My First Grail Watch: Pierre Jacques Of De Bethune
Welcome back to an original watches-dealer feature, "My First Grail Watch." In this series, we ask prominent people in the watch industry about the first timepiece that they lusted after. Today, we're speaking with Pierre Jacques, the CEO of De Bethune.watches-dealer (ABTW): Who are you, and what is your relationship to the watch industry?Pierre Jacques (PJ): I am Pierre Jacques, the CEO of De Bethune. Prior to joining them, I worked as a Branch Manager of Les Ambassadeurs Gen��ve, and also headed the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix as director of the organizing company. And before all of that, I founded GMT Magazine in 2000.ABTW: When did your fascination with watches start?PJ: Watchmaking is a passion, and I can't remember when it started - maybe when I broke my PD (editor's note: a savings account) to buy a Kelton? After that, I started saving money to buy watches.ABTW: What was your first grail watch?PJ: My first grail watch was a Zenith Chronograph when I was 14 years old.ABTW:?That'

Piaget Polo Key Dive Watch Available On James List
A Piaget dive watch?! Oh yes, and here is the proof. Get ready to go underwater in your black bow tie. I was pretty amazed to discover this watch that was made in the mid 1990s. It is very difficult to find information on this watch by the way. I believe it is called the Piaget Polo Key, but it is Ref. 250020 no. GOA22036. I think it is pretty neat - but how primitive does the case look by today's standards? So would you wear a Piaget diver?The case is 38mm wide in 18k yellow gold with elements on the rotating diver's bezel in 18k white gold. That two-toning is rather cool. There is also the reserve version of the watch with a mostly 18k white gold with yellow gold accents. That other model seemed to have a vastly different dial - which makes it clear that this watch was the beginning of the Piaget Polo 45 of the modern era. Did they have CNCs machines for case making back then? Not sure...The black dialed version is my favorite. It has tasteful applied gold hour markers and dauphine h

Photo Report: Tiffany & Co. Boutique Opening In Chicago
Last Tuesday, HODINKEE and Tiffany & Co. hosted a get-together at Tiffany's boutique in Chicago's Magnificent Mile district, to inaugurate a new feature at the company's Michigan Avenue location – and a new feature for Tiffany boutiques as well. The Michigan Ave. store is, according to Tiffany, the very first to feature a separate, in-store boutique for Tiffany's CT60 Collection. 1 OF 12 The CT60 is named for Tiffany founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, and the designs of the watches are inspired by a very famous Tiffany wristwatch made by Tiffany for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and delivered in 1945. Check out our coverage of Tiffany's CT60 collection here, and our exclusive video coverage, right here. 2 OF 12 Thanks to Tiffany & Co. for a great evening, and to all our HODINKEE friends who joined us! 3 OF 12 4 OF 12 5 OF 12 6 OF 12 7 OF 12 8 OF 12 9 OF 12 10 OF 12 11

New guy here thinking about a 372
Hello everyone, I am a current Rolex wearer, thinking of buying a PAM 372. I have had a few Panerai models over the years, never stuck with one for long, but, I like the idea of the plexiglass and vintage look.I have good sized wrists...7.75 relatively flat, and have tried one on and like it a lot. Thinking of trading my submariner for one.

RSC service: How nice is nice?
Hello all! So, I just received my 116520 back from RSC yesterday after about 2 months. This is the first time I've ever sent a watch to RSC for service by the way and I agreed to the full spa treatment as I thought it would be worth it for a Daytona. While I'm sure (I hope) that the quality of the movement service was good, I was not impressed with how the watch looked on the outside when I got it back. They asked me to inspect it, but it was full of fingerprints and some kind of light oil it seems. They handed me a polishing cloth, but I didn't want to wipe down the watch and possibly scratch a newly polished watch. I took it home, knowing there's a fresh 2 year warranty and figured I'm sure all is fine. At home, I immediately gave the watch a nice bath with some Dawn dish soap and got all the greasiness off. I could now really inspect the watch. I must say that the polishing isn't up to snuff with what I would have expected. The brushed areas are uneven, and on the clasp they missed