Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Automatik, Vollkalender und Mondphase

F.P.Journe Homage Dinner for George Daniels
If there was was one dinner watchmakers and enthusiasts hoped to attend in 2010, it was the one organized to honor George Daniels on June 24 at the Lanesborough Hotel in London. The dinner was hosted by F.P. Journe to celebrate the achievements, innovation and expertise George Daniels has contributed to the world or horology. This exclusive dinner was organized by F.P.Journe¡¯s long time London partners, John and William Asprey of William & Son, Journe’s UK agent. At the dinner Fran?ois-Paul Journe honored his long-time friend and mentor George Daniels, one of the foremost watchmakers of the 20th century, who gave Journe the creative inspiration that has significantly stirred his horological career.In a speech at the dinner, Journe declared: ¡°Without George Daniels, I would most certainly never have stared to make my first watch. George is definitely the foremost watchmaker of the 20th Century. It was in 1969, when the mechanical watch industry was dethroned by the arrival of

Cvstos Challenge-R 50 Chronograph Watch Available On James List
If Richard Mille and Hublot had a developmentally disabled child, it would be Cvstos. I kid! The Swiss brand never fails to amuse me. Especially the "V" style "U" in their name. I must admit though that the V looks better in writing. "Custos" just looks odd. Some of their designs I like, some I don't. This Challenge-R 50 Chronograph watch has some things to admire, and areas to make fun of. What is interesting is that most of these watches are available for half price online.The Cvstos Challenge-R (get it, "challenger") 50 Chronograph watch is nice overall. Perhaps not their most inspired design, but has enough technical looking sportiness to not horrendously insult anyone who wears it. The 45mm wide titanium case has a nice mix of brushed and polished surfaces, and enough design elements that work in other watches are adopted here so that ti doesn't look too bad. Really the main problem with the watch is the price and the hands. Those tiny, tiny little hands. Why do they look so lilli

Affordable Vintage: Raketa Big Zero
Stop what you're doing (reading this, I assume), run over to ebay and search Raketa¡­ Back? Chances are you just got lost in a weird alternate universe of Russian mechanical watches from the 60's to the 90's. 24-hour dials, strange graphics, Cyrillic bezels and, of course, remarkable prices are some of what you'll find on that search. In fact, I run that search quite often as you never know what weird and interesting designs you'll find. Not only are they often unique, they are quite inspiring from a graphic standpoint. For a brief history of the brand, I recommend watching this video: History of Russian Watch Factory part 1?& part 2One watch that I found that I just couldn't get out of my head was the Big Zero (check out our Pairs Well With too), which according to Raketa's website, this or a similar watch was known to be worn my Mikhail Gorbachev during the 80's. Sure, there are stranger and more unique Raketas out there, such as the Copernicus, but something about this watch just

Seiko 5?
Where are the best places to buy the Seiko 5 military watch online for a really good price? I've heard that they can be had on ebay for $50, but I wouldn't know how to tell if I'm getting the real deal. Would someone mind posting me the actual model numbers for the different Seiko 5 military watches? What exactly distinguishes a Seiko 5 simpliciter from a Seiko 5 military watch? How's the quality? Planning to grab one of these as an alternative to my Seiko Spirit, which I want to wear less often to ensure that it stays in good shape.

Rubber B straps for RO...
Not sure if this is common news but Rubber B is now carrying rubber straps for the Royal Oaks. I'm not sure what to make of it...on one hand it's cool to have the extra option but on the other, the RO is all about the bracelet and since it's not water resistant the rubber strap doesn't make as much sense.Anyone have one or plan to try one?