AP paying AD's to stop selling watches?
I know everyone was a bit shocked that AP pulled the AD status of Marcus a while back, but it now appears they might have actually paid out over ��17 million to have them stop selling their products by canceling the contract early. Very odd. I wonder if all the other AD's are getting similar payouts as there are a ton of them being pulled at the moment?Cost cutting to add low cost lounges instead of boutiques makes sense in this context.watchpro/audemars-pig...ion-agreement/thoughts? I know Marcus also sold his personal collection of AP to the AP museum but AFAIK that would have not been tied up in his companies profits. But, maybe it was and thats the explanation for the pay out.

Incoming - end of an odyssey
For some time, I have had an interest in this watch, but had successfully convinced myself that I could live without it. Nonetheless, on a lark I reached out to a seller and , after some back and forth (and helpful advice from TRF members), the seller and I reached a provisional deal. Unfortunately, that deal didn't end up working out...but by that point reason had gone out the window - I needed to have this watch! what followed was a lot of time hammering around on various forums. I was fortunate to connect with another great seller and we worked together to address the challenges of sending a watch internationally between two private individuals. I'll post a separate thanks in the who's who section - but thank you here as well!The piece arrived last night---------International shipping demands patience The unboxing (rest assured it was sent double boxed...just sparing readers photos of every step of the process)----------The 15707CE is a very cool watch. I very much understand why it

Which one is the must have?
Which of these would you rather own if this is your only AP?

When and where will it stop?
Since some time we have seen a huge increase in 5711 prices, and the 5712 seems to be following the same path, prices are increasingly strong. Do you think rhis trend will continue, either go up or stay stable, or will this stop and get back to normal prices some day soon? For the Daytona C I am sure prices will drop, sure they will be a little more than retail, but not such huge difference. When I see prices for 5711/12, I think how is it possible that there are people willing to pay up to 10 grand more than retail, just nuts, happy as I have both, and no intention to sell, but I would not have paid grey dealer prices for unworn on these 2, maybe a few k more, but 10? Never. What do you guys think?

Oystersteel?
Why would Rolex remove all references to 904L steel from its website except these two articles and begin calling their watch material Oystersteel?materials.htmlOne of the articles says: Rolex became the first watchmaking brand to pioneer the use of 904L steel for the cases of all its steel watches. Most commonly used in high‑technology and in the aerospace and chemical industries, its excellent anti-corrosion properties are comparable to those of precious metals and it offers a final polish of exceptional sheen.Sounds perfect! Why can't Rolex just leave it at that? I guess it wants to differentiate itself from other future watch company users of 904L? It just seems silly. It was a nice development in 1985 when Rolex started using 904L and its easy for people to understand what 904L is once explained to them. Period.There is no need to give 904L a weird name to impress the unwashed masses. I guess Rolex should just start saying Oysterbezel, Oystercrown, Oystercrystal, etc.