Ready for a horological lesson?

If a watch can teach you a lesson on horology, which watch will it be? The

Breguet 7027 may be the answer.

Where does this watch come from?

Named after its founder Abraham-Louis Breguet, Breguet is a brand that strives to preserve the essence of watchmaking left the giant. They came up with an idea of making a watch that could pay tribute to the Souscription watches made by A.L Breguet in the 1790s. Soon, the Tradition Collection was born and the 7027 came out.

Case and dial

This 7027 here has a 37mm case in white gold. The middle of the case has the signature Breguet coin-edge pattern. The case is around 12mm thick and it has welded lugs. The black lacquered dial is made of a plate of solid gold. It features three different hand-applied patterns : the Clou de Paris in the center, circular graining around the hour ring and a grain d’orge (barley grain) pattern that separates the different zones of the dial. Not many manufatures use solid gold for their dials and Breguet is one of the manufature that craft their dials by hand with solid gold. The hands are very Breguet as well as they have the classic moon tips.

Movement

The movement is what really draws a person into this masterpiece. The hand-wound Cal507 by Breguet is shown on the front of the watch. You can see from the right the blance wheel, the pallet fork, the escape wheel, the fourth wheel, the third wheel and the center wheel on the left. At the center of the watch below the dial is the barrel where the power is stored. It is a vivid horological lesson.

The plates and bridges all have a frosted anthracite finish which can only be done through complex manual processes. The movement also features polished bevelled angles, circular graining on the barrel and wheels, polished angles on the wheel spokes and black-polished screws. It is literally a work of art. The movement has 50 hours of power reserve and you can check the it from the power reserve indicator to the left of the dial. On the back of the watch, you can see another power reserve indicator which is in a vintage style and you can also see the ratchet wheels that turns when you wind the watch. The layout of the movement is well-balanced and it resembles the movement of vintage Souscription watches.

  

A piece of lesson on horology

When looking at this watch, you cannot help but wonder how a mechanical watch works. The finishes of the 7027 is absolutely top-notch and one of a kind. You see the whole movement exposed to you when wearing the watch. You can enjoy each move of the pallet fork or the balance wheel whenever you stare at it. It is a piece of horological essence that AL Breguet represents.

Style-wise, the watch has a classic size of 37mm and the skeleton dial (the movement) gives an impression that it is a watch with complications while it is just a simple watch. The welded lugs look vintage and the coin-edge case band reinforce that vintage element of the watch. If you ever want to own a watch that represents both modern and classic horology, this is the watch to have.

Watches are getting bigger and bigger nowadays. You can easily see a lady wearing a 44mm Deepsea or Panerai. So, is it the bigger the watch, the better?

Look at Patek Phillipe. They seldom make watches that are larger than 40mm. Most are in 38-39mm. It is about proportion.

Look at A Lange. Similarly, most of their watches do not exceed the size of 40mm. The Datograph was in 39mm although it is now in 41mm. The 1815 chronograph is in 39.5mm.

Smaller watches are not only harder to make. they are also more sophisticated. They carry a lot more discretion than those flamboyant 44mm or 47mm pieces of boast that are meant to be worn to show off one’s wealth.

But some watches, such as Panerai, and some pilot watches are meant to be big because of their military origins.

So, whether or not to wear a big watch (a clock!?) is totally a personal choice. It sometimes depends on whether you have a big wrist or not. It is however essential to bear in mind that a big watch is not always a good watch.

Photo courtesy of the owners (including myself) of the photos

The rare Onyx Submariner

Rolex produced some very special 16618 yellow gold Submariner in the late 1980s and early 1990s, probably only in E, X and N serials. These ultra rare Submariners come with either a Lapis lazuli dial or an Onyx dial. A Lapis Submariner 16618 was auctioned not long ago and it fetched a whopping price of HKD570,000. A Submariner 16618 with an Onyx or a Lapis dial is considered to be one of the rarest Submariner. Why is that?

First of all, Rolex put most of their precious stone dials on Datejusts or Daydates, which are both dress watches. Seldom do we see precious dials used on sport models such as the Submariner. The Daytona, however, has several versions with which Rolex produce with exotic stone dials. These stones include Sodalite, Mother of Pearl, Turquoise, etc. But on a Submariner? Never. Therefore, a Submariner with a precious stone dial is very collectible.

Efforts required to craft an Onyx dial

Other than that, an Onyx dial requires a lot of craftsmanship. As an Onyx dial is very fragile, it is complicated to produce with machines. As a result, an Onyx dial could only be produced by hand. Due to the complicated processes involved and its fragility, only 2 out of 10 dials could be used. It took long hours of polishing and precise cutting (including the cutting of the date window) to produce on flawless Onyx dial. It is the craftsmanship that counts when it comes to producing an Onyx dial, and that is also what makes each 16618 with an Onyx dial so precious and unique.

Why is an Onyx dial special and how to tell?

