Breguet Charity Auction Is Underway
As time winds down to the New Year, Breguet is preparing to auction a masterpiece: the Breguet Classique 5157. The auction benefits the New York Philharmonic's School Partnership Program. Bidding began at 12:01 a.m. EST yesterday and closes close at midnight January 15th, 2011. The watch is being auctioned through the eBay Giving Works site. The 18-carat yellow gold timepiece is the same model as the one worn by New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert. It is a 38mm, extra-thin Classique wristwatch featuring a self-winding movement and a silvered gold dial hand-engraved on a rose engine. It also has a sapphire caseback and is water-resistant up to 30m.Breguet, is expanding its cultural ties in the U.S. The brand worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2007, and most recently sponsored the New York Philharmonic’s Opening Night Gala. Breguet will also support tonight’s all-Tchaikovsky New Year's Eve concert.The New York Philharmonic's School Partnership Program p

trade 15202 for 15450YG?
i think these two could absolutely live harmoniously together in the collection, but not wise on the wallet. the SS version of the 15450 never appealed to me, but in YG (especially with that blue dial) it is a stunner. tried it on at the boutique and wanted to walk out with it!is it heresy to suggest trading in the perennial classic (as well as increasingly valued) jumbo for the 15450YG (which conversely would decrease in value over time)?it's a beauty...

Traded 15400 steel for gold
Traded my black dial 15400 steel and a couple other pieces for the blue dial 15400 rose gold. Dial is hard to capture - very dark and similar to the 15202 blue dial. Goes from black to deep blue depending on the light.

Let's Tear The Back Off A Speedy !!!
Tired of looking at the insides of Rolexes...Let's take a look at what makes the Speedy tick..First, of course, we need some tools:....And, of course, a Speedy...And, something for the Case-back. I like L-G tools...Made in the USA. This L-G CWR-600, Waterproof Case Wrench should do the job.. The Speedy back has 6 slots, so I have it set to just use the two opposing positions with the notch sockets. If it had an odd number of slots or holes I would use all three sockets:First step is to remove the bracelet to make it easier to work with:The watch head needs to be secure to avoid slipping etc., so we clamp it up:Carefully using the LG Case Tool, we crack it a bit, ensure no crud is under the case lip, clean things a bit, then voila, we pop off the cover:The Speedy also has an inner cover that sits over the movement:Inside we find one of my favorite movements, the Lemania 1861... Very close to the early 60's 321 MoonWatch movements but with more modern upgrades...Have to keep up with te

Patek 5711: Incoming
As you all know from my previous post, I've been in the market for a 5711. I've been visiting AD's and building a relationship, often hearing the waitlist is 1-2 years. I put a deposit down at a local AD, with an anticipated wait of 1 year. I later on decided that I'll just put my name down at another AD just in case (no deposit required). I later changed my mind and wanted a 5712. After some luck, a different AD told me that a 5712 (blue dial) is coming in and would have my name on it if I wanted so of course I agreed and put down a deposit. I got a call from the AD that I did not place a deposit with this week. He told me he had a 5711 (blue dial) come in and asked if I wanted it. Of course I couldn't turn it down! Long story long (joke), I often read the forums for advice about wait times for certain watches etc. and often see some people getting lucky. This time it was me! Now I have a delimma: keep both the 5711 and 5712 blue dial?! I guess this is a great problem to have! Officia