Philip Stein Teslar Mini

Auction Watch: Antiquorum's ONLY WATCH 2011 Is Almost Here
The following timepiece auction analysis post is by Chris Meisenzahl. He is a long-time watch enthusiast and daily Speedmaster Pro wearer. He blogs at The Pretense of Knowledge and can be followed on Twitter at twitterwatches-dealer/speedmaster.It's just about that time again, for the 2011 Only Watch Auction. The auction, managed by Antiquorum, bills itself as: "40 Of The World's Greatest Watchmakers Together For Research On Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy." When they say " World's Greatest Watchmakers" that's not just hyperbole (as is too often present in the superlative watch industry). This is the real-deal. The Only Watch Auction really is a who's who of the finest brands (e.g. Audemars Piguet, De Bethune, Glashütte Original, MB&F, Patek Philippe, and many more). The auction and the timepieces are too involved to run every year, so the charity event is held every other year, dating back to 2005. Frankly, some of these pieces are so amazing it's impressive that it can be pulled-off

Two and a half Men and the Sub
Did anybody happen to see Two and a Half Men tonight? There were several humorous wristshots and references related to the Submariner. It is normally a funny show, and I thought this was particularly funny being into watches.

Hamilton Crystals
Were all vintage Hamiltons assembled with a glass crystal? Did any come out of the factory with an acrylic or plastic crystal?I see vintage Hamilton watches on e-bay that have a "original reproduction" plastic crystal or an "NOS" plastic crystal.Just wondering what was really original for Hamiltons or if it varies by model.

Experimentations before I go off to see Watson
OK, Jeopardy is on and Watson the computer is challenging 2 humans but that is not the experiment I just did. First, I just removed a fixed end watchband trying to use the tools in that cheap kit mentioned in a previous thread. I could not fit the springbar tool into the slot so I had to grind down the outside which did not work as well as the screwdriver I had to grind down the sides. The other experiment was to address my "springing" springbars. Scott Allison of timesofplenty heard of my problem and sent me a pair of 25mm (uncompressed) so I tried themthey are a little too long. My 20mm band springbars are 22.2mm (uncompressed) so I am going to try a pair of 21mm springbars to see it they work. My logic is that if 20mm springbars are 22.2mm and I suspect the 25mm are for a 22mm band a 21mm band springbar should be around 23mm which might work.Scott was really nice to send me a set to try this experimentI appreciate his action and the idea that a member of the forum would do suc

I was finally was able to wear my new Railmaster
On December 30th, I received my Railmaster from fellow TRF member, xkalifornia (a great guy, by the way). It's the 36.2mm version. He bought it 6 months ago from an AD and provided me with all the paperwork and cards. The price was very right for an essentially new watch with 2 1/2 years of factory warranty left. After looking at several different Seamaster Aqua Tera watches, but had decided to focus on a Railmaster. So, when I got home from a Christmas Eve party, I saw xkalifornia's ad that he put up earlier that evening. I immediately contacted him and a series of e-mails and phone calls followed which culminated in deal a few days later. I have no problem with a watch that is the same size as my 1987 Rolex TT DJ 16013 which I love.Unfortunately, although I could snap the bracelet together, it strangled my wrist (I figured that would happen based on my looking at other Seamaster watches at the local AD). So, I ordered a couple of extra links from my local AD. The AD called t