Rolex only produced very few 16618 with Onyx dials because people could hardly tell the differences between an Onyx dial and an ordinary black lacquer dial. The long hours of work was therefore not worthy. However, when you examine the dial closely with a loupe , especially under good lighting, you can see that the dial surface is very smooth and it reflects light in a way that is completely different from how a lacquer dial reflects light. An Onyx dial is much more like a calm lake without any ripples. It is like a black mirror while a lacquer black dial is much more like a painting in black. The dial has a shine that , when combined with a yellow gold case, is impeccable while still understated. It is simply mesmerizing.

Another way to tell that it is an Onyx dial is through the golden frame on the date window. Rolex puts a golden frame on every precious stone dial. The Onyx dial itself also has a gentle slope around the rim of it. You can see a bit of glue around the rim where the dial touches the case. The bezel is also different from any ordinary 16618. The numbers on the bezel is yellower than those on the bezel of a 16618 with a lacquer black dial.

A rarity that is powerful

The 16618 Submariner with an Onyx dial is a watch that is very powerful though understated as most will misunderstand it as a ordinary black 18k gold Submariner. How and why this watch is important can only be known when one examines it closely. Only a true watch aficionado can appreciate this beauty. With it on your wrist, you have every secret of this watch kept to your very own self. A 16618 with an Onyx dial in good condition is around HKD400,000 – HKD500,000.

The evolution of the Rolex Daytona

Many of us are more than ready to get the new Rolex Daytona 116500ln. The Daytona is an interesting watch that has been Rolex’s ace for years. It is almost a cult success. So, how has the Daytona reached its current status?

In 1963 Rolex debuted the first Cosmograph model ref 6239. The features of it includeda tachometer scale engraved on the metal bezel and the dials were either in black with silver counters or in silver with black counters.

The name “Daytona” did not appear on the dial until 1965. A new dial version called “exotic” was introduced in 1965. It featured an outer track which matches the sub-dials running around the edge of the dial.The seconds sub-dial is at 9 o’clock and it is marked at 15, 30, 45 and 60.

The ref 6240, which was produced till 1969 only, introduced screw-down push pieces and it became the first ref of the Dayton which was fully waterproof. Interestingly, the word “Daytona” is not always printed on the dial of the 6240. I do think that the “exotic” dial looks way better than usual dials for the 6240.

 

References 6262 and 6264 were produced between 1970 and 1972.
These references adopted push-down buttons with metal bezel or black plastic bezel.. Dials were either white with black sub-dials or vice versa.
From 1971 to 1987, Rolex produced the Daytona 6263 and 6265. These references adopted black plastic bezels and metal bezels and they were waterproof to 100 meters.

The Daytona 6263 is also now known as the “Paul Newman” Daytona because movie star Paul Newman wore the ref 6263 and a ref 6241 on a bund strap. Any Rolex Daytona with exotic dial is known as “The Paul Newman Daytona”. Particularly, a Paul Newman dial must be in ref 6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264 or 6265.

The most sought-after models of the Daytona today include these “Paul Newman”Daytonas. These watches are often seen fetching very high prices during auctions.

Rolex started in 1988 manufacturing the 16520 Daytona. The watch had a 40mm case instead of a 37mm one and it had sapphire crystals instead of Plexiglas. Before the 16520, the Daytona had always featured a manual-wound movement. The breakthrough came when Rolex adopted a new automatic movement based on the Zenith El Primero 400. The heavily modified movement was then the Calibre 4030. Because of limited supply and super strong demand, the 16520 was a great success.

Some notable models included 16520 with porcelain finish dials and 10-watch-only 16528 blue dial for Rolex directors.

 

In 2000, the Rolex Daytona 116520 was out. It featured a totally in-house caliber 4130 and the black dial version had been a very sought-after model from 2000-2015.

So, what has made the Daytona such a success? Maybe it is because of the limited supply. Maybe it is because of the design of the watch. Or, maybe because it is a Rolex chronograph, which has always represented precision from the day it was born. In today’s world in which big watches are in vogue, the Rolex Daytona retains its classic shape in 40mm. The dial style of the new 116500ln white resembles the “panda” style of the “Paul Newman” Daytona, which is one of the most important legacy of the Daytona. Its bezel is now ceramic and it does not attract scratches anymore. These small improvements and dedication to the original details are what it takes for a watch to become legendary.

Photo courtesy of the original owners

Watch GTG 16/12/2017
Rolex 16618 purple Submariner
Rolex 118239 with Lapis diamond dial
Rolex 1680
Rolex 1675 with purple bezel
Breguet Type XX limited edition
Seiko Automatic power reserve watch with Urushi and Chinkin dial
Cartier Santos

Patek Philippe 5059 Perpetual Calendar full set
USED in MINT condition
HKD308,000

A Lange Datograph rose gold silver white dial
A stunning beauty
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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Bubble Bee
Full set
HKD155,000

Rolex 116710blnr
Full set
Dated Ausust 2017
Super new and fresh
HKD75,500

Rolex 16618 Onyx dial
Watch only
Ultra rare
Price on request

The Rolex GMT Master II – The Green Pointer vs the Batman

The Rolex GMT Master II Ceramic has been one of the most frequently seen watches on the street in Hong Kong. The 116710 Green Pointer is also the first Rolex I bought. I actually chose it over the Submariner 116610 because the watch was so much more attractive due to the oversized numbers on the ceramic bezel. The 116710 Green Pointer is a dazzling watch. A friend of mine bought two for himself and his wife last year. He has a black Daytona 116520 for himself and a white 116520 for his wife. But why did he buy two GMT Green Pointer but now one Green Pointer plus a Batman?
He said the Green Pointer looks more classic….

