Sunday, June 17, 2018

Pricey Locksmith Training!

As previously discussed, on your journey to become a locksmith training is not always required.  However, almost all successful locksmiths complete some type of professional training course that issues a certification or prepares them to become a certified locksmith.  If you are serious about your profession or want to establish your self as a specialist then we highly recommend you look into some type of formal training.

How Much Should You Pay for Locksmith Training?

Locksmith training costs vary based on what is included in the course.  We recommend you try to find a course that includes 4 major features:

  1. Live Training or Training CD/DVD
  2. Basic Locksmith Tools
  3. Available Support Monday thru Friday
  4. Locksmith Certification Exam
Assuming all of the above options are included you should be able to find a very high quality locksmith training course for online for $600 to $750 and at a facility for $750 to $1,000.  There are increased overhead and instructor fees that raise the cost of taking a training course in a physical classroom, but some people find the hands on experience well worth it.

Some training courses will include additional information which may increase the price.  It’s recommended that you start with a basic course in the event you are unhappy with the training.

Assuming all of the above options are included you should be able to find a very high quality locksmith training course for online for $600 to $750 and at a facility for $750 to $1,000. There are increased overhead and instructor fees that raise the cost of taking a training course in a physical classroom, but some people find the hands on experience well worth it.

Some training courses will include additional information which may increase the price. It’s recommended that you start with a basic course in the event you are unhappy with the training.
Other Benefits of Locksmith Training

With any business the ability to network with other people in your industry is a must in order to be successful. Whether you enroll in a training course online or at a physical institution you should make it a point to reach out to those trainers and discuss with them their experiences as a broke car key service provider. This type of information is invaluable.

While locksmith training may not be a requirement, it is definitely a resume booster. If you are ever intending to branch out to more competitive locksmithing specializations (i.e. institutional locksmithing) many clients and future employers will require formal training. They want to ensure they are making a good investment in an individual.

For more information on locksmith training checkout our locksmith training video series. This video series is not all inclusive, but it is a great start, especially if you’re just looking to find out more information about locksmithing.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Comparing Dive Watches from Alpina, Davosa, and Hamilton



