Memoirs Of A Watchmaker: Coming Of Age With Horology
I came of age in the 1960's and 1970's in New England. If you asked most of my schoolmates back then what they wanted to be when they grew up, most would have said a fireman, policeman, cowboy, politician, lawyer, doctor, teacher, sailor��. just about anything but a watchmaker. The average age of watchmakers in the 1960's and 1970's was around 50 years old, and it seemed, at least in the United States, to be a dying breed, perhaps even an endangered species. Americans didn't value watchmakers as highly skilled technicians, as they did in Switzerland and other European communities, they more or less saw them as the equivalent of a plumber, electrician, house painter or refrigerator repair man. Not something to strive for when you're young ��didn't seem glamorous like a secret agent, lawyer, or computer punch card operator��. or something to get girls with like the lead singer of a rock band.So when my Dad decided when I was 12, to take me to his retail jewelry store on Saturdays to teach m

GIVEAWAY: Travel To Geneva, Build An In-House Frederique Constant, Keep The Watch
First Place Prizewatches-dealer and Swiss watch maker Frederique Constant present you with a very special giveaway opportunity. This month you can win an all-expenses paid trip to Geneva, Switzerland to visit the Frederique Constant/Alpina manufacture. There you will sit with their watch makers and construct an in-house made Frederique Constant manufacture movement and watch all by yourself. And as a little souvenir, you'll get to keep your new self-made timepiece. On top of that, I will be going with you to share in the experience. There are also second and third-place prizes.Frederique Constant began producing their own in-house made movements a few years ago. Some of those movements are also in Alpina watches which are built under the same roof. The winner will have some choice as to what watch they'd like to assemble. This is a rare, once in a lifetime opportunity for most people and I am happy to give watches-dealer readers a chance to experience it.Prior experience is not necessa

Bring a Loupe: A Rolex With Tiffany Dial, A B-Series Royal Oak With Original Papers, An Early Zenith
You probably noticed that the HODINKEE Shop started offering vintage watches last Tuesday. What does this mean for this column? Well, nothing really. Bring A Loupe is still alive and kicking; each week, you can expect to find the coolest watches from all over the world. And this week, BAL will include a dressy Rolex with Tiffany dial, a B series Royal Oak, and a Bovet Mono-Rattrapante. There is also a great selection of chronographs, from a tropical Wakmann to an early Zenith El Primero. This is your Bring A Loupe for March 11, 2016. An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Reference 5402 B Series With Original Papers 1 OF 7 Launching the Royal Oak was definitely a bold move from AP in 1972, as this sporty looking watch in stainless steel cost more than a dressy Patek in gold at the time. Moreover, it relied on a slim and beautifully finished automatic movement in an era where quartz movements were already starting to become more common. The initial controversies faded away, a

Hong Kong
Hello members from hk:)May I ask, which shop u guys best recommend for 2nd hand and brand new AP?As I am new to watches, please free share to share your experience!CheersSam

can anyone recommend an independent watc repair in Los Angeles?
My constellation is running slow and the date will no longer change. This is a quartz movement.