Historical Perspectives: Bringing Method To Madness: PBS Explores The Way Timekeeping Impacted Modern Civilization
Think about this for a moment: before the 1880's, there were hundreds of time zones within the United States, with towns all across the country adhering to their own standard of "local time." This confusing system was a relic of an America before efficient transportation networks, when there wasn't much need for a centrally regulated, uniform system. The advancement of the railroad system in the late 1800's necessitated a change to a more standard system, and this short excerpt from the upcoming PBS series "How We Got to Now" demonstrates just how confusing things were before then �C and how essential timekeeping is to keep modern society up and running.

Finalists For The 2014 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve Announced, Public Vote Now Open (Where You Can Win A Girard-Perregaux!)
It's that time of year! Yup, the finalists of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) have been announced. For those who don't remember, the GPHG is the watch industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards, wherein a group of distinguished judges comprised of collectors (think John Goldberger and John Mayer), retailers (think Laurent Picciotto), watchmakers (think Philippe Dufour) and journalists (think our own Ben Clymer) decide on who has done the most to advance watchmaking this year. Today, the finalists for each category have been announced. The winners will be announced on Friday, October 31st, 2014, in Geneva. The entire ceremony will be streamed live right here on HODINKEE.Click here to see the finalists for the 2014 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG). BONUS: The public prize, decided by YOU, is also now open for voting, and once you register, you can win a Girard-Perregaux worth over $10,000 right here.

DeVille Prestige
Many years ago, my father bought my uncle an Omega on a black leather strap. Might have been a constellation, but neither of them can remember because it was lost.My uncle just retired, so this is a retirement gift to replace that watch.Omega Deville Prestige 39.5mmSpecial thanks to DavidSW for getting us this watch.

Year of this Omega?
I'm trying to identify the year of some of my father's watches. This Constellation is gold without the original watch band. It may have been purchased in the 1950s or 1960s. Thanks, K

One for the Panerai crowd....
...a nice cover pic from last year's Antigua Classic Regatta.