Alpina’s Seastrong Diver 300, Hamilton’s Khaki Navy Frogman and Davosa’s Apnea Diver Automatic love to dive, but today they’re at a swimming pool. In this comparative review from WatchTime’s March-April 2018 issue, we test these three sporty dive watches to see how they perform swimming laps and jumping from diving boards.
Even a quick glance at Davosa’s unconventional Apnea Diver Automatic, one of the few watches specifically designed for free divers, makes it clear that this extremely athletic pursuit not only demands peak physical performance but also self-confidence and self-reflection.
Like the Apnea, the extroverted 2016 edition of the Khaki Navy Frogman was developed in collaboration with a world-renowned apnea diver. In all other respects, however, the current edition of this Hamilton watch pays homage to the divers’ watch that appeared in the 1951 movie, The Frogmen, and became the first Hamilton watch to grace the silver screen. And last but certainly not least, Alpina’s Seastrong Diver 300 is also influenced by history but is much more understated in its styling. This model is the direct descendant of the Seastrong 10 from the 1960s, which was watertight to 200 meters when it first debuted.
The current Seastrong is watertight to 300 meters, which brings up an “old” debate. The misconception that the phrase “watertight to xxx meters” specifies the depth to which a watch can safely descend is widely circulated and persistent. And since almost no one dives to a depth of 300 meters, a watch that’s labeled “watertight to 30 meters” would seem to be suitable for diving 30 meters below the surface. But this assumption is totally wrong. In some countries, a relevant legal verdict now prohibits watch manufacturers from specifying the depth of watertightness in meters only. The real watertightness depends on the amount of water pressure the watch withstood in a watertightness test. For the Seastrong 300, this means 30 bar, i.e., the amount of pressure exerted by a 300-meter-tall column of water or at a depth of 300 meters below the surface: hence, the specification in meters.
The depth in meters is printed on the Seastrong’s dial, while the corresponding pressure in bar or ATM (atmospheres) is engraved on the caseback. All three watches in our test are watertight, but to different depths. The Davosa is watertight to 200 meters, i.e., pressure resistant to 20 bar. The Hamilton can descend even deeper: it stays watertight to 1,000 meters, i.e., pressure resistant to 100 bar. Each of these three watches can come along for a dive and also accompany its wearer for a dip in a swimming pool. Unlike timepieces that are water- tight only to 30 meters, i.e., pressure resistant to three bar, these watches can withstand the impact of water spraying from a showerhead or from a Jacuzzi’s massage jet just as easily as they can cope with a powerful freestyle swimming stroke or a leap headfirst from a starting block into a 50-meter pool.
If you’d like to swim those 50 meters under water on a single breath of air, then the Apnea Diver Automatic would be a good choice because the colored arcs on the seconds scale around the rim of the dial make it easier to train yourself to hold your breath and measure your progress. This scale is calibrated according to the globally agreed-upon plan for free diving: 5 seconds of inhalation (shown in blue), followed by 15 seconds of holding your breath (the white arc), and finally 10 seconds of exhalation (indicated in red). And Davosa has dreamed up a convenient mechanism for training on dry land: if you unscrew the crown at 3 o’clock, you can remove the main case from its container, flip open a hinged ring and stand the timepiece on a desktop like a miniature table clock. Free diver Nik Linder also integrated another practical detail into the Davosa’s Apnea: minutes play the decisive role for scuba divers, but seconds are crucial for apnea divers. That’s why the seconds hand on this watch culminates in an elongated red tip that extends across and sweeps unmistakably along the seconds scale.
A long red tip also defines the business end of the seconds hand on the Khaki Navy Frogman, which was designed in collaboration with apnea diver Pierre Frolla. But unlike the Davosa model, the Frogman is suitable for many diving-related purposes, thanks to the minutes calibrations for scuba divers on its rotatable bezel, pressure resistance to 100 bar for dives to great depths, and an automatic helium-release valve for saturation diving. The Frogman blithely survived a jump from a 10-meter tower, and the protected, canteen-style crown also withstood a hard smack against the edge of the pool. But the large crown guard, which is adapted from the one on this watch’s predecessor from 1951, makes it a bit cumbersome to operate the comparatively tiny crown underneath the protector.
The operating elements of our other two test watches are screwed down. Handling the Davosa’s crown is demanding because of its position at 12 o’clock and the rigid container underneath. The crown on the Alpina Seastrong has a rubber ring and is easy to grasp, unscrew, operate, and screw shut again. The Seastrong is fine for swimming in a pool, but it lacks a few details that would qualify it as a professional divers’ watch: for example, an illuminated seconds hand to instantly con rm that the watch is still running and single-minute calibrations along the entire rotatable bezel. To give credit where credit is due, all of the Seastrong’s scales are completely luminous, a detail that is rarely seen on divers’ watches. The downsides are that the hour hand and the minutes hand aren’t easy to tell apart in the dark, and single-minute calibrations are lacking on the dial and on two thirds of the rotatable bezel. For wearers of this watch, this means you can swim a few leisurely laps in the pool and maybe preset your intended swimming time with the aid of the rotatable divers’ bezel. Or perhaps just chill at poolside or recline in a chaise longue on the lawn nearby.
