Former Rolex CEO Heiniger Dies
Rolex SA has announced that Patrick Heiniger, the company’s managing director and chief executive officer from 1992 to 2008, has died. Click the link to read the official statement from Rolex.The Board of Directors and the General Management of Rolex SA express their deep sorrow on the passing of Patrick Heiniger, former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, in Monaco after a long illness. They would like to pay tribute to the memory of a man who marked the history of the company when he presided over its destiny from 1992 to 2008, and extend their sincere condolences to his family and friends.Throughout his 16 years as head of the company, Patrick Heiniger was the faithful heir to the spirit of enterprise that has made Rolex an exceptional brand. He combined tradition with the demands of an ever-evolving world and his vision brought the company solidly into the third millennium.Patrick Heiniger was appointed Managing Director of Rolex in 1992, six years a

Alpina Startimer Classic Collection
Alpina Gen��ve is launching the new Startimer Classic Collection with designs inspired by original Alpina Pilot watch designs from the 1920s and 30s. In this new collection the functional Startimer Pilot look takes on a traditional, vintage look. Find wallpaper and prices inside. The Startimer Classic Collection is available with two different calibers; a three-hand automatic version with date (cal. AL-525) in a stainless steel case and available with either blackened steel indexes or rose-gold plated indexes. The second version is the Chrono-Automatic (cal. AL-860) with two chrono-counters, in a stainless steel case and available with either blackened steel indexes or rose-gold plated indexes. The Chrono-Automatic is also available in a special vintage variation with a telemeter indicator on the dial.The Startimer classic auto is priced at $995 and the Startimer Classic Chrono-Automatic retails for $2,450. The images below may be enlarged with a click.

Bring a Loupe: A Crazy Rare Zenith El Primero And Five Nicely Priced Chronographs From Wittnauer, Mi
This Bring A Loupe will be dedicated entirelely to everyone's favorite complication, the chronograph. You will find an extremely rare (and very exotic looking) Zenith El Primero, the reference G383, produced in only 200 examples in 1970. We also scoured eBay in order to find some relatively affordable chronographs, most of them under $1,000. As you might expect, no Heuer or Universal Geneve made it this week given our budget constraint, but you will discover some other really exciting watches from Wittnauer, Minerva, and Mathey-Tissot. This is your Bring A Loupe for February 19, 2016. A Minerva Chronograph Reference VD712 With A Better Dial Than It Seems 1 OF 8 This Minerva is a good example of a nice looking three-register chronograph that does not break the bank. The Minerva VD712 is powered by the famous Valjoux 72 (also found in vintage Rolex Daytonas) and apparently this chrono was even used by the Swedish army – you can find some great shots of the

Omega 8500 Caliber putting some pressure on Rolex...
The specs on the new 8500 movement from Omega are pretty amazing....Double barrel design (DLC coated) with a 60 hour power reserveDual directional winding automaticFree sprung balanceFull balance bridge39 jewels202 partsCOSC certificationIt looks to me as though Omega bench marked the now 20 year old 3135 and just upped it everywhere that it could. What do you guys think? Should Rolex be worried? Should they fight back with an update or reworking of their base calibers or do you think that they just don't care?Personally, I was really shocked by the difference in the Omega 2500 caliber that was beating inside my Planet Ocean and the 3130 inside my Submariner (which should arrive early next week - the waiting is killing me). I think Omega is just catching up with Rolex in the 8500 caliber and that Rolex should feel no immediate threat. It will take some time for people to realize that Omega is quickly closing the gap in quality (and entry level price) with Rolex and I suspect Rolex will

Sunset Pics of my Pateks
Caught some warm rays going down on my Pateks.