yokel

This, modern take on the "asymmetric" dial was part of the metamorphosis of the town of Glashütte from mass producer to quality manufacturer following the reunification of Germany in the 1990s. (If you are interested, I wrote a little piece on Glashütte here.) The newly founded firms (Nomos and A Lange & Söhne were the first) looked for ways to differentiate themselves from the Swiss whilst the old East German state cooperative of GUB attempted to reinvent itself as Glashütte Original. I think the asymmetric idea came from Lange -- though it is difficult to tell as ALS and GO are immediately next to each other and "cross-fertilization" of ideas is inevitable. In any case, the first to market was the "Lange 1" -- a beautiful, if ascetic, watch which featured the "big date". It was a big hit, notwithstanding the eye-watering price. Soon after, GO released their own asymmetric watch, the PanoReserve . . . . . Like the Lange, it was a manual wind piece with power reserve and "big date". The biggest differences (apart from the visual) were that the GO was offered in stainless steel, and that the two digits of the "big date" were coplanar (eradicating the need for the bar between the digits). Another major difference was that the steel version was offered at a price only a quarter of that of the Lange (though it must be admitted that the quality and fineness of the hand engraving on the Lange are a cut above). GO also introduced an automatic version of the line -- the PanoMatic Lunar. I blame the Lange 1 completely for my obsession with watches, but that is a "whole nother story". .

Panofest this week . . .

Nice watches are jewellery for fellas. Nobody needs one to tell the time. This is jewellery taken to the extreme, and is very beautiful. Not quite sure what the beef is.

I agree. For most people it is just a "themed" watch -- and IMHO it's not even a pretty one. Reaches for flak jacket and tin hat

No. I come from the school that thinks it mad to get any mechanical timepiece (at least one that you don't regard as disposable) wet. I wouldn't so much as wash up in a submariner Risk is assessed with reference to the style of the hotel. Watches are normally left in the safe whilst using the pools. We swim in the sea only very occasionally indeed; with the watch left locked in an otherwise empty car.

Once again Sir (after Orally the French maid), you are a naughty person (I know, my French spelling leaves something to be desired).

Hadn't realised you were a woman of the cloth, Sir. Sounds like a perfectly safe option

And, unfortunately, I live quite close to Bricey

Caveat: SWMBO and I take European holidays for the most part (mostly France and Germany). And we drive; tending to stay at "nice" (but not large) hotels at several locations. For that sort of holiday I tend to take four watches (three on the Wolf roll, and one on the wrist). I take nice ones (maybe because, at least IMHO, almost all of them are "nice"). I tend not to worry about them getting stolen for four reasons: -- Whilst I like a glass or three of wine, I don't get blotto. Much better things to do on holiday. -- I wear "under the radar" watches. I'm fortunate not to like Rolex, Hublot, Richard Mille or Breitling. -- I don't reckon that the chances of having a watch stolen on holiday are much greater than having the ones I leave behind purloined in my absence. -- And, very importantly, this is a hobby. If a hobby is going to cause worry, it's the wrong hobby. Like @Davey P though, for skiing holidays (lots of hoi polloi + impact risk) I tend to wear the bomb-proof Rolex 17000, and take only one better watch for the evenings. Few holiday pics . . . . Three from France One from Germany

I have only just read that sentence to myself You naughty man Sir

Yes, I thought it was a neat choice

I'm cheap like @Daveyboyz. I have the b&p for every watch I have acquired in the last forty years. And no, I won't buy one without, for exactly the reasons @Bricey expounds. I don't think there is any watch I want enough to buy it without a full set.

Most odd. Just got out my Pioneer Centre Second to test, because I have never noticed a problem. With the watch to my ear (which is not how I wear it) I can just hear the rotor. Certainly does not sound worse than other autos in my collection (AP noisiest).

You guys (especially @AVO) knew this was coming . . . . Not technology, but geography -- over half of the pieces in my little collection were made within a few metres of each other, close to the railway station in an otherwise insignificant little town.