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
This post was inspired by one of my colleagues asking me why a watch used IIII to represent four on a dial instead of the "correct" IV.
We who have had the fortune of falling into this rabbit hole know that the world of watches has a lot of strange quirks and talking points. We also know that there is an innumerable amount of questions that can be asked, from the mundane to the overly complicated. What differentiates a column-wheel chronograph and a cam-actuated chronograph? What would anyone use a moonphase for? Why are these dang things so freaking expensive?
I feel our community is special in that it has not only a vast store of knowledge shared between the members but also a willingness to teach and learn.
So, I hereby announce with great pride "The (maybe not-so-stupid) Question Thread"! Post anything here that you'd like to learn more about or that keeps you up at night regarding watches. Also, the "maybe not-so-stupid" means that any and all questions should be treated with equal respect. Everybody started their enthusiasm somewhere. And for the most important question: why do people like watches? You have to figure that one out for yourself.
Some quick links if anyone was curious about the questions I posed myself:
Watchmaker's Four:
http://www.watchfreeks.com/43-watch-school-101/26795-roman-numeral-4-why-iiii-not-iv.html#post333169
https://www.orientwatchusa.com/brief-explanation-called-watchmakers-four/
Column-wheel vs cam-actuated:
http://wornandwound.com/chronography-2-column-wheels-cams/
Moonphase:
They look darn cool!