There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I average about 10-11 minutes most days, though I do exceed 12 pretty regularly. I've only hit 13 twice now, out of thousands of spins.
As far as tips are concerned, take your time setting up your spin.
Use a base that is as smooth and hard as possible, and slightly concave. Clean it completely — we're talking obsessive, surgical cleanliness here, and keep it that way. I use multiple grades of microfiber, and every time I see so much as a speck of dust or a particle of brass I clean it all over again. Use gentle brushes to clear debris at first to prevent scratching (jeans actually work well for this), then fog it with your breath and rub the surface gently with successively finer microfiber until it's pristine. Takes fewer than 30 seconds, and makes a huge difference.
Make sure the top is level, and press downwards very slightly to help stablize it. Without taking your fingers off the knurled grip or letting that little bit of pressure off, twist the top as far as it will go in the opposite direction before reversing and letting go with just a bit of a snap. This adds considerably more torque.
Then do it a thousand more times, and don't get discouraged when you mess up. Practice is pretty much everything. :)