Roger Smith Watches
At the end of July, I had the special pleasure of spending a couple hours with Roger Smith as he swooped into Los Angeles to deliver the commissioned and bespoke Big Date Tourbillon that had been four years in the making.I have a special interest in independent watchmakers and Roger Smith, who hails from England and still lives there�Cthe Isle of Man, to be specific�Chappens to be one of whom I'm particularly fond. Most watchmakers do their schooling and then go to work for the brands to cut their teeth. Smith has never worked for a brand. He had a very personal watch education from the master of independent watchmaking, George Daniels. If you're not familiar with Dr. George Daniels, he practically gave birth to the independent watchmaking movement. He's known for his exquisite one-off pocket watches as well as his invention of the co-axial escapement. Yes, the one used by Omega.When Smith was in watchmaking school, Daniels came to the classroom and showed his Space Traveler watch to the

A Week On The Wrist: The Breguet Classique Chronometrie 7727
Here's the thing. When most watch folks think of the best and brightest in high-end watchmaking today, we most often mention names like Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne, F.P. Journe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin. For some strange reason, the name Breguet doesn't usually make an appearance. Why? It's hard to say, because Breguet, at least the historical brand, is absolutely the most important in all of watchmaking. But is Breguet of today the rightful heir to the brand that Abraham-Louis built, or is it simply another name chosen by a group of savvy investors from the headstone of a Swiss (well, French in this case; Breguet's buried in Père Lachaise, in Paris) graveyard? This watch, the Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727 answers this question – and resolutely. Breguet is here to play, and produce absolutely fascinating watches today. Let's get into what I mean. Before I do that, I encourage you to go ahead and press play on t

Stem Length
I have an Omega 2512.30 that needed a new crown and stem. I ordered from Otto Frei and the stem is not cut to the correct length. Any one know what the length of the stem should be, the old stem no longer exists. Other times I have gotten replacement stems they were the correct length. Anyone ever cut down a stem to fit and can tell me how to measure for the correct length. Thanks in advance for any help.ThanksJohn

Any 5711 or 5712 owners near Boston?
Would love to see one in the flesh as I'm interested in purchasing one, but the local AD doesn't have anything in stock to show.

I really hate this pair....
I think they would be killer in any collection. What do you guys think?