Diving is no problem for Davosa’s Apnea. Its luminous double-digit numbers, bold indexes and broad hands are clearly visible, even while swimming along the bottom of the pool’s deep end. The numerals, indexes and hands on Hamilton’s Khaki Navy Frogman also glow at great depths and in a beautiful shade of blue. When you come up for air, you’ll find Alpina’s Seastrong Diver 300 waiting for you in the sunshine. This watch recently changed its outfit: it has been available with a stainless-steel bracelet since 2017, but the tripartite construction of the doubly folding clasp has neither a divers’ extension nor a safety bracket. The rubber straps of all three watches we tested also lack these features, so they’re OK for swimming, but not ideal for professional diving.
Despite its nearly 45-mm-diameter stainless-steel case, the Alpina looks comparatively unpretentious. It’s also the only one in our trio with a transparent caseback, through which an aficionado can admire Sellita-based automatic Caliber AL-525. This movement is equipped with a special rotor and gives its best timekeeping performance when on its wearer’s wrist. The same basic caliber inside the Davosa’s case exhibits somewhat different rate behavior: it runs better overall, but it’s not well balanced. And it’s concealed behind a massive, fully threaded, screw-in back, which hermetically seals the nearly 43-mm-diameter stainless-steel case. The container enlarges the overall diameter of this watch to a hefty 46-mm so it makes a more massive impression. Immobile lugs and the tall construction of the case mean that this watch needs to be worn on an amply sized wrist.
Hamilton’s Frogman is also made for people with big wrists. The titanium case isn’t only an impressively large 47.5 mm in diameter, but it’s also rather tall. It spreads a caliper’s jaws 16.12 mm. This height is part of the tribute demanded by pressure resistance to 100 bar. This watch is equipped with Caliber H-10, which is known as the “Powermatic 80” and is based on an ETA C07.611. As its name suggests, it amasses an 80-hour power reserve. It runs with quite well balanced rate values, which it achieves while hidden behind a massive screwed case- back engraved with a diving motif.
Also see: CITIZEN ECO DRIVE WATCH Review
While small improvements could be made in each of these three watches, Hamilton’s Frogman outdid its two competitors. It satisfies all the requirements of a divers’ watch with the exception of a safety bracket for the clasp and an extension mechanism to lengthen the strap. Davosa’s Apnea performed quite well; although it isn’t specifically designed for scuba diving, single-minute calibrations along its bezel would be a welcome addition. And Alpina’s Seastrong 300, a divers’ watch that continues this brand’s tradition, would benefit from a few modications: the illumination and the calibrations are better on some of Alpina’s other models.
SPECS:
Alpina Seastrong Diver 300
Manufacturer: Alpina Watch International SA, Chemin de la Galaise 8, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
Reference number: AL-525LBN4V6
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, rotatable divers’ bezel, screwed crown
Movement: In-house AL-525 based on Sellita SW200, automatic, 28,800 vph, 38-hour power reserve, gilt nickel balance, Nivarox hairspring, Incabloc shock absorption, index bipartite (Etachron) fine adjustment, 26 jewels, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.60 mm
Case: Stainless steel, sapphire crystal above the dial, sapphire crystal in back, water resistant to 300 m
Strap and clasp: Rubber with pin buckle
Rate results (deviation in seconds per 24 hours (Fully wound/after 24 hours)
Average rate: +9.3 / +7.6
On the wrist: +6.5
Dimensions: Diameter = 44.70 mm, height = 13.21 mm, weight = 122.0 g
Variations: With gray bezel; with rubber straps in various colors; with stainless- steel bracelet with folding clasp ($1,495)
Price: $1,395
Davosa Apnea Diver Automatic
Manufacturer: Davosa International, F.W. Bohle GmbH, Lönnsstrasse 7, 32602 Vlotho / Weser, Germany
Reference number: 16156855
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, rotatable divers’ bezel, screwed crown, removable case container
Movement: Sellita SW200, automatic, 28,800 vph, 38-hour power reserve, gilt nickel balance, Nivarox hairspring, Incabloc shock absorption, index bipartite (Etachron) fine adjustment, 26 jewels, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.60 mm
Case: Stainless steel and ceramic, sapphire crystal above the dial, water resistant to 200 m
Strap and clasp: Rubber with pin buckle
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours, Fully wound/after 24 hours):
Average rate: +5.3 / +0.6
On the wrist: +3.4
Dimensions: Diameter = 42.80-mm case (46.03-mm container), height = 12.33 mm, weight = 140.0 g
Variations: With various straps; with black PVD-plated case ($1,099)
Price: $999
Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman
Manufacturer: Hamilton International AG, Mattenstrasse 149, 2503 Bienne, Switzerland
Reference number: H77805335
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, rotatable divers’ bezel, screwed crown, helium valve
Movement: In-house H-10 based on ETA C07.611 (Powermatic 80), auto- matic, 21,600 vph, 80-hour
(>3 days) power reserve, Glucydur balance, Nivarox hairspring, Nivachoc shock absorption, fine adjustment via two screws on balance, 25 jewels, diameter = 25.6 mm, height = 4.60 mm
Case: Titanium, sapphire crystal with nonreflective treatment above the dial, water resistant to 1,000 m
Strap and clasp: Soft-touch rubber with titanium pin buckle
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours (Fully wound/after 24 hours):
Average rate: +3.6 / +5.5
On the wrist: +1.2
Dimensions: Diameter = 47.51 mm, height = 16.12 mm, weight = 136.0 g
Variations: 42-mm version in stainless steel, water resistant to 300 m, with various rubber straps or stainless- steel bracelet with folding clasp ($1,095)
Price: $1,445

