Locating a good dealer for new purchase.
I recently visited the local boutique (Texas) and identified a couple of watches that I loved, but I was still shopping and wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger. Since then, I've pretty much narrowed it down to either the Speedmaster moonwatch (ref. 311.30.42.30.01.006) or Seamaster Diver (ref. 212.30.41.20.03.001) with the speedy as the favorite, but the Seamaster hanging in due to price difference.I'm interested in locating a dealer out of state to hopefully avoid the 8% sales tax, so I was hoping to see if anyone had any recommendations. Also, with the gray market pricing being the absolute floor and full retail at the boutique being the ceiling, what are bad, good, and great prices for these pieces as I'm shopping them out?

Omega no longer uses red dot on caseback
Just an FYI - just picked up a new Omega Seamaster 300M (Spectre LE version), noticed that the red dot to prove the case back had not been opened was absent.Called the AD (Omega Boutique) they confirmed that in the last month or so now they have stopped using this method and use a microscope to inspect if case has been opened.

Omega and Phelps
Here is an interesting article that appeared in the Washington Post about Omega's work as timer of the Olympics and specifically how they determined that Phelps won yesterday's 100 m butterfly by just .01 of a second. It's about a lot more than just marketing for Omega....Omega President Has Faith in MachinesThe president of Omega was just another agape Olympic viewer who couldn't tell with his own eyes whether Michael Phelps touched the wall first in the 100-meter butterfly.Stephen Urquhart was watching the race in a corporate entertainment suite full of clients when Phelps took one last half-stroke and hit the Omega-installed electronic touch pad in the wall of the pool at the Water Cube, just ahead of Milo Cavic of Serbia.Almost immediately, the official result giving Phelps first place by a hundredth of a second flashed on to the large scoreboard. But it took an official review of Omega's electronic sensor and digital video data, following a protest from the Serbian delegation, to

Best selection of Patek in NYC?
So I'll be going to NYC in May for a short business trip and would like go watch browsing but won't have enough time to be bouncing all over the city. The closest Patek AD at home is 1hr 10min away and driving 2hrs to see only a few of the watches on my hit list is too low yield to motivate me. Specifically I'm interested in looking at the 5167 with the tropical band and SS bracelet, the 5167R, the 5711 (both blue & white dials), 5712, 5296R, 5205R, 5146R. Yes the last two are long shots but hey, might as well take a look, right? Based on what I found, it looks like the best place would be on 5th ave- specifically Tiffany's Patek Salon, Wempe, and Tourneau (yes I know how awful it is)- out of the 3, which have the biggest selection? I'm not looking to buy on the spot, I just want to try them on and think about what to do next.You Patek guys are nothing but trouble, you guys are making me rethink my watch collection!

Permanent Link Removal from 93150 bracelet
Hello friends,I want to remove a permanent link from a 93150 bracelet and since this would be an irreversible procedure I want to try another bracelet on that has a permanent link removed to see how it fits.Rolex in midtown Manhattan does not have any altered 93150 like that in their shop.Do you know any dealers that may have a bracelet like that I could try on in NYC area?