Baselworld Preview: Blancpain’s New Villeret Model
Prior to the opening of the 2012 Baselworld watch fair in Basel, Switzerland this week, Blancpain has offered up what it refers to as an “appetizer” to the main course of new models to be unveiled at the show. It is the first model in the brand’s Villeret collection to feature a flinqu�� lacquered dial, on which several layers of translucent blue lacquer are applied to create the effect of depth. Housed within the new watch’s 40-mm-diameter white-gold case is Blancpain’s ultra-slim Calibre 7663Q, which contains 244 parts and 34 jewels and has a three-day power reserve. This new self-winding movement powers the hour and minute hands as well as a center-mounted, serpentine-shaped date pointer. The running seconds are on a retrograde display at 6 o'clock. The under-lug corrector at 5 o'clock enables fast date adjustment. The watch has a sapphire exhibition caseback that shows off the movement, most notably the distinctive guilloch�� oscillating weight that is a

Watches, Art and Cars
I had an enjoyable couple of hours on Saturday, visiting the AP Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong, viewing some fabulous pieces at this enormous event and then briefly dropping by the Automall to view some of the great cars they have on offer. I made full use of being out without the kids! All in all, it was a fun afternoon. The AP lounge had a collection of ROOs through the years - unfortunately the contrast was too much for my iPhone ��s little sensor, so I couldn't get any useable photos. There were also a number of the new ROOs on display - the LE tourbillons look much better in real life than in photos. They are amazingly three-dimensional. I'm no fonder of the ROO Combat, now that I have seen it. The ROO 25 (the reissued Beast) has a far more luminous dial than the original - particularly with 25 yrs of patina - and I actually liked it much less than the museum pieces I've seen of this reference. This was the perfect opportunity to give my 15400or some wrist time. Not from Art Basel,

Nautilus Reference # help please
I'm not terribly familiar with the various Nautilus models, and the Patek website is pretty ponderous to navigate. Would someone mind posting the various stainless models on bracelets that are currently available, and roughly their sizes? I love my Aquanaut and I'm setting my sights on my next PP. I think a great addition would be something beyond a date complication and on a bracelet. I'm leaning 5712 but I'm just not familiar enough with the line to zero in on a piece. Many thanks!

Submariner history since 1954
I was wondering if anyone can answer a specific submariner history question. The first submariners were unveiled around 1954. They have always been black or blue, with the exception of the two special green ones I think. Currently, there are eight models in production and they are all 40 mm case diameters. I believe there are twenty-one discontinued models. Of those discontinued models of the submariner, were they all also 40 mm case diameters?Not sure why this popped into my head, but now that I cannot find the answer it is bugging me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Question about 17610 Bezel Inserts
I have noticed a difference in Bezel Inserts for the 16710 particularly where the 2s and 4s have a slight flare out of the white text. Not really sure if this has an official name or not. Does anybody know if there was a time period for when one bezel insert ended and when one started? I looked in the bezel insert thread in the Reference Library and didn't see it mentioned. Pics for clarity: