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 is my dad's watch.
His mom got it for him around 72-73, for finishing his first year at college. He wore it day/ night with regular service well into the 2000s. With the increasingly disposable economy, the watch servicing industry declined, and the available watch repair person gave up on the watch, claiming that the parts were too worn.
I wanted him to be able to wear it again, and managed to overhaul the movement using parts from eBay and refinished and polished the case/ crystal.
This beauty is finally back on the wrist, and he loves it!!!