Smartwatches Hot? One Kickstarter Project Certainly Thinks So
Once again, it seems that Ariel's theory (here) that we are on the way to a consumer-grade smart watch is well on-track to being proven true. While this latest Kickstarter?project doesn't hit all of the points he made, it is advancing us further along the path.The new HOT Watch (yeah, a goofy name, but it ostensibly stands for "Hands On Talk" - more on that in a minute) is from a Dallas firm we've never heard of before - PH Technical Labs. As you might guess from the name, this is a company that's no stranger to electronics, but this is their first watch as far as I can tell. Fortunately, this is one of the nicer-looking watches we've seen in the segment, no doubt helped by the design work of Michael Foley (another name I've never heard of, and couldn't turn up any info). One surprising bit of the design is how thin the watch is. Coming in at only 8mm thick, this should make for a very compact watch (hopefully battery life isn't lost in that tradeoff - estimated standby life is 3 days)

Omega's answer to the Yachtmaster II
Omega Seamaster NZL-32 ChronographThe official Emirates Team New Zealand watchduring the America's CupParticular attention was paid to the key needs of the skipper and his crew during a regatta. The start of the regatta function clearly indicates the ten minutes preceding the starting signal by means of a special five-dot indicator. The dots gradually fill with a different colour ? first blue, then red ? as each successive five-minute period elapses. The OMEGA calibre 3602 self-winding movement is chronometer-certified and has a 40-hour power reserve

Looking at vintage Speedmaster Pro- what to look for?
Hey,Now that I've got a Planet Ocean; I've been bitten by the bug...I saw a vintage Speedmaster Pro the other day at the local Jeweler... Priced 1975 it was a caliber 861 movement. The person there didn't know too much about it but gave me the email of the watch guy. What questions should I be asking; what should I be looking for. It looked like it was in quite nice shape....thanks!drccw

New PO 45.5
Having just sold my Breitling Navi World (I could not tell the time the dial was so busy) I picked up my new PO today here in Santa Monica from my AD. Should have gotten this watch before the Breitling, better late then never however.

Visit to Geneva Patek Salon - A Horological Journey
As someone who has grown immensely ( or some might said crazily ) fond of mechanical watches over the last two years, Geneva becomes my obvious must-go destination of choice for my once-a-year-only long vacation. This is one of the report of my journey to this city that is the heart of Swiss horology. Note : I have thought long and hard about the appropriate format for this thread and as this is a rather massive write-up with lots of pictures of various PP watches to present, it might be too tedious for the reader ( and me also ) to present this as a long one post report. So I am adopting a post as you go format with updates every few days. Feel free to let me know how it goes. I will slowly lead you the reader from the more basic models all the way to the Grand Complications, with some interesting tidbits along the way. Patek Salons are boutiques operated and owned directly by Patek Philippe. The purpose of these Salons is to educate existing and future potential clients about Patek