Patek Philippe in America is a book on how this brand conquered the United States. The sub title of the book, Marketing the World’s Foremost Watch, covers it pretty well. The impressive dimensions of this hard cover book – 13″ x 11″ – and the 360 pages with over 500 images reveal that this must be something special. The arrival of Patek Philippe in the USA has been documented using archives, photographs and numerous advertisements starting in 1860. The author of this book, John Reardon, did an excellent job creating such a valuable treasure for collectors and admirers of Patek Philippe watches.

Patek Philippe in America contains 8 chapters covering the marketing of the brand from the 19th century to the 1980s. Throughout the book, notable owners from the US of Patek Philippe watches are being mentioned and shown on photographs. What to think of Joe DiMaggio? Or John F. Kennedy who received a Patek Philippe autonomous quartz clock during his stay in Berlin in 1963, famous for his historic speech to the people of Berlin stating ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’.

While reading though the chapters (especially those covering the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s), I can’t help thinking about one of my favourite TV series of this moment, Mad Men. The advertisements are very clever and appealing, using great photographs and slogans (“One of the world’s costliest watches is made of steel”, referring to the 1978 campaign for the PP Nautilus).

Special attention to The Caliber 89 – world’s most complicated watch – which get a few pages of coverage on its own. Introduced in 1989, it celebrates 150 years of the best watchmaking possible. This double dialed pocket watch has 33 complications and consists of over 1728 parts. John Reardon’s book shows Warren Buffet holding a Calibre 89 watch in white gold while wearing his own Patek Philippe ref.3944J.

This book is a very well (and passionately) written and covers actually more than marketing the best watch brand in the United States. Patek Philippe’s rich history and philosophy on exclusive time pieces are so well documented, this can only be done by someone who has been working for Patek Philippe, like John Reardon. This makes it a book worth for every Patek Philippe collector, not only for those who resides in the United States.

If you are a collector of Patek Philippe watches, you should be aware that John Reardon also published a Reference Guide (Volume 1) belonging to the “Patek Philippe in America” series and also limited to 1500 copies.

The Reference Guide to Patek Philippe watches covers 1000 models, presented in order by reference number. Per model, John documented the reference number, materials used, movement caliber, dimensions and age. Each watch is pictured in the book with a brochure or catalogue photograph. A distinction is being made between pocket watches and wrist watches, which I think is very pleasant for collectors of each (or both) type of watches. Very useful are the pictures with each watch and the overview in the back of the book, listing all movement and reference numbers.

You don’t need both books in order to have a good overview, but I would recommend both for the serious Patek Philippe collector.

John Reardon is a well respected and noted expert in watches and clocks. He has worked for Sotheby’s New York, the Henry Stern Watch Agency (Patek Philippe USA) and he now works for Betteridge Jewelers as a Director of Vintage and Estate Watches. His books can be ordered on-line through his website www.patekphilippeinamerica.com. Patek Philippe in America – Marketing the World’s Foremost Watch is still available (only a few copies left) for $395 and the Reference Guide (Volume 1 Men’s Watches) for $295. These prices exclude shipping.

To quote Don (Michael) Corleone in Godfather Part III, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in!”. Just when I thought that this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo would keep me quiet for some time, my watch friend Michael (not Corleone) mailed me a few days ago, that he pulled the trigger on this fabulous blue dial Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph ref.25860. This predecessor of the current AP ref.26300 chronograph, is mighty interesting. Priced a bit more friendly than its successor, it doesn’t differ that much watch wise.  Although I can’t get it confirmed, the bezel of the newer 26300 is a bit wider than the 25860′s bezel. Not in terms of diameter, but the bezel itself, making the dial of the 25860 chronograph looking a bit larger then the one on it’s successor.

Here is some eye candy of the ref.25860 (pictures taken by Michael):

The movement in this baby isn’t a module as with the Off-Shore models, but a true chronograph movement based on F.Piguet’s caliber 1185. Another example of a time piece using this movement is the Vacheron Constantin Overseas chronograph I recently covered here (click here for the article). Although I wouldn’t mind owning an Off-Shore Chronograph, this movement makes this watch more interesting technically speaking. There is nothing wrong with an add-on chronograph module, but the fact that the date needs a cyclops on the Off-Shore models because the chronograph module has been fitted between the base movement and the dial would annoy me too much I guess.

If you haven’t tried a Royal Oak yet, please do. The bracelets are so comfortable and the polished and brushed parts of the case and bracelet are truly delightful to look at, especially when you let the (sun)light play with them.

Did you notice what’s wrong with Michael’s chronograph though? If you want to get an Audemars Piguet catalogue from 2000 (the Audemars Piguet #1 book) for free  – including shipping – leave a comment with what you think is not correct on this watch. I will randomly select a winner at the end of this week.

Something less serious today, the Parrera Ceramic Day-Date Chrono in white (also available in black). I actually don’t think this is a men’s watch, but hey, who am I to judge of course. I never heard of the company, but Ace Jewelers – one of the sponsors here – has these watches up for sale in their e-boutique. I got the white one for Mrs Fratellowatches, who seems to love white ceramic watches. Ever since the Chanel J12, a lot of other brands (low-end to high-end) are willing to ride this wave.

This fairly large watch of 42mm in diameter makes it suitable for a lot of wrists, even the smaller ones, like my wife’s. She normally wears a 36mm watch that covers up all of her upper wrist, but she finds this oversized watch to be quite comfortable. The white ceramic case and bracelet makes it a very heavy watch, probably as heavy as my Sea-Dweller. The quartz movement is Swiss made and features a 60 minute chronograph, a day (subdial at 6 o’clock), a date and hours, minutes and seconds of course. The bezel is also from white ceramic and looks very sporty on this watch. Although I don’t think you should go diving with it (50 meters water resistancy).

