Watches & Wonders 2015 Recap & Setting The Tone For The Luxury Timepiece Industry In Asia
Georges Kern, CEO of Schaffhausen, Switzerland-based IWC watches, stands up from our table to deliver a welcome speech for a room of guests invited to dinner after the first day of Watches & Wonders 2015 here in Hong Kong. Known for quick, sharp remarks, and a realistic vision of his company and the luxury watch space, Kern spares no time addressing what he feels are the primary things his colleagues should be thinking about in terms of Asia and the watch industry that has fared so well in the region, and yet now faces a new set of growth, sales, and economic challenges.Kern promises that a brand like IWC is in it for the long run. He is refreshingly candid about the issues facing his business and that of his colleagues. China has been rapidly decreasing its spending on luxuries of all kinds �C watches included. The still-special region of Hong Kong as a result is suffering from a weak retail market once made gloriously robust by pools of Chinese mainlanders who came in with "suitca

Royal Oak Equation of Time
How do you read the EOT? For me, it's a bit too complex, so I took the easy way... Guess how was it read? The pic was shot at AP Singapore boutique. Thanks to the wonderful staff

Leather strap on a Speedmaster
I just recently bought a previously appreciated Speedmaster Pro (3570.50). I'm thinking about putting it on a leather strap - I like some of the Hirsch straps that I have seen over time. Does anyone have a suggestion for the best website to buy a Hirsch strap?Also, would love to see people's pictures of Speedy Pros on leather straps - I could use the inspiration as I'm still deciding. Thanks

Aquanaut ownership experience
So I have been looking all over trying to find a decent sports watch that I can set myself apart from other watch fans with (I already have 2 Rolex watches so have a hard time settling for a sub or SD let alone a modern sub) yet can be a daily wearer that I don't have to always be conscious of as I would with a vintage or dress watch, with concerns of water, bumping, scratching etc. I'm not planning to dive with it but might go for a swim with it, may play a round of golf with it or go for a run with it.From what I understand the Aquanaut 5065A is one of the better options to meet these needs. So I was wondering how the ownership experience for people has been with them? What is the service cost? Service interval? I have heard the modern deployment clasp is a nice upgrade to the older version, have you made any other tweaks? Do you golf and swim with it? Have you scratched yours and had the scratches fixed or lived with the damage?My local AD doesn't carry Patek (would have to take a 2

Pam 372 plexi and sapphire crystal information to share
Since the new serial Pam 372s come with sapphire crystals instead of plexi, I was curious if the prior 372s could be retrofitted. Went to the Panerai website and chatted online with them regarding this. After 5 minutes of the customer service person researching the issue, she came back with no, the design is different and the plexi models cannot be retrofitted. I'm sure the Paneristi would say it's blasphemy to put sapphire on the 372 but I'm looking forward to seeing one. I have actually cracked a plexi 372 crystal so plexi is not for me. So there you have it.