General Posts


Wenger Swiss army has a watchmaker’s pocket knife they call the Minathor, which you may or may not know about. They are very cool with several tools that help adjust your watch bracelet, and open case backs and other little things. They are not cheap for a Wenger, and cost $90 plus shipping from IW Watch Magazine. It is definitely a cool little tool and nice little addition to the collection. Now if only Breitling’s promotional knives were made with these!

I have not seen many of these talked about on the forums so I figured it would be good to mention these to anyone that isn`t aware of them. The tools and functions include:

A. Large blade
B. Case-opener
C. Magnifying glass
D. Spring-bar tool
E. Small ruler, graduated in mm
F. Screwdriver No.0
G. Metal file
H. Corkscrew
I. Reamer
J. Flat head screwdriver with safety lock system (pat.)
K. Cap lifter
L. Wire Bender
M. Oil-pike
N. Fine tweezers
O. Tool holder
P. Toolbox with 14 numbered slots:

1. Pin-punch bit 1.2 mm
2. Pin-punch bit 0.80
3. Reserve Slot
4. Reamer for enlarging holes
5. Reserve Slot
6. Reserve Slot
7. Fine fork for spring bar tool
8. Screwdriver blade 1.2 mm
9. Screwdriver blade 0.80 mm
10. Round needle file
11. Reserve Slot
12. Reserve Slot
13. Reserve Slot
14. Phillips screwdriver bit 1.5 mm

Now that`s a lot of features!

minathor

Just so you guys know what you are missing out on, all Andrew Michaels owners club members get access to exclusive raffles of cool stuff and also get great added value benefits from Andrew Michaels, an authorized Breitling Dealer, which also happens to be one of the biggest, with a current stock of over 600 Breitling watches!

To join the Andrew Michaels Owners Club (AMOC), just join the Breitling Source Forum and go to the Andrew Michaels owners club section to find out how. Its easy! Only requirement is that you own a Breitling.

Or April Raffle will be for a pair of Breitling Earplugs, a Breitling Lanyard, a Breitling T-shirt, Breitling Swizzle sticks and Breitling Coasters!

Some pretty awesome stuff from Bulgari this year… mostly what I am really impressed with is the Sotirio Bulgari watch.. This thing is amazing. Check out the stuff below:

BVLGARI presents the new”Bulgari Bulgari” Moon Phase watch

bulgari-bulgari-38mm-moon-phase

The “Bulgari Bulgari” collection, the icon of the Bulgari watch line, is updated with a new model for women.
In this exclusive version, the 38 mm case has a characteristically linear and contemporary design that renders this precious timepiece unmistakable. The white mother-of-pearl dial is embellished with diamond pavé and hand-mounted markers. The white alligator skin strap has a folding steel buckle. Water resistant up to a depth of 30 metres, it features an automatic B77 Calibre mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It also marks the phases of the moon and is embellished by Côte de Genève and Perlage treatments.

The “Bulgari Bulgari” Moon Phase model will be available at all Bulgari stores and selected dealers starting from May 2009.

BVLGARI PRESENTS the new SOTIRIO BULGARI watch
125th anniversary edition

sbp42_sotiriobulgarisb-back-of-case

In the mid 19thcentury, Sotirio Bulgari articulated a vision of elegance that has since proven capable of transcending the boundaries of both time and space. The young Sotirio sensed the new spirit of his time and, assembling his formidable arsenal of artistic and artisanal skills, left Greece for Corfu and then went on to the recently unified Italy. His enterprising spirit upset many existing schemes, anticipating practises that would become standard only much later. It is to this remarkable man – multicultural voyager ahead of his time, entrepreneur, aesthete and founder of one of the world’s most respected jewellers and watchmakers – that Bulgari dedicates, on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, three watches as extraordinary as the history that began with Sotirio Bulgari.

Watches characterised by a classic style reinterpreted in a contemporary key. A perfect synthesis of innovative design and manufacturing skill, they are distinguished by their sophisticated workmanship and great attention to detail. These new timepieces represent the Bulgari’s vision of a formal watch, featuring manufacture movement, dials finished with exclusive treatments and a unique design. Unique as the exclusive flip-over back case and the pure bezel characterised by the absence of the Bulgari logo and the lugs. Characterised by a converging inclination they are a prominent feature in these Sotirio Bulgari. Their particular construction (they are integrated in the back case) meets the challenge of offering high shock resistance in spite of the reduced size. As testimony of the endless care for detail even the crown as been personalised (with the Sotirio Bulgari historical hallmark) as the sapphire crystal that is curved and enriched by the antireflective treatment

The argenté dial is made in house by Bulgari; the Roman numerals and faceted indexes are applied by hand. The skeleton hour and minute hands are faceted. The watch strap is made of black alligator skin with an 18 cts Bulgari ardillon buckle.

The BVL 250 calibre automatic movement is made of 250 components. The watch has 55 hour power reserve, 32 rubies and 28’800 vibration/hour (4 Hz). It has a diameter of 25.60 mm and is 3.73 mm thick. The bridges and the main plate feature an exclusive design and are embellished by côtes de Genève, diamantés and perlage treatments. The customised oscillating weight features colimaçonné treatments and its 18 cts weight is enriched by a satiné circulaire treatment. The shape of the bridges and the weight of this calibre were redesigned to highlight the creativity of the watch and reveal as much as possible of the movement with its sophisticated finishing. These testify to the sophisticated Swiss savoir faire that went into the making of this watch and were executed in full compliance with the qualitative parameters established for haut de Gamme movements. All edges are diamantes as are the sinks around the jewels. The 18 cts gold oscillating segment is finished with a satiné circulaire treatment, while the central part is colimaçonnée. The Swiss finisseurs’ standard of craftsmanship is evident by the exclusive care taken in decorating even the smallest components, such as the screw heads, which are polished.

Dedicated to our founder these new timepieces are the tangible proof of Bulgari’s tireless quest for perfection.

I’ve reprinted some of the articles that Roffensian posted on the forums for those of you that do not frequent them. They are very informative and the three that I have posted cover the General Mechanical watch, The Perpetual Calendar and the Minute Repeater. They are beginner articles on how these movements work and what they do.

Very cool stuff… I’ve linked each one individually:

How a Mechanical Watch Works
Minute Repeater
Perpetual Calendar

Many of you know that the secondary market for watches has all but collapsed in recent months.. with prices of peices selling for 20-40% less than they would otherwise, and with less popular brands not even selling at all at anything reasonable. Seeing this and the tough times that many of us are facing has given me pause to reflect on my own life. A lot of people are suffering now.

This is unfortunate, but an inevitable phenomenon during the tough worldwide recession that we are facing now. For those of us fortunate enough to be able to spend freely on watches this is a good time to pick up a few deals, and for those of us not as lucky who are forced to part with their timepeices for financial reasons, my heart goes out to you and your family and I hope that your fortune turns around.

For me, it is a time to reflect on how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, a beautiful lady in my life, and a potentially wonderful future ahead of me. I am lucky enough to still be able to scrape by, but times are still tougher as I do work in a business where my earnings are reflective of my performance. My performance being very dependent on the state of the economy – but I am happy to be surviving.

I am just writing to say that in times like these, I must remember to be grateful.

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