Sunday, November 12, 2017

GARMIN GPSMAP 64ST




The Garmin GPSMAP 64st is an alternative to take into account, particularly if you have not yet made up your mind on a new GPS. This model features virtually anything one might ever be looking for. Depending on the options you end up choosing, the price of this device can vary from around two hundred and fifty dollars to almost four hundred. Keep in mind that if you are shopping online may benefit from occasional sales and discounts offered from online retailers and can thus get it at a much fairer price.




Screen


The display of the Garmin GPSMAP 64st might be a little small compared to the one of other models we’ve come across during our thorough research. The model has a 2.6-inch sunlight readable color screen. Some buyers have complained that the display is not so bright as to fit their needs and preferences. On the other hand, other individuals claim that this type of display is exactly what they have been looking for.




GPS and GLONASS


Not only is the Garmin GPSMAP 64st worth considering if you’re looking for a dependable GPS, but it also might be an interesting alternative for people looking for a GLONASS receiver. This is a Russian constellation type of receiver that makes it possible for the unit to perform very well in canyon-like environments and northerly latitudes. Sure, GLONASS can be used in other circumstances as well, but it might not offer the best performance.




Smart notifications and sharing wirelessly


Connectivity is an innate feature of this model, as the GPS unit can connect to the user’s smartphone and share data of any kind. Once you’ve collected all the data you need on the GPS, perhaps you might be interested in transferring it via a computer. You may do so via a USB cable. Sharing your waypoints and geocaches with other Garmin users in the area can be done with a single push of a button. What’s more, the model can be utilized to receive emails and text messages using the GPS instead of the smartphone. All of this occurs thanks to the wireless connectivity capability of the Garmin GPSMAP 64st.


It goes without saying that the device can be utilized with other Garmin compatible ones, ranging from accessory sensors to heart rate monitors.




Ease of use


Since this model does not have a touchscreen, it speaks to the needs of individuals who are accustomed to using traditional buttons. From what we’ve seen by reading the buyers’ reviews on this item, all of the buttons are easy to push and the unit is relatively easy to operate. All in all, the Garmin GPSMAP 64st poses no problems even to users who aren’t necessarily tech-savvy.


Nevertheless, in some conditions a touchscreen might come in handy more than several buttons. For instance, when you want to enter waypoints, it’s much easier to utilize a touchscreen. However, buttons are the most feasible option when engaging in activities such as mountain biking and hunting, where you need to keep your eyes on the track or the game.




Maps


The GPSMAP 64st has a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief and a 1-year subscription of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery. The really neat thing about this unit is that buyers can make use of the 8GB onboard memory and a microSD card slot, and can thus upload all the maps they’d like. As is the case with other products manufactured by the same brand, this one is fully compatible with Garmin Custom Maps, which gives users the freedom to transform electronic and paper maps into ones that are downloadable for the device you own.




Battery


Just as we have seen in many other Garmin models, buyers have two choices when it comes to powering the GPSMAP 64st. For one, they can use two standard AA batteries that will do their job as long as they don’t run out ahead of time. Secondly, they have the option of buying a rechargeable battery pack that can perhaps last for a longer amount of time. In addition, this battery pack doesn’t have to be taken out of the device when it has to be charged, allowing buyers just to connect the GPS unit to an AC adaptor or a USB cord attached to a computer.




Performance


In regards to performance, most of the customer reviews we’ve analyzed praise this particular feature and claim that the model is incredibly accurate. The loading time of the model has exceeded the expectations of most of the buyers who chose this alternative.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Best power banks



RavPower RP-PB052 Ace Series: 22,000mAh

If you’re looking for extras from your portable charger (for example: SUNJACK HEAT BANK )
 you can safely ignore the RavPower RP-PB052. There’s no clever way to check its battery capacity, just the four indicator lights on its front, and no Quick Charge output to match its sister device. You don’t even get a splash of colour.

Instead, RavPower concentrates on packing an enormous amount of battery power into its surprisingly small frame: despite having 1,900mAh more capacity than its sibling, this device is both shorter and narrower, yet only a fraction thicker. In terms of size, it’s very similar to the classic Nokia Communicator phones with the clamshell keyboard.

