Historical Perspectives: The True And Sad Story Of J.B. Champion, Jr., The Man Behind The Most Expensive Watch Without Complications Ever Sold At Auction
On November 12, 2012, the watch collecting community watched in wonder as two of the world's most important Patek Philippe wristwatches went under the hammer at Christie's Geneva: a reference 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph in platinum?offered for sale by Eric Clapton (one of two white metal 2499s ever made, with the other belonging to Patek Philippe)?and a reference 2458 that was made especially for Joe Ben Champion, Jr. housing a movement that placed third in the 1948 Geneva Observatory competition. Each would have been the cover lot for any just about any other watch auction, but it just so happened that they were part of the same sale. On paper, many would have assumed that the Clapton 2499 would sell for more than the Champion 2458 �C but many would have been wrong. Champion's 2458 was the champion of the sale, bringing in over $4 million. The winner of the watch? Alfredo Paramico, who has since sold it. (Check out our Talking Watches with Mr. Paramico if you haven't already se

Hands-On: The Cartier Hypnose
This year at SIHH we saw a lot of releases from Cartier. The Drive for men was big news, but one new release you may not have seen yet is the Cartier Hypnose. This collection is the latest addition to Cartier's women's line. While the oval case shape is not new for Cartier, they have managed to reinvent it in fresh and modern way. 1 OF 8 First, a little background on the Hypnose and its shape. Although this is a “new” watch, it is by no means a new design for Cartier. The oval design was first created by Louis Cartier in 1912, and the the oval-form watch was later put into production in 1956. The design was recognizable by its balanced oval shape and the bulbous nature of the the bezel. Originally available with a bracelet (notably an oval-linked version) or strap, it was the ideal ladies' watch – and featured a caliber 495 movement produced by LeCoultre, which was back-wound to conceal the crown and preserve the design (something that is pra

Short strap
I have a ceramic diver and have been seeing more and more threads talking about members getting or advising to get short straps, I find my diver very comfortable, so much that I am very surprised as I thought it wouldn't be so much, my question is this, I have 6.9 wrists, if I get a short strap will the comfort be greatly improved or seeing as how it's already quite comfortable it's just a waste of money as it would either be the same comfort or the improvement would be so small that it's not worth it?Does anyone here have a diver and more or less the same wrist size as me and bought the short strap? Was there a significant difference in comfort?I had a Patek 5726 on strap and I had to get the short strap because the deployant was sinking in the side of my wrist and it was more than uncomfortable, it was clearly painful, but none of this with the diver, in fact I actually sleep with it, so comfort is not a issue, of course if the existing comfort level will be improved highly I think i

Is this a good price for PO 2500 or 8500?
Hi all,The Jeweler offered me the PO 2500 for $4000 tax in (12% tax). Price before tax: $3600.PO 8500 was offered to me for $4910 which is $5500 after tax.Do you think this is a good deal?Please advise.Thanks!

New Greg Stevens Design strap ...
This is what Panerai is all about ,,, strapsmania.Just had a delivery to the office and as I had a screwdriver handy ... i swapped the Ferretti tan strap for a Natural GSD strap ... Greg was excellent to deal with.I am sure the stap will age very nicely over time ...