Breitling Chronomat 44

Favorite watch books?
Rick (HamiltonIllinois) came up with a brilliant posting in the Cafe called "Favorite watch books?" I have made it a Thread here, so you guys can add your favorite resources...Thanks Rick!Rick:I have 6 built-in bookshelves fairly full of books related to the "stuff" that I collect. While most cover art or are auction books from 4-5 auction houses, only 1 shelf is devoted to wristwatches. Of those, most of my time is spent reading and re-reading 5 books that I find to be the best and most useful for what I collect. These books are:TOP 2 ¨C EXCEPTIONAL (1 and 1A, neither is better than the other, so by alpha)¡°The Illinois Watch: The Life and Times of a Great American Watch Company¡± by Fred Friedberg(When this came out, no other American watch book was even close)¡°The Watch of the Future: The Story of the Hamilton Electric Watch¡± by Rene Rondeau(The most recent 4th edition (black covered) is TERRIFIC!!!)STILL VERY GOOD¡°Hamilton Wristwatches: A Collector¡¯s Guide¡± by Rene Rondeau(While some

Need to Know
OK I've been thinking about this for a while now. Where do the "gray market" watches come from? Do they fall off the trucks? Out the back door of factories?From AD(S)? There are no factory warranties on internet watches and they claim they are not AD(S). So clue me in. Thanks

Omega DeVille as a dress watch choice?
What do you guys think of the current model DeVille as a dress watch choice, #4631.31.31? It has the Co-axial movement of course, but doesn't seem to get much discussion on any of the forums. So let me ask: do you think it's a good choice, or would you rather have a two-tone Rolex Datejust, or perhaps the Zenith Class Elite, maybe the new Girard Perregaux Vintage 1966, or perhaps one of the Blancpain Villeret dress line which has a similar price point to the Omega. Which way would you go? Do you think the DeVille is just as good as some of the others I mentioned? Interested in your thoughts, thank you.

Contemplating Patek Repair Times for Grand Complications...
I was just amusing myself by calculating how much your grand complication watch would be out of your hands and in someone else's hands during your lifetime if the repair times were 6 months long.If you buy your grand complication at 40 years old and you live to be 80, how long will Patek have your watch instead of you during your lifetime, assuming a 6 month repair time?Depending on whether you include the last service at age 80, Patek will have your watch anywhere from 8.75 to 10 percent of your lifetime with the watch. OUCH! Now, if it takes even longer for them to service a grand complication than 6 months, say perhaps 1 year, then you are talking around 20 percent of your lifetime with the watch. My new philosophy is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I would rather pay more later if there is additional wear and repairs and have more time with my watch. I do have other pieces I can wear when a watch is being serviced, but it does seem like a huge chunk of time. Perhaps Patek could b

Rolex GMT 16700 - Hit or Miss?
Dear all...Since your are all very knowable people, and I¡äm a bit to spontaneous, I would like your help to either calm myself or simply to try to save eventually losses. Yesterday I got feeling and bought a complete set 16700 from 1990 for 7000USD. The impression I got from the lot was that the watch was in god standing (not over polished if polished at all). But did I overpay?