we make a mistake !