The "Doctor" is Always In!

Worlds Thinnest Mechanical Watch

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Squelette watch is, by a margin of just 0.05 millimeters, the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. The previous record of the thinnest mechanical watch was held by the Piaget Altiplano 900P, which came in a case that was just 3.65mm thick. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Squelette is a mere 3.60 millimeters thick – that is, of course, including the case, movement, dial, hands, and both sapphire crystals. It also.. Read More

Hamilton Ventura

January 3rd, 1957, The Hamilton Watch company introduced the very first electric watch movement.  Called the 500, this watch used a battery to drive a complex gear train, which in turn pushed the hands.  The watch was not a commercial success and a decade later, the quartz crystal technology put the Hamilton 500 out of action for good.  The 500 was used in a few different cases, the most popular.. Read More

Watches and Clocks that are “Frozen in Time”

In Victorian times, people would stop a house’s clocks at the time of an occupant’s death. Although this tradition continues somewhat today, there are some death clocks that weren’t stopped on purpose. Instead, they were broken by terrible circumstance, frozen forever to mark the last moments of disaster. These clocks are reminders of past tragedies. The story of the Titanic is well-known. On the night of April 14, 1912, the ship.. Read More

What is a Helium Release Valve?

In the 1960s, Rolex and Doxa co-created the helium escape valve and introduced it in the Rolex Submariner, the Rolex Sea-Dweller, and the Doxa Conquistador. Today, plenty of luxury watch brands will include a helium escape valve in their serious dive watches.   At that time, Rolexes were being used by the SEALAB and COMEX divers and others in the field of commercial diving, when diving bells and underwater habitats were just coming into use. The.. Read More

What is a Braille Watch?

A Braille  watch is a portable timepiece used by the blind or visually impaired to tell time. It is used by touching the dial and noticing the embossments. Both analog and digital versions are available. The analog versions have a protective glass or crystal cover that is flipped open when time needs to be read and the clock-hands are constructed to not be susceptible to movement at the mere touch of the finger that a blind person uses to observe.. Read More

Rolex Milgauss – Antimagnetic Watch

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss is a wristwatch model introduced by Rolex in 1956 with model number 6541. The Milgauss was designed as an antimagnetic watch specifically for those who worked in power plants, medical facilities and research labs where electromagnetic fields can cause havoc with the timing of a watch. The current model Milgauss is equipped with a magnetic alloy (Parachrom-Blu) hairspring and movement encased by a magnetic shield.  The name Milgauss is derived from the Latin mille, which means one-thousand,.. Read More

About Russian Watches & Soviet Watches

Watches come in all shapes, sizes, colors and are manufactured all over the world. This week we’re going to look at the watches of Russia. Soviet watches and clocks have had an important history in timekeeping, as they provided time signals for navigation and targeting by aircraft and naval vessels, timed world chess matches, coordinated traffic on Trans-Siberian Railroad and were the first timepieces in space. One of the most.. Read More

The Donald Trump Watch Collection

In 2005 Trump released the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection of watches. In 2006 Trump ceased production of the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection of watches. The collection featured around 20 pieces and since production only lasted around  1 year, there isn’t a lot of information about this collection. About 20 models were produced that year. It became the first and final year of the watch brand, making it an ultra rare assortment of watches to own. Donald Trump.. Read More

How to Replace an Oscillating Weight Axel

oscillating weight axel

An oscillating weight axel is the small pinion that supports the oscillating weight in an automatic watch. The weight rotates with the motion of your wrist and the axel supports the weight and is normally held in place with a jewel.  If you drop or bump your watch very hard, you can break the axel. Also if the watch is not serviced on a regular basis, the axel can wear.. Read More

How to Put a Watch in Beat

With the power released, if the watch is in beat the pallet fork will be centered between the banking pins on the main plate. It is usually fairly easy to see if the pallet fork is centered. It is put in beat by turning the hairspring collett on the balance staff. On some watches, it is difficult to see the pallet since it is sometimes covered up by the hairspring.. Read More