The white dial is stunning, the pattern on it makes it look like a cream coloured dial from some angles. Crown, hour markers and hands also feature white details to match with the case and bracelet. I didn’t expect a sapphire crystal on a watch with this price tag (see below), but it really has one and is probably one of the aspects that gives this watch such a solid feel.

The watch comes in a very nice square shaped presentation box, but if you want to have it gift wrapped, you can tick this check box over at AceJeweler’s e-boutique. The watch comes with a lot of links, so you will probably have to remove them (or have them removed). It is quite easy if you have the right tools to do that. You should at least have some experience with ‘driving out’ pins before you start.

For 250 EU, I think you can buy the Parrera (also available in black) with confidence for you girlfriend of wife. She will like it for sure. You can also – of course – buy one for yourself.

The full review of this watch is available over at WatchUseek where you can read mine and Ernie’s review.

Visit the AceJewelers e-boutique to order your own Parrera.

Launched in 1992, Bell & Ross was founded by Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo. The first Bell & Ross models were very similar to those of Sinn Spezialuhren and officially, this collaboration lasted till 2002 (although Bell & Ross made their own models long before that year). Most people who started their interest in watches just recently, probably know the BR Instrument watches best.

In 2005, the first BR instrument was introduced and Bell & Ross clearly have been inspired ever since. They have been introducing various models based on the famous flight panel instruments, including the BR 03-92 that’s now being featured on Fratellowatches. A 42mm glass bead blasted steel case with black carbon powder coating and amazing orange coloured hour markers, logo and hands. The matching Bell & Ross strap with a black carbon powdered steel buckle matches the dial perfectly.

Inside the black case, an ETA2892-A2 movement is ticking away your precious time with 28.800 beats per hour. This movement could be considered commodity, as it is being used by numerous brands who don’t manufacture their own movements. It is a perfect movement, that has proven itself over time (since 1982, when the first version of this movement was introduced). A watch maker can get this movement to run as accurate as it gets with respect to mechanical watches. I didn’t have the time or the equipment at hand to test the accuracy of this particular Bell & Ross movement.

As I wrote above, the strap and clasp are a perfect fit to the case and dial. As you can see, the buckle is quite large but certainly not uncomfortable when wearing or using. The modest BR logo is engraved in the black carbon powdered clasp. The tan coloured strap with white stitches and fabulous & logo will probably become a bit darker when wearing, but just like good Santoni shoes, it will age nicely.

The case back is a bit confusing with all the engraving in it. Especially the screw that you shouldn’t unscrew is very tempting to use your screwdriver on. This screw is to be able to remove the crown, but this should only be done by a watchmaker who knows what he is doing. The engraving further bears some very true but yet irrelevant information, like the fact that it is a stainless steel case, that it has a mechanical automatic movement inside and that it is made in Switzerland. The one thing engraved that is useful, is the water resistance level of this watch. You can use this watch with a Bell & Ross rubber strap as well, and that would make it perfectly useful for a swim.

This rectangular shaped watch is very comfortable on the wrist. Although I could probably handle its bigger brother, the BR 01-92 (which is 46mm), this one sits perfectly on my (large) wrist. The thick luminous hour markers and logo are a joy to glance at when wearing this Instrument watch. The 4 screws in the dial (for attaching/de-attaching the movement) are part of the ‘flight panel’-look and do not disturb me whatsoever. The small round date window is located between 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock and keeps the dial very clean.

With a list price of 2800 Euro, it is a very attractive time piece and you probably won’t see another guy wearing it in your office. The price is justified by the craftsmanship of the case, strap and dial. It is all done very well, feels solid and the finish of the various parts is of a high quality. As for comfort, you probably have to try one before you buy it, as not everyone likes a ‘flat’ and rectangular watch on his or her wrist.

Thanks to Watch-Site for lending me this watch. Watch-Site is a reputable on-line watch dealer and has this BR 03-92 (BNIB) for sale for 2155 Euro.

It seems that every Monday, visitors of the German Rolex Forum (www.r-l-x.de) who are fortunate enough to own a Rolex Oyster Day-Date, should post a picture of their precious time piece. In the meanwhile, Monday has been replaced by every day. Although it is not an everyday watch of course.

Although the original Day-Date is only 36mm in diameter, I still prefer it over a Day-Date II (which is 41mm). To me, the Day-Date is the classic wrist watch in precious metal (available in gold or platinum) that you can’t go wrong with.

Enjoy some of the Day-Date photos sent in by visitors of R-L-X.

Photo by Hannes

Photo by Savoy Truffle

Photo by Kurt

Photo by Kurt

Photo by RO.lex

The Day-Date models were introduced in 1956, being the first wrist watch featuring a day and a date window. This watch was and is only available in precious metals, such as gold (in various colours and combinations) and platinum. A vintage 1970s Day-Date on a leather strap can be found starting around 3250 Euro and 5750 Euro makes you own a white gold Day-Date with President bracelet.

If you are on a quest for a nice gold dress watch, you may want to consider a Rolex Day-Date ref.1803 on a leather strap, which is (as you can see above) quite affordable and will keep its value for years to come. The solid Rolex movement caliber 1555 won’t let you down, I am sure. Models later than 1980 with a solid gold President or Oyster bracelet will still cost you serious money.

Click here for the thread on the German Rolex Forum (pictorial).