2009 Swiss Watch Exports Down 22.3%
The headline on the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry’s report on December, 2009 exports reads “Recovery Confirmed.” This is perhaps a case of news that is less bad being viewed as good. Swiss watch exports for December were down only 7.2% compared with the same month in 2008, though for all of 2009, Swiss watch exports declined 22.3% to 13.2 billion Swiss francs.On the bright side, December followed November as the second month in which the steep declines reflected in the the 12 month moving average leveled off, and December’s single digit decline is perhaps a sign that the fever has broken, though the patient remains in guarded condition at best.Markets that registered growth in December were mainly those in the Far East. China enjoyed a 43.5% increase while Hong Kong was up 27%. The U.S. market’s decline slowed from -21.4% in November to -15.7% in December. The decline increased in France (-24.8%), and Italy suffered a 33.6% decline in December. Ja

What Is SIHH? A Major Watch Industry Show & What It Means
With all of the timepiece coverage flooding in from our trip to Geneva, Switzerland in January, I thought it might be a good idea to slow down for a moment and give you all some context pertaining to the whos, whats, whys, hows, and wheres of SIHH. Who puts on this show, why is it put on, how is it executed, and where are the attendees coming from? In short, what is SIHH?As a first-time attendee, I am going to give you my overall impressions and analysis of the event, while I attempt to explain the goings-on of this annual affair from an insider's perspective. There is much more to this showcase of luxury timepieces than just the watches, and while my opinions and experiences are mine alone, I hope they will shed some light on the inner workings of the luxury timepiece industry.SIHH stands for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, and can briefly be summarized as an invite-only trade show put on by The Richemont Group in collaboration with a few independent luxury brands, whi

Devon Tread 2 Watch Preview
In a few weeks California-based Devon will unveil the follow-up version to their now famous Devon Tread 1 watch. It was originally explained to me that the Tread 2 watch would be a more simple and inexpensive model. It looks as though a lot of that has changed, but what I do think is still part of the Tread 2 based on early information is that it will have two treads versus three. The Tread 1 has a constantly running belt for the seconds which was cool, but was also a bit loud and consumed a lot of power. The new model will have two tread as I understand it, and a whole lot more.The Tread 2 will have a lot of material upgrades and a more sophisticated design. It will also be very accurate and come in a smaller package. I reviewed the very cool Tread 1 here, and you can see that it is a large timepiece. The Tread 2 will have a 38mm wide case that is 42mm tall and 14.5mm thick. That is a lot smaller than the Tread 1. The Tread 2 will initially be in steel, but DLC black versions could ea

15300 help
Hi all,I been viewing the site for a while now and would like some help with the 15300. The RO is my ultimate grail and whilst I don't have the ability to stretch to the 15202 I have narrowed to the 15300. Recently I almost pulled the trigger on the black faced 15400, but opted instead for the GP Laureato 225 with the blue face as the 15400 just didn't feel right on my wrist - strangely the GP seemed smaller, even though both are rated 41mm.With this in mind I feel that looking at the 15300 may be the more viable option as most owners detail that this piece wears bigger on the wrist that the dimensions would suggest.With this in mind does anyone have the lug width and lug to lug dimensions of this piece?Thanks in advance for any help.

LiquidMetal and a new AD
I've been out of the loop on watches for a couple months as work has been way busy and my spare-time has been spent on my other addiction: motorcycles.So I stopped by a local jeweler the other day to look at a pre-owned Sea-Dweller (not the Deepsea) I had seen on their website. As I walk in the door, I'm greeted by a complete surprise...the jeweler is now an Omega AD!!! I had a great conversation with the manager and he was excited to offer Omega. He said it was difficult to get the dealership since Omega is moving to the boutique model. He was even more excited to see someone walk in who was wearing an Omega. In any event, he was very well stocked with so many nice watches from the Seamasters to Speedmaster to AquaTerra's to a Skyfall...which I didn't pick up on right away that it was the new Bond watch (I know...I know...) I was too overwhelmed at finally getting my hands on my PO dream watch to notice. On my way out, he gave me a catalog and it has of course found its way int