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'll explain more below
This is the Boldr Explorer GMT, the silver variant with green canvas strap. It had a Ronda quartz movement, satisfying rotatable bezel, and a screw down crown. Awesome watch.
Except it would stop ticking once that crown was screwed in completely. I bought this new, but 2nd hand. Didn't think I'd have much hope getting through to customer service, but I sent in a ticket anyway just before Christmas.
Well I was wrong, oh so wrong. Boldr's team asked me for a tiny $20 service fee (I bought the thing new for $40 off retail). I was told a replacement would be sent as soon as I shipped out my defective piece.
Cool, done deal, I was happy to do so. Except life got in the way and I lost the watch between the holidays and moving just after new years. I gave up on the watch and totally forgot about the $20 or so I paid to Boldr.
Fast forward five months forward to this week in May 2018, and apparently Boldr has not forgotten.
I received an email asking if I had ever sent the watch in, and told them my situation, not to worry bout the $20, and thanked this customer service rep and her team.
She replies asking what variant did I have, and as we speak is asking the Boldr team if they have any spares she can send over, as the model is sold out. Regardless of whether or not I actually get the replacement is besides the point.
Boldr forever has my respect and business from this point forward.