Maurice Lacroix Chrono AUTOMATICO

Girl Tech: Franck Muller Presents The World's Smallest Tourbillon Watch In A Feminine Little Package
This has to be one of the most cutesy luxury watches I have ever seen. And at a price that is going to be well over $60,000 it might need some growing up to do. Underneath the heart shaped bridge lies the world's smallest production tourbillon in a watch. The small tourbillon escapement is just 11.6mm wide. Very small, indeed.The rest of the new Franck Muller Tourbillon Lady 3080 T is equally petite. The 18k white gold tonneau shaped case is 42mm high, and 30mm wide. Surprisingly, it is only 10mm thick, which makes it very thin for a tourbillon watch. It is manually wound in-house movement with 80 hours of power reserve in two barrels. Pretty nice for a such a small watch. On the back of the case is another sapphire window for a view of the movement.I think about the placement of this watch in the market. You don't need to make "the world's smallest tourbillon" in a man's watch, as that sort of defeats the idea of today's men's watch which are large. Franck Muller still wanted to embod

A Rolex wonderland...
Yesterday, I went on a Rolex tour (alone, self-sponsored, self directed:chuckle:). Tokyo really is a special place if you love Rolex watches.I found a new AD recently, and they have just about every model in the display cases; so I decided to start with that store. The store is very elegant,a virtual Rolex wonderland! I also visited some of the gray dealers I know and trust (who BTW also enjoy impeccable reputations). For a change, the stores were full of people who seemed ready to buy. I guess the recession is taking a second seat to the New Year's spirit, at least for some people.I didn't buy anything, but despite a relatively low excitement level lately for watches, I was floored by one watch I tried on. I saw it at an AD in the Ginza. It's a new 116518 with a matte blue dial. Photos literally don't do this dial justice. At some angles, it appears black or gray; at other angles, it's a deep blue.I've heard this type of dial is also available on the TT Daytona, but I haven't see

WARNING! This thread should not be viewed by Rolex purists!
Last year while shopping for my EXPII, I fell in love with the black dial/white markers of the Sea Dweller Date but alas, the SDD lacked a fourth hand. To my delight, I discovered that the magnifier could be easily and inexpensively removed so ended up with this:Now, having been inspired by Scott, John, Larry, and others, I have performed my second mod with the addition of a display back:Although Rolex movements are not as beautifully finished as others, it is nice to have a backside view.Fr. John?

Waterproofing capability with an unscrewed crown (ROO)
Hi guys,Appreciate some opinion here. Earlier today, I went swimming with my ROO on and crown unlocked! Just swimming at the surface, no more than 1m and for only about 10 minutes. It did not appear that there was any water ingress to the naked eye after considerable squinting. Also placed the watch in the fridge face down, to lower the case temperature as I was thinking if there was gonna be any condensation, I should see it. Nothing turned up either. My question is: With the crown not screwed down, is there a basic level of water ingress protection built in? I was googling earlier and understand that Rolex has this protective device though not officially acknowledged. Any of you guys have similar experiences to share or perhaps know the insides of the watch well enough? If it helps, its a F series Black Themes.Thanks for reading.

Date 34 vs DJ36 vs OP34 vs OP36 - substantial differences?
I am shopping for a classic and timeless daily wear stainless Rolex for my wife that is mid-sized with a smooth bezel on the Oyster bracelet. I would prefer if it had a slight sporty edge to it since she already owns a formal attire watch. If R made a 36mm Sub I would buy that but they don't and she finds the YM too flashy. Looking over the men's and ladies options there are four models that seem appropriate.OP34OP36Date34DJ36Other than the later two having the date feature and the obvious (small) size difference are there any major reasons to choose one model over the other? Resale value isn't a consideration because she will own the watch forever. I understand the DJ36 and OP36 are probably the newest members of this group and until today I wasn't even aware of the Date34.Any advice would be appreciated!