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
Of all the low-end brands of watches Fossil is my favorite. This Fossil Aeroflite Series AM4512 sports the pilot / field style that everyones looking for today. It was sold for under $100 retail when it was first released I believe in 2012 or 2013 - I paid $16 for it used a few years ago. I simply love the clean straight forward design of this watch from its unobstructed dial, numbers, and hash-marks to its simplistic utilitarian bezel & case. When I bought the watch it still had the original leather band but it wasn't in the best of condition so I swapped it out with a custom made extra thick leather strap that I think is a perfect match for this watch.
For years Fossil has covered all the classics styles including divers, pilot, field, casual, dress, and more. These quartz watches keep pretty good time and hold up very well against heavy use. I use to have several Fossil pieces but after re-gifting most of them I'm down to only a few of my favorites and this AM4512 is my "fave" of my favorites.
Movement: Citizen Miyota 2415 Quartz w/Shock Detection (non- hacking)
Complications: Date at the 3 o'clock position
Case: 44mm Brushed Stainless Steel
Crystal: Scratch Resistant Mineral
Band: 22mm
WR: 100-meter