Bell & Ross Vintage 123

Bon Voyage Explorer Departs!
I had this as a close to another post, but I though, hey, this is an opening to a new discussion. How one might package a Rolex bound for the RSC. Here is the results of my packaging efforts. This could be dropped from an airliner and not affect the watch. I'll be requesting a new bezel, repair and service of the movement, new link screws and I'd like to have the flip lock part of the clasp replaced as the bumps have worn away. My ad bent the piece in so it would grab with friction, but I'm afraid that will cause wear on the main part of the clasp. Reasonable for the short term, but bad long term plan.Departure 7-3-2009

Accuracy of your Caliber 13 movement
I was curious what other are seeing on their Breitling's with the Cal 13 movement in it in seconds per day. My watch gains 5 seconds a day if it is on my wrist or on my winder. This is within COSC specs. I was just curious what other are getting out of their watches.

H-101 update on COSC vs Real World timing
You may recall this thread where we broke down the COSC certificate and it's meaning:Horology 101 - deciphering a COSC certificateLater we tested that Tiffany's Mark SS Coupe watch to see how it really performed:Horology 101: COSC vs. real world testingWell, after some more great service at Tiffany's in Center City, Philadelphia I have some pleasing results! I dropped off the watch for regulation (free of charge) it came back to me running like this:Pretty darn good in my estimation - averaging -0.82 seconds a day is phenominal......but we're not done yet. No, because I'm crazy. .....or so my watchmaker says, and probably a few of you also. Well, I took it to Sam and told him it runs a little slow and asked if we can try an experiment on the timing machine. He replied "Sure, but you realize you're insane for messing with those kind of results." After I agreed, he tweaked the watch so a brief run on the timing machine showed it gaining in all positions. Here's the amazing part: t

Are the brands their own worst enemy right now?
With the apparent decision by many brands to reduce the number of dealers selling their watches to (assumable) provide the illusion of more exclusivity, have they gone too far & 'shot themselves in the hand' (sorry for the bad pun )? Many of the brands have cut back the distribution of their brand, and many of them needed to. Seemed you couldn't turn around in a mall & not see 4 stores selling a particular brand. But many have gone too far to the extreme. Example, the nearest Glashutte Original dealer to Atlanta is in Saint Petersburg, Fl - about 500 miles away. the nearest Zenith dealer to Atlanta is even further, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.Given these watches aren't the types of wares you buy sight-unseen, how does the brand expect possible buyers to sample their models, try them on, see & feel the watch on the wrist & make a decision? I'm not singling out GO & Zenith as many other brands have done similar changes, but they're the 2 that came readily to my mind.G

Positive experience with Rolex Service.
I just came back from picking up my Z-series SD from service at Gassan in Amsterdam.I know that they are not technically a RSC but rather an authorised service center, so I was prepared to get just the watch back in a plastic ziplock bag as it has happened years ago. This perspective was a bit annoying because the service costs are fully in line with RSC prices. i.e. hardly cheap !But I was pleasantly surprised to get the full package: the watch in the green Rolex service pouch, the service booklet and the service 2-year warranty card printed with the watch info and service date. Another interesting surprise was that I got back the old bezel insert, as I agreed to have it replaced during the service. I was under the impression that Rolex never returned replaced parts¡­I was wearing my ¡¯91 GMTII coke and asked if it was possible to get the insert replaced to Pepsi and still get the original coke insert back. The answer was ¡°yes¡±, and the cost was a very reasonable 75 euros. They agreed t