You read it correctly. On the 13th of September 2006, BMW Individual proudly presented this BMW 7-Reihe with a built in compartment for your precious time pieces. It has been created by BMW Individual together with Girard-Perregaux. If you drive this BMW like it should be driven, you have yourself a mighty watch winder.

Click here for more information on the presentation
Click here for more information about BMW Individual

Elmar built this great online Rolex resource called OysterInfo.de. If you need to know the age of your watch, if you want to know what country codes are used by Rolex, how to identify an authentic Rolex, how to clean and remove scratches from your bracelet, how to polish a plastic crystal, how to exchange bezel inlays etc etc. Just check www.oysterinfo.de. Available in German as well as English. Also make sure to check-out his ‘Specials’ section with stills from famous people and his large collection of Rolex advertisements!

Photo from OysterInfo.de

Oh yeah, my shirt came in as well. A joint venture between La Martina (polo gear) and Das R-L-X Forum.

Photo by me.

So, enough on Rolex again for this week

Last week I received the Swatch-Clopedia,  a comprehensive source for all Swatch collectors. You can order it from Squiggly, a great online Swatch seller. I am no Swatch collector, but as every watch addict, I have my share of Swatches. From my first 1991 Test model to the Olympic Pheidippides 2004 model, with various models in between Never wear them, but nice to display.

Anyway, buy this guide! And be quick, because it is limited printing (6000 pieces and that’s it). The authors worked for 2 years on this book, which covers practically every Swatch between 1983 and now, including the limited models. The book has 900 pages in full color. What really amazed me, was the weight of this book when the postman delivered it. According to Squiggly, the book weighs almost 1.5 kilograms.

Last month, I posted about the available Rolex Forums (and there are probably even more) and it got me thinking. Even though I see some people post on just about every forum of a certain brand, it is almost impossible to get a good overview on interesting subjects on all those forums. I wish there is someone who can write a good application that scans all forums of your interest on subjects of your interest. Like all those on line auction site scanners. My programming skills are stuck at simple C++ and Pascal lines of code and the principles of developing software, but perhaps there is a smart programmer who is also into watches who can much such a tool. It should be like a RSS-reader.

Anyway, I am a bit lost with all those forums. I moderate the Rolex Forum over at WatchUseek and I regulary check R-L-X, RolexForum.nl, The Purists, Paneristi and TimeZone. I am not very active on each of them anymore, because that would be too time consuming. And as you can see, I am not even talking about all those sub-forums at the large watch portals like WatchUseek and TZ. I remember that I invited Chuck Maddox to come over at the Omega Forum at WatchUseek to get involved in some discussions. I was moderator of that forum at the time, before I jumped over to the Rolex Forum. Chuck wrote me that it would be impossible for him to write decent replies and postings on yet another Omega forum. He was/is right. Maybe it is best to just focus on the forum you feel connected with most and just stick to posting in that particular forum. At least it would probably the best thing to do regarding the quality of the posting or reply.

We need that application.

Update: Thanks Karel

Michael Sandler posted his article and pictures on the 2006 TimeZone tour. This tour included a visit to the Omega factory and museum in Bienne.

Click here to read his article!

Together with two watch friends, I attended the watch fair in Düsseldorf yesterday. It was held in the Radisson SAS Hotel. Only a 2 hour drive and I had discovered in the past that it is definately worth it. A lot of vintage Speedmasters, Flightmasters and pie-pan Constellations, IWC Portugiesers and even an IWC Tourbillon and lot… a lot.. of Rolex. Vintage to new, probably the whole range was there From 1675 to Double Red Sea-Dwellers. The quality of the offered watches was high and I couldn’t detect a single stand with junk from the attic

Personally, I didn’t buy anything but I got a good feeling what I could be saving for in the next couple of months. My two watch friends did buy very nice watches. Congrats to the both of you

Here are two pictures from someone over at the R-L-X forum that he made during the watch fair in Düsseldorf. And yes, that is me on the second picture. Bit blurry (I guess it was made with his cellphone), but I recognized myself.

The prototype RW1 co-drivers watch was developed when in 1998 Robert Thacker - managing director of AST limited – the UK’s leading stopwatch specialist, was introduced to George Donaldson, former rally driver and well known WRC personality.  The two joined forces. Donaldson had the vision and Thacker the technical ability and manufacturing contacts to make the project happen.

Launch of the watch on the 17th of August in Finland

Donaldson’s regular work in the World Rally Championship brought them into contact with the sports greatest co-drivers including World Championship winning Robert Reid. Many of the functions of the watch were incorporated as a direct result of consultation with the top co-drivers.

The first RW1 co-drivers’ watch was launched in late 2002 and was used by all of the WRC works team co-drivers at that time. Word quickly spread and the watch was sold to co-drivers from over 30 countries. Demand for the watch continued to grow, so in 2004 work began on the specification for a MK2 co-drivers’ watch.

“We listened to the co-drivers’ feedback and incorporated many of their suggestions and a few of our own ideas into the new specification. We also decided to move production to a new facility”, commented Thacker.

An early sample was produced in 2006. The watch was a mock up for testing the programme functions of the watch and case design approval. Some WRC co-drivers were shown the watch at Monte-Carlo in January. “The initial reaction was very encouraging. They wanted to use the watch straight away”, said Thacker. The development process continued with a production date set for late July 2006.

Engineering samples arrived in late June and were tested extensively. Daniel Elena, Timo Rautiainen and Phil Mills were also given the samples to test and the results were very satisfactory. “By early July we were ready to go for full production”, said Thacker.
The new RWII is a completely new design, much more robust with a bigger and better display.

The watch is available for 99 UKP and can be ordered via http://www.astopwatch.co.uk.
Further information about its features and ordering via this link.