The two GMT Master II have different aesthetics. Or, do they? The Batman differs from the Green Pointer by having a dual color ceramic bezel, which is the only bi-color ceramic bezel on Rolex stainless steel models. The blue-black bezel symbolizes night and day. The GMT hand is blue instead of green and the letters GMT Master II are in white.
On the wrist, they really do not look very different. The same case applies to the Deep Sea black and the Deep Sea D-blue. Under certain lighting, you can even hardly notice that the Batman has a blue-black bezel.
How about the Green Pointer? It has a green GMT hand and green GMT Master II letters. Let’s not forget that the color that represents Rolex is green. However, this watch has been in production for 10 years and there are a lot of people wearing it. But of course, the price is lower than the Batman. It will feel a bit dull if you have had the watch for a bit over 2-3 years since the color scheme is not particularly attractive.

The Batman, on the other hand, offers you something more fun to see every day. The blue color of the ceramic bezel and the GMT hand and the white color of the letters GMT Master II also recall a blue sky with clouds. The Green Pointer and the Batman are equally flashy. If you have not had a GMT watch, get a Batman. But if you have the Green Pointer, keep it and wear it in good health.

1. Why are the hands not in uniform color with the markers?

For T25 gloss dials with white gold markers, the hands’ color tends to be different from the markers. The hands’ color tends to be lighter. Of course, it is possible that the hands’ color is the same as the markers’. However, in most cases, it is normal to have hands with lighter color than the markers because the tritium materials used on the hands may be different.

Hands are sometimes replaced by watchmakers and sellers to achieve a uniform color for the hands and the markers. Unless you are Rolex, you will never know why some hands look lighter than the markers. Some of us think that the hands must have been replaced by the seller so that the color of the is lighter. However, it has to be noted that the situation may be actually the other way round.
2. Does your watch have a service case?
The serial numbers for a service case of Rolex are 44xxxxx. Service cases start from 4.4mil serial number until exhaustion. Some say that the 4.7mil and 4.9mil cases are also service case. Again, unless you are Rolex, you will never know. But service cases usually bear Orig Rolex Design engravings between the lugs at 12 o’ clock instead of Registered Design. People tend to avoid serials 4.4mil to 5mil as to avoid service cases. Please note that Rolex from 7mil serial year 1980 onwards bear Orig Rolex Design engravings instead of Registered Design. From the Rolex serial chart we can see that from 1970 to 1980, the Rolex serial numbers increased by 300,000 each year. From 1976-1977, the serial increases from 40xxxxx to 50xxxxx. It is believed that some of the serials are reserved for service cases. Service cases are cases replaced by Rolex if you watch case is damaged.
You can refer to the following link for the Rolex serial chart.
https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-serial-numbers
3. Is your watch polished?
Most vintage timepieces have been polished as they have gone through over 40 years or even 50 or 60 years of time. An unpolished Rolex should have very sharp beveled edges on the lugs. These timepieces often bear dearer price tags.
4. Why has price increased so much?
There is a rule in buying Rolex watches : The earlier you buy it, the earlier you enjoy it. The later you buy it, the dearer the price to pay.  Rolex has been producing less watches starting from 2017. There has been less stock than before. Rolex used to increase prices for twice a year. However, they have adopted a new strategy by producing less. Rolex watches preserve their value best because they do not go down in price at all. If you say today that a Rolex is expensive, you will not be able to get one in the future because it will only be more expensive as demand for Rolex watches will never drop. Have you ever heard of a price reduction from Rolex? Only in dreams.
5. Does this watch require a service?
A Rolex is very tough, especially for sports Rolex. Some run for 30 or 40 years before they has to be serviced. If your watch is losing or gaining too much time or does not wind very smoothly, you can opt for a service. However, if it is running steadily and wind ok, you can opt for a service later.
6. Why is the clasp not from 1977 for a 1977 watch?
The clasp has been replaced. It is nothing very special. If you damage the clasp of your Rolex, RSC will replace the clasp for you. For a vintage timepiece, it is  normal for some parts to have been replaced. The most important thing is that the dial matches the case and it has the correct bracelet and end links. You can always sell the clasp in exchange for a 1977 clasp. Nothing is perfect, especially a vintage timepiece.

Brand New In Box Rolex 116610lv For sale
Full set with card, box,tags and all booklets
Also for sale: Rolex 16570 Explorer II Polar M series NOS, Rolex 14060m NOS and 16610lv Kermit NOS
Contact me for price