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
- Do you have a local watchmaker/repair store that you trust to service your watches?
- Is it possible to service the timepieces yourself (via YouTube videos/online resources)?
- Is there a reputable online shop that can provide this service?
- I've seen numerous shots at Jomashop's service, so I'm guessing that's a resounding NO! for them
I'm guessing for higher end pieces (Omega, Rolex, Zenith, and beyond), it's probably wise to spend the ~$300 on sending it to them or taking it to an authorized dealer for service. What about the many microbrands we see here on MD/Drop that are building watches around the Miyota and unbranded Seiko movements?- I've seen the toss/rebuy if the watch is cheap enough (here I'm thinking a lot of the Ingersoll's, Seiko SNK's, etc. we've seen lately)
- These seems like good watches to take apart yourself and learn from, if you're into that kind of stuff and willing to invest in ($$$ and time)
- What about mid-grade stuff like Vostok, Melbourne, Hamilton, Tissot, etc.?
- Is your best bet to go to an authorized dealer for service or take to a local watch shop?
Thanks for your thoughts. I just wanted to get a sense for what resources were available before I get deeper into the rabbit hole and end up with $1000 in services on my $1000 in watches in 5 years.