Davosa in Gilgandra

May 14, 2913

Davosa Panaustraliana: on the road with Hon. Anthony Roberts MP !

"Gilgandra in Central NSW was the starting point for the Coo-ee March, where 26 men set out on foot on 10 October 1915 for Sydney, with the aim of recruiting volunteers for the war effort from the ...towns they passed along the way. By the time they reached Sydney on 12 November, some 263 men had joined their ranks and set sail for the battlefields of the First World War. This week NSW Fair Trading is in Gilgandra meeting with consumers and businesses to educate them on their rights and responsibilities in the marketplace. The starting point for the 1915 Coo-ee March seems like an appropriate place to kick off the Davosa Panaustraliana Tour!"

Where is the Davosa Panamericana?

We are sending our Davosa Panamericana on an Australian Tour. And here is the exciting bit – we want you to be a part of its journey.

A brand new watch, never worn, checked for timekeeping and adjusted to 0 seconds per day, will embark on a one year journey around Australia. This is not only a horological trip but a social one. We want our Davosa to see as many places as possible in Australia. Take it to your work, on your fishing trip, to a wedding, anything you can think of. Surprise us! Shock us!

Of course, we know that you will take good care of it but we don’t expect this watch to arrive back in mint condition – we want it to be worn! We want you to wear it, to wind it and to hear it tick! If you want to, you can even play golf with it. The only thing we expect from you is an iconic Australian PHOTO that will capture our watch in a moment of your life that week, in a unique Australian setting!

This is going to be a watch with a big story and you will write the chapters!

What you have to do:

Receive the watch.
Wear the watch for a week.
Take photos of the watch.
Record a few notes in the logbook.
Send the watch onto an address we will provide.

This offer is an open invitation to all newsletters subscribers. TO REGISTER: Send us an email and let us know whether you are one of our existing customers or a newcomer.

Once on it's way, we intend to track the journey on Facebook- so stay tuned!

The watch:

Davosa Panamericana II Ref. 160.410.16. Case diameter: 42mm. Stainless steel case fitted on original Davosa brown leather with buckle. Sapphire crystal glass and exhibition case back. White dial with small seconds sub-dial and Arabic numeral hour markers. Manual wind.

Shipping:

The watch will be shipped to you in an Australia Post Mailing Box BX6 (Video / DVD box) Most likely, this cardboard box will only survive 2 or 3 trips so you may be required to buy a new box. This box is available at any Aust Post office. NOTE: preserve the foam protection which was cut to fit the watch and the BX3 box!

Postage: you will be required to cover postage to the next destination. Please send the watch as registered mail and keep the tracking number. Alternatively, you can send the watch in an Express Post satchel.

Ready to go !
Sydney 2000 NSW May 10, 2013. 10:12am.

Next Destination ???

Have fun!

Follow it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Where-is-the-Davosa ?

1967. Rolex GMT Master Ref 1675 : yet another water damaged watch :-(

Arrived at our workshop at 4pm today, still full of water. Last serviced in 1998.

Obviously with no time to spare, all other jobs were pushed aside.

Once the movement was out of the case, the full extent of the water related damage was revealed: luminous material was partially diluted and spread all over the matte dial. And exposed to normal room temperature, it quickly dried, attaching itself to the dial surface.

The only way to clean the debris was to dampen the dial once again and then carefully remove excess luminous material, while trying to preserve the hour markers, writing and minute track intact.

The entire operation took about 30 minutes and the dial was then washed once again and left to dry at room temperature.

Beyeler, Singer, Stern, Lemrich and Metelem are just some of the Swiss dial makers who produced dials for various Rolex models.

This particular dial is a nice example of a fully signed Beyeler tritium dial. The GMT hand is a later replacement, but the watch features its original riveted bracelet.

The watch was bought in early 1970 for $400 and still belongs to it's original owner.

Overall result? We'll - you be the judge.

Another vintage 1675 dial preserved for the future :)

Your daily dose of horology: What is guilloche?

Guilloché (or Guilloche) is a decorative engraving technique in which a very precise intricate repetitive pattern or design is mechanically engraved into an underlying material with fine detail. The word is French for a pattern making tool like a geometrical lathe.

The most commonly seen guilloche is the one on bank notes. Watch dials, cases and internal components like bridges and wheels are sometimes engraved in such patterns, which is always a mark of quality.

Here is a nice example of guilloche dial:

President's Watches: Fundraiser at Government House, Sydney May 16.

Yesterday, an email invitation was received from the good Rotarians.

On May 16, Sydney Rotary club is organizing a Gala Reception and Fundraiser at Government House, Sydney. The aim is to raise funds for the Health Fund Timor Leste.

On the night, amongst other items, three wrist watches owned by Dr Jose Ramos-Horta will be put up for auction.

The Ex-President and Nobel Prize winner's watches are not something that appear on the open market every day, so this is a very unique opportunity to not only acquire a valuable timepiece but to be a part of benevolent action.

The watches are: a Patek Philippe 5196G, Corum 973.251.20 and IWC Portugueser signed "E&FF TO NOBEL PEACE PRIZE J RAMOS HORTA" . The Patek and Corum are brand new watches and the IWC has actually been worn by Dr Ramos-Horta and recently completely overhauled by IWC.

Should you wish to attend and bid, please contact Tony Benner on 0407 366 140. Or book online at www.trybooking.com/CNQT

The cost is $200 per person, of which $150 is tax deductible donation. RSVP by May 10.

Now, this invitation was a personal one, but in my wisdom I quickly promised to the Rotary club that I will share it with you too. Which still does not give you the right to bid against me on the 16th!

Of course, I won't disclose which watch is on top of my list, that would be too much of a help ;-)

However if you would like to see a set of photos then do email me. I have also suggested to the auctioneer that it would be a good idea to accept bids in writing, submitted prior to auction which would attract interstate bidders. What do you think? Interested?

See you at auction!