Michael Sarp Named Chairman of the Board at Armin Strom
Former IWC CEO Michael Sarp has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Swiss watch manufacturer Armin Strom AG. His previous activities have included managing various exclusive brand-name companies in the luxury goods market. Sarp also served as Chairman of the Executive Board at the Swatch Group Germany. He oversaw IWC during the late 1990s, leaving the company in 2001, shortly after Gunter Blumlein’s death. Sarp helped lay the foundation for IWC’s long-term success. The Caliber 5000 in-house movement was introduced during his tenure in 2000, and he was responsible for IWC’s successful “Since 1868, and for as long as there are men” advertising campaign.Since 2003, Sarp has been CEO of v. Nordeck International Holding AG, to which the Swiss brands Zimmerli textiles and Fritschi alpine touring bindings belong.Serge Michel remains the CEO of Armin Strom. He has been at this post since 2008. The two men will work together to continue building th

Letters To The Editor: How Modern Watchmakers Are Grappling With One Of Breguet's Greatest Inventions (And It's Not The Tourbillon)
This is a wonderful question, that deserves a careful response.Before we can talk about the natural escapement, let's get on the same page about what an escapement does. In a mechanical wristwatch, an escapement translates rotational energy into lateral impulses that is, it turns the rotating of gears into the back-and-forth movement of the balance wheel.  There are lots of different types of escapements, but the most popular (by far) is the lever escapement. The lever escapement gives the balance wheel a push in each direction, causing it to oscillate until the watch runs out of power. Laurent Ferrier's natural escapement in action The lever escapement does this by introducing a lever (the pallet fork) in between the escape wheel and balance staff. The lever escapement is so popular because it is easy to manufacture and adjust, while being very sturdy. The problem with the lever escapement is that the type of push, or impulse, that it uses produces s

I feel like I've come full circle with AP...
So for those of you who know me, I've been absent for a while from the forums. I just felt like doing a braindump on my past year with AP watches, if you are bored without any football or golf to watch, take a minute to read.Around this time last year, I posted a question about what would be a good first AP. Most people pointed me towards to the new 44mm ROOs, while many said go for the 15300 or the like. I quickly dismissed the 15300s, as they were, back then, to me boring.Over the past year I've developed a strong love for AP. My complaint with watches in the past is that they were too one dimensional. The overall look of the watch was the same regardless of what kind of lighting situations you had etc., so at the end of the day, the watch always looked the same.At heart, I don't like consistency in that respect. I always like to tinker, like to see things change.My first purchase into AP was the ss 44mm. It was exciting to see how the intricate finishing of the steel would change to

Harder to get 5711 or Daytona C?
Just as the title suggests, which do you think is harder to get?

Patek Philippe 5296r
Does anyone own a 5296r and if so, what are your thoughts on the watch vs. the 5196r. Pictures also appreciated. Thank you