Bring a Loupe: A Selection Of Vintage Chronographs, Including A Rare Rolex 'Pre-Daytona,' A Heuer Skipper And A Universal Geneve Tri-Compax
This week, vintage watches are back in full force. In this Bring A Loupe you will find some heavy hitters, starting with a coveted Rolex "Pre-Daytona" with a black dial. Also expect to see an outstanding Heuer Skipper, an original Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic, and an unusual Type 20 from an unexpected source. Finally, a great Universal Geneve Tri-Compax just came back on eBay, but maybe not for the better. This is your Bring A Loupe for March 25, 2016. A Rolex 'Pre-Daytona' Reference 6238 With Coveted Black Dial 1 OF 8 The reference 6238 is often considered as the starting point of the Daytona line, as it displayed the modern-looking dials that can then be found in the first Daytona, the reference 6239. The 6238, nicknamed the Pre-Daytona, was launched in the early 1960s, only three years before the introduction of the reference 6239 �C the first actual Daytona �C that Ben described in depth here. The dial layout of these two references is almost identical, and

Finally
it took me a while but finally got the one I wanted. got my first ROO 4 yrs ago and after saving enough bought this beauty yesterday. I was deciding between the Alinghi and the Grand Prix carbon. the GP was more money so I pulled the trigger on this one. thank you GOD.

New shoes for 5170G
Hi Guys, Just had a Patek strap customised to give a Berluti feel. Which do you prefer customised brown or grey?David

No Steel Sports Rolex in Vegas
I visited nearly all the Vegas ADs this week, and none of them had any subs, GMT, not to mention Sea Dweller, Sky Sweller, Daytona (of course). When I asked if they had one in the back safe they laughed at me. I told them this is no laughing matter...for them. None of us must have a Rolex watch, but they MUST sell these watches to make a living. Rolex have lost their mind.Below is a wrist shot of my GMT at Zion National Park. While hiking a steep pile of rocks with my kids I had a slight slip and heard a crunch as the bracelet scraped the rocks. Funny thing is there are already so many scratches over the 11 years I have been wearing this watch that I couldn't even tell which scratch was the new one!

Explorer II 16570 vs. DateJust Turn-O-Graph 116264
Shopping for my first Rolex and initially these two models weren't even on my radar, I'd been really focused on a vintage 1601/1603 for that classic look. However, the more I've researched and thought about it I'm finding that either of these could be a really great starter piece that I'd probably get more use out of. Considering I'm a youngish guy (mid-30's) I've had multiple people say that a sportier look would be better on me and easier to dress up or down.The 16570 seems to be much more common and appreciated and I like its more toned down look. Meanwhile the 116264 had a more limited production and doesn't get discussed much, but there's something about the sport bezel on the TOG dial with red date wheel and sec hand that gives it a best of both worlds quality that's really appealing. I've also heard the 16570 will likely hold its value better while the 116264 may not since people seem to have a love/hate reaction to it.I could easily flip a coin and be happy with either, but