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Oct 6, 2017, 11:11 PM
#11
- In 1800, England and Switzerland each produced around 200,000 watches. By 1850, Switzerland’s production had risen to 2,200,000 while English production had stalled.
- Patek Philippe retail staff receive training in calligraphy so that receipts and guarantees look nice.
- The Rolex Daytona was originally going to be called The Rolex Le Mans. ‘Daytona’ was adopted in Rolex’s third year of sponsoring the Daytona endurance race in 1964.
- The mayor of Glashütte has to turn away watch companies that want to come to Glashütte. There’s no room, and a local movement called Zeitlos (Timeless) represents villagers who feel they are being crowded out by the watchmakers. In particular, the villagers want a swimming pool.
- The designs for Patek Philippe’s 2028 collection were approved in 2016. Patek likes to take the long view.
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Oct 7, 2017, 09:54 AM
#12
Very interesting Alan. Please keep em coming.
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Oct 7, 2017, 01:57 PM
#13
Originally Posted by
geoffbot
6 - the manufacturer responsible for the first automatic chronograph has been open to much debate over the years - the contenders tend to be Seiko, Zenith and Heuer. However it was in fact u boat.
yeah i missed that one in your quiz
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Oct 7, 2017, 02:18 PM
#14
Ich bin ein Ebeler!
Originally Posted by
Seriously
Das Boot !
Congrats Seriously! You beat me to it
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Oct 7, 2017, 02:20 PM
#15
Ich bin ein Ebeler!
Originally Posted by
tribe125
- It took two weeks for George Daniels to notice that his wife had left him because he was eating and sleeping in his workshop. This may or may not be true, but those who knew him say that it’s entirely possible.
I believe my wife would say the same thing about me
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Oct 7, 2017, 03:06 PM
#16
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Oct 13, 2017, 03:13 PM
#17
- The signature fluted bezel of a Rolex once had a purpose. It allowed the bezel to be tightly screwed into the oyster case. The bezel is no longer screwed in.
- British military watches of the mid-twentieth century were designed by military committees rather than by watch companies. In the late 1940s a committee decided on a 17.5mm lug width so that the watch would fit some webbing straps that were already in stock.
- Mercedes Gleitze didn’t quite make it when in 1927 she swam the English Channel with a Rolex Oyster hanging from her neck. She had accomplished the feat two weeks before (without a Rolex) but a hoax by another female swimmer caused some to doubt her achievement. “All right, I’ll do it again”, said Gleitze. On this occasion, in bitterly cold weather, she had to be pulled from the water after ten hours. Brighton-born Gleitze became an international celebrity and she was the first Rolex ambassador. When she wasn’t swimming the Channel and breaking endurance records she was a typist and stenographer. Gleitze used sponsorship money to found a charity for the homeless which is still running today.
- Depending on the movement, it can take more than 1,000 revolutions of the rotor to fully wind an automatic watch. An ETA 2824 takes 1,250 turns, an ETA 2892 takes 1,000 turns. Also depending on the movement, full manual winding takes 30-40 turns of the crown.
- Watch companies have not always designed their own dials, and have not often made them. Specialist dial manufacturers produced catalogues from which companies made their selection. More than one company could select the same dial. In-house dial making is still not that common.
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Post Thanks / Like - 8 Likes
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Oct 13, 2017, 04:21 PM
#18
Originally Posted by
tribe125
- The signature fluted bezel of a Rolex once had a purpose. It allowed the bezel to be tightly screwed into the oyster case. The bezel is no longer screwed in.
I find this one fascinating and sad at the same time. Fascinated because I always assumed it was decorative and never knew it had a functional purpose. And sad because now I know it used to be functional and is now purely decorative.
Does that make modern Rolex with fluted bezels homages? All the looks but none of the function?
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Oct 13, 2017, 04:26 PM
#19
Originally Posted by
FuzzyB
Does that make modern Rolex with fluted bezels homages? All the looks but none of the function?
The heritage of style, and The Golden Treasury of Tradition.
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Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
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Oct 13, 2017, 06:36 PM
#20
Originally Posted by
geoffbot
6 - the manufacturer responsible for the first automatic chronograph has been open to much debate over the years - the contenders tend to be Seiko, Zenith and Heuer. However it was in fact u boat.
This is a lie, for the record.