Jaeger-LeCoultre Ref. 270.140 524 B

HUGE new Oris ProDiver!
Revealed at this year's Baseworld is Oris' new diver - the ProDiver. This watch is enormous , and I think would look like a limpet stuck to your wrist unless: a) you have a really (really) manly wrist, or b) you wear it over a wetsuit, as it is designed to be.It has a titanium case and bracelet, is 51mm in diameter (yes, 51) and 22mm thick. Now I've just grabbed a ruler and quickly measured the thickest watch I have - a Casio SeaPathfinder. From the bottom of the case to the top of the bezel it is 17mm, and sits very high on my wrist. my Seiko Black Monster - a watch also noted for it's wrist 'presence', measures 13mm. Think about that for a minute....It weighs in at 250g, and remember, that's Titanium....To be honest, I'd love to see this behemoth next to the new Rolex Deep Sea SeaDweller that has received a lot of comments about how big it is. I actually think it would scare the DSSD out of the picture :DAnyway, enough of the specs, here are some pics:images courtesy Bernard K. watc

Your favorite Vendome/Richemont era PAM?
This is a hard one as Richemont has done a nice job with the brand since 1997. They have produced everything from near-exact replicas of vintage era PAMs as well as modern day marvels. I heavily favor the simple PAMs that hark back to the old days. The ones that immediately come to mind are the 21, 36, 127, 203, 217, 232, 249 and 341. Believe me, if I could have each of these I would, but I feel plenty thankful to have one.If I had to pick one though I would have to go with the 21...NOT the one I have . The 47mm rad case in platiunum, tobacco t-dial, gold hands and vintage Rolex movement are just amazing. It has incredible wrist presence.What say you? One of the above or one of the many other models to come out over the last 12 years?

Horology 101 - mainspring barrels
Mainsprings were originally just connected to the inner barrel wall on one end and to a center post on the other. This created a few problems. Since the barrel was rotating one way while the watch was ticking, but in the opposite direction while it was being wound, the watch lost time during winding. Also, if the mainspring broke it caused a violent snap and a surge in the opposite direction which would break other parts like jewels and gear teeth. Lastly, the watch was not isochronistic since a fully wound mainspring pushes the gears with much more force than a nearly exhausted spring. The first solution was to add a fusee between the barrel and the gears. The fusee is a conical piece that had a chain wrapped around it which wound up to the point of the cone as the mainspring was wound. A fusee from a Hamilton marine chronometer:As the watch ticks the chain unwinds gradually down the cone to the larger diameter portion. The thicker the part of the cone, the more rotational torque it g

Russian Chaika Movement
I've been digging through some old watches I've had for years in the hopes of identifying some of the older ones and came across a woman's Cardinal from the mid-sixties. I popped the case back and found a tiny Russian made Chaika 1601A movement inside. Was this rare? I've done some searching and cannot find a single instance of Cardinal (or anyone else) using Russian movements in their watches.The case is also stamped AU with no number behind it. Does this mean it's plated. I thought normally a number was stamped behind the AU symbol to indicate thickness of the plating.

Long-Term View On Smaller Pateks
Hello Everyone,I am wondering how others view the long-term desirability of smaller Pateks. In the past watches would grow or shrink with tastes in fashion but at this point it feels like even if there is a shift back to smaller watches that the days of 35 mm cases for men are gone and unlikely to ever return. This means that watches like the 3796 and my 5066 sell for very reasonable sums considering their age. Will these models ever return to desirability in the resale market? I am very pleased with my Aquanaut and the lower resale value allowed me to get back into a Patek at a price that I could afford (and to get a modern automatic with a display back, date display and a second hand). I have also considered adding a 3796R to my collection. I personally think that the smaller models won't appreciate long-term as well as larger ones but I was wondering if others felt the same way. Thoughts?