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
It kind of reminds me of the old ladies divers that Citizen and Seiko used to make for the Japanese market that show up on auciton sites all the time.
Meranom sells the stainless bezel separately. Or you can get high quality, locally machined, options from places like Murphy Manufacturing. https://meranom.com/en/amphibian-classic/spare-parts/vostok-watch-clean-bezel-01k3.html http://murphymanufacturing.com/vostok_bezels.html
The 2416B movement is $40 by itself, all the rest is only $30 (for list price of $70 ). I think they heap out on the bezel and bracelet to introduce the Amphibia classic at lower price. Also, to promote the customization market. There is some weird pleasure we derive from exclusivity.
You can also get their watches with premium components at a higher price point. I am considering the scuba listed below, and have the VE GAZ-14 Limo. https://meranom.com/en/amfibia/scuba/vostok-watch-amphibia-scuba-2415-070798.html
I randomly clicked on this one, and I kind of like it:
https://meranom.com/en/amfibia/turbina/vostok-watch-amfibia-turbina-243529-230700.html
The day/night indicator is kind of genius, sort of a 24-hour dial but instantly readable, an a.m./p.m. indicator in effectl