RavPower also packs in three USB ports, with a combined 5.8A capacity. So, two can output at 2.4A and one at 1A simultaneously. All the ports include “iSmart” technology, so automatically detect the right settings for the attached device.

In a 30-minute blast, it took our Nexus 6P from zero to 20%, in line with all the other chargers here. And this didn’t make a dent in its capacity; RavPower claims the PB052 will recharge an iPhone 6s nine times.

Incredible charging density, and an aggressive price, means this is the all-purpose charger we’d reach for first.

RavPower RP-PB043 Turbo Series: 20,100mAh

Head to RavPower’s site and you’ll be faced with a bewildering number of chargers, all offering various benefits and capacities. The PB043 is all about speedy charging, with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3 technology built in: that means it can charge suitably equipped hardware (the 12in Apple MacBook, Chromebook Pixel, certain Android phones) up to four times quicker than rival chargers.

Just as importantly, the Qualcomm chip inside will work out exactly what voltage your device needs, which means less wastage and less heat from the charger. To a certain extent, this is marketing, but the RavPower does live up to its claims: it’s cool to the touch even after an hour’s charging.

However, the fact that – just like all the other chargers – it could only take our 6P from 0% to 20% in 30 minutes emphasises that you need the right partner devices (the 6P does support fast charging, but only with a limited number of chargers).

The only way to tell how much capacity it has left is via the four light indicators, but thanks to its huge capacity you shouldn’t need to check this too often anyway. It’s a great partner for a business trip or a weekend away. It is notably larger than the 22,000mAh RavPower unit, though, being about 1cm taller than the 6P, a fraction wider, and almost three times as thick.

If you have a certified Quick Charge device, this is a great buy. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative, the 21,000mAh CHJGD Magnum Opus also offers QC3.0.

Aukey is a big name in the world of portable batteries, but that doesn’t mean expensive: £25 inc VAT is one of the best prices you’ll find for a 20,000mAh portable charger from a known brand.

Not that this power pack would win any style prizes, with a blocky, black design reminiscent of old-style ThinkPads. There are no indicator lights: instead, you press the backlit power button and must remember that white equates to 70-100% charge, green to 30-70% and red to 0-30%.

What you do get is a torch light (keep the power button pressed down for a second to activate) and a Lightning connector for charging. Very handy for iPad and iPhone owners, but note the only cable in the pack is for the micro-USB input.

There are two USB charging outputs, both of which can output at 2.4A – while Aukey’s specs suggest it can only output a total of 3.4A at any one time, it charged our test Nexus 6P from zero to 20% in 30 minutes when on its own and when we charged an iPad 2 simultaneously.

If you’re simply looking for value and capacity, the Aukey offers the best combination here. Just note the RavPower 22,000mAh can simultaneously charge more devices at higher speeds.

Monday, July 10, 2017

GOAL ZERO VENTURE 30 SOLAR KIT



Late this spring, a few friends and I did a ski traverse and ski mountaineering trip on the Monarch Icefield, in western British Colombia. This was a somewhat new type of trip for me; rather than a stationary aircraft assisted camp, we were fully self-sufficient for 15 days of rough travel through glaciers, thick forests, and high peaks.

Although such an adventure is an escape from civilization, we couldn’t leave all our modern devices behind. We brought along a number of battery operated tools to make the trip smoother, and to add a bit of comfort. A lightweight solar charging setup was needed to keep everything running.

Here’s a list of the electronics we brought and their power source:
2 iPhones, internal battery
Satellite phone, internal battery
GPS unit, 2 AA batteries
Headlamps, internal battery, AAA batteries
SPOT messenger, 3 AAA batteries
3 2-way radios, internal batteries and AA batteries
3 avalanche beacons, AAA batteries
Sony A7 camera, internal replaceable batteries
Small portable speaker, internal battery


Whew, lots of stuff!

The sat phone is a no-brainer. We used it for weather updates, as well as having it for emergencies. The SPOT messenger was a backup for the satphone, as well as a fun way to let folks know what we were up to.

The iPhones might seem excessive, but they were our main GPS navigation devices. I’ve found a good GPS app to be much better than a stand-alone GPS. We stored beta and guidebook photos on our phones. Although less essential, they provided music and entertainment. I used mine for journaling and note-taking.

Just in case, we took a small Garmin GPS as a backup device.

I’ve found 2-way radios to be invaluable on trips like this, adding safety and flexibility. The other items are self-explanatory.

Most items either had the ability to be charged directly via USB, or used rechargeable AA or AAA batteries. A few, namely the beacons and SPOT Messenger, aren’t supposed to be used with rechargeable batteries. I tested both before the trip, and they did work with rechargeable batteries, good to know for emergency battery replacement — but we operated those devices using their recommended battery type.

For our solar panel, we used the Goal Zero Nomad 7. This is the second smallest panel that Goal Zero makes, and the smallest that can charge a majority of devices. It measures 9×17 inches, and folds in half for storage. It has three outputs: a female USB cord, and two proprietary goal-zero cables. Weight: 16 oz.

We also brought a GOAL ZERO VENTURE 30 SOLAR KIT and a Guide 10 recharger. The Venture is simply a 29WH lithium battery with 2 USB ports and a built-in flashlight. It’s about 4x3x1 inches, and weighs 9 oz. The Guide 10 can charge AA and AAA batteries, and also acts as an external charger, via a USB port. A selection of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries, and all the required cables to charge our various devices completed our kit.

The Venture 30 is a fairly large battery pack, and Goal Zero recommends a larger solar panel to charge it in a reasonable amount of time. Instead, I figured that with the ultra-bright “sun bowl” environment of an icefield, coupled with long days and having the panel strapped to my sled while traveling, we would get efficient and perhaps even enhanced power coming out of the panel. This turned out to be the case and we had plenty of reserve power.

The setup weighed a fair bit when all together. However, it gave us major peace of mind, and was certainly lighter than only carrying a bunch of batteries. I was excited to see how it would actually work.

With the conditions we had, the Nomad 7 solar panel could charge the Venture 30 and the Guide 10 at the same time when we left them hooked up in camp, and we were able to use both to recharge our stuff when we returned in the evening.

Everything held up well throughout the trip. The solar panel is rugged and water resistant. However, since we were relying on it with no backup, I kept it inside the tent during storms. Even inside our tent it managed to charge, albeit only a trickle. It did get snow and water on it a few times and was fine.

Bear in mind that a solar panel only works well if it’s constantly facing the sun, or somewhat facing the sun but harvesting photos from reflected light. Thus, the idea of having a panel on your pack or sled has limited utility. Doing so is still worth trying — it was for us — but keep in mind that our system was designed for stationary use in camp.

In summary, this setup was an excellent choice for our Monarch ski traverse. It proved to be fully capable of keeping all our stuff charged, and kept the weight down to a reasonable level. Without it, we would have had to carry significant weight in batteries, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to bring my nice big camera (and get sweet pics).

Anyone else have experience using light solar systems for longer trips? I’d love to hear your thoughts about other configurations.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

One of the rarest watches in the world may become the most expensive Rolex ever sold



Rolex collectors, start counting out your pennies. An exceptionally rare and unique vintage Rolex watches will go up for auction with Phillips in May.

Known as the "Bao Dai" watch, this piece was sold to the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty in Vietnam in 1954.

It's a Rolex reference 6062, and was both the most expensive and rarest watch the brand sold at the time. The gold case and black dial were the rarest combination of the 6062 model.

Only three models to this specification are known to have existed, according to Hodinkee. This particular model is the only one to have had diamond markers on the even hours, making it completely unique.

It was sold by the Nguyen family for $235,000 in 2002, meaning that the watch has only changed hands once. Though that price may seem low compared to today's standards, it was the most expensive Rolex ever sold at the time. Experts think it may claim that title again.

Its auction estimate is $1.5 million, though many collectors think that the watch will actually go for much more than that when the hammer falls, according to Hodinkee. The current record holder is the Rolex split-seconds chronograph reference 4113, which sold for $2.5 million last.

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Rolex Sea-Dweller Resurfaces with Larger Case and New Movement



It’s another big year of anniversaries in the luxury watch world. While Omega marks 60 years of the Speedmaster and Patek Philippe, 40 years of the Aquanaut, Rolex celebrates the half-century mark for its extreme divers’ watch, the Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller, by launching an all-new model, with a larger case and modern caliber, at Baselworld 2017.

The original Rolex Sea-Dweller, created in 1967, was designed as a resilient and useful tool for professional deep-sea divers of that era. Among its many notable features was a helium escape valve, patented by Rolex that same year, which preserved the watch’s water-resistance