Ebel 1911 8331240

Editors' Picks: A Sub-$5,000 Mechanical Watch To Buy Now, And The Watch It Will Make You Want To Save For
So what do you do when you have $5,000 to spend on a watch? Read HODINKEE of course. We've got four of our editors to consider the question for you: what's the best buy in mechanical watches under $5000 – and what's your new prize, once you have it on the wrist, going to make you want to save for? Well, read on, friends. We have listed our top mechanical watches for under $5,000 and a similar (more expensive) watch that you're going to start to yearn for once you're hooked on watches. Cara Barrett ¨C The NOMOS Z¨¹rich And The A. Lange & S?hne Saxonia Automatic 1 OF 8 Well, NOMOS and Lange may be the obvious choice here, but what can I say? I unequivocally LOVE Nomos and Lange – I am who I am! My choice for a first mechanical watch under $5,000, would have to be the NOMOS Zürich in stainless steel with white dial for $4,180. And for the “save for later watch” I would choose the Lange Saxonia Automatic in white gold.

Photo Report: Recapping The HODINKEE And Seiko Event In New York
Last week HODINKEE hosted an event with Seiko in New York City. Fans of the brand and watch enthusiasts alike were treated to a night of Japanese horology, mingling amongst a large selection of the brand's most popular models and enjoying demonstrations by a Seiko watchmaker. Here are a few highlights from the evening: 1 OF 15 2 OF 153 OF 15 4 OF 15 5 OF 15 6 OF 15 ADVERTISEMENT 7 OF 158 OF 15 9 OF 15 10 OF 15 11 OF 15 12 OF 1513 OF 15 14 OF 15 15 OF 15 For more information on Seiko, please visit their website here. Photos by Aram David

"Return to Country of Origin" and other tips for international shipping
Today I accidentally had to deal with TNT Couriers over a dumb parcel at work. Basically, a "smart" secretary ordered a few items from UK delivered to Switzerland, despite the fact from the very beginning they had to go to UKAnywhoo, at the end we didn't have to pay any import duties in Switzerland, nor similar in the UK, as the TNT guy marked the parcel as "Return to Country of Origin".So, I am in Switzerland and mad about watchesguess how I put above in context? My question to you is the following: If I buy a swiss-brand watch (say a Rolex) from the USA, pay by Bank Wire and request it labelled with "Return to Country of Origin" - would that mean that no import/VAT duties will be required? Would that in some way put at risk the insurance value of the shipment?Have you come across similar "backdoors" to the shipping system which allow you to safely send items - properly insured, but cleared of import/VAT? Thanks for sharing your thoughts

Buying AP without warranty?
What are your thoughts on buying a 15400 from a gray market without an AP warranty? Is the warranty worth it if the watch is guaranteed genuine and such?ThanksChad

The 39MM AP is just too large for me. Suggestions?
As much as I really love the AP royal oak, the 39MM just won't sit on my 6 wrists.I have pretty thin wrists, but the problem is that the stiff bracelet next to the lugs prevent the watch from resting on my wrists, and both AD's that I visited were certain that this problem will not change even if links were removed as the bracelet just is stiff and that's the way the watch is designed.The 37mm does wear nicely but I really don't like the white color dial as much as the black or blue.Is AP just out of the option for me unless I am happy to wear the 39mm without it resting on my wrists?