Rado Sintra

Gucci Takes the Plunge Into High Horology with New Gucci Dive Watch
(As seen in the October issue of WatchTime.)At Baselworld, Gucci announced it will launch a new men¡¯s watch that stands apart from the brand¡¯s other watches. Due out next year, the Gucci Dive is an official divers¡¯ watch, certified to adhere to ISO standard 6425. But what is most significant about it is its movement.The movement in the Gucci Dive is not a standard ETA movement, like those used in Gucci¡¯s other mechanical watches, but a GP3300, a high-end automatic made by the Sowind Group. Two years ago, Sowind, parent of Girard-Perregaux, became Gucci¡¯s sister company when it was acquired by the luxury-goods conglomerate PPR (which in June was renamed ¡°Kering¡±). Michele Sofisti is the CEO of both Sowind and of Gucci¡¯s watch division.The 3300 movement is Girard-Perregaux¡¯s workhorse, used in such G-P watches as the Sea Hawk 1000M and Chrono Hawk 1000M (in which it is paired with a Dubois D¨¦praz chronograph module). The Gucci Dive will be much more expensive than other Gucci watches: th

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Laptimer Michael Schumacher
Let's get this out of the way. Audemars Piguet and Michael Schumacher, perhaps the greatest driver in the history of motorsports, have had a longstanding relationship. In 2012, Schumacher even had his own limited edition Offshore built. It quickly sold out, and though a short-run Offshore wasn't, at the time, a particularly noteworthy thing, there was something special about Schumacher's. In December of 2013, Schumacher suffered a terrible skiing accident while on vacation with his family, and after months in a medically induced coma, he is wheel-chair bound recovering slowly at his home outside Geneva. Since the accident, Michael Schumacher's corporate sponsors have slowly but steadily recoiled from association with the all-time great. All of them, except for one – Audemars Piguet. And because of this, and the personal connection the family has with AP, today we see – with the blessing of Michael's family – a brand new timepiece sporting Michael&#

Show me your Citizens.....
Here is a showcase of my Citi Eco-Drive collection....Citizen Chrono-Time AT Limited Edition (On the wrist today):Citizen Moon Phase Calibre 8651:Citizen Calibre 2100:Citizen Signature Collection Grand Complication:Citizen Skyhawk AT:Citizen Calibre 8700:Citizen Nighthawk:Show me your Citizen love! (H)

2 Incoming!
Just bought these 2 and they should be winging their way to me soon.1st up is a Laco LE PVD Diver. This is one of a limited edition of just 250 pieces that sold out long ago. It measures 46mm in diameter.Some pics:2nd up is this Orsa Monstrum which is also big and chunky!Can't wait !!Mark

A Treasured Patek ¨C Stolen Long Ago ¨C Can Archive Records be Retrieved?
My father-in-law Mike bought a simple manual wind Patek while traveling in Switzerland with his wife in the 1950s. My wife, then of school age, remembers the pride with which her dad displayed his new Patek after his return home. Mike wore that Patek for years and he was still wearing it daily in the early 2000s. I doubt that his Patek was ever serviced. Sadly, Mike¡¯s treasured Patek was stolen in about 2004, a year before Mike¡¯s death. My wife and I were clueless about fine timepieces and we had no idea at the time that the watch may have been registered in the Patek archives.I have only a vague recollection of Mike¡¯s watch but would guess it was a member of the Calatrava 96-series. I wonder if it would be possible to find a record of Mike¡¯s watch in the Patek archives. And, although we would be unable to claim the watch today, it would be interesting to learn if Patek has serviced Mike¡¯s watch in recent years.Can the Patek archives be searched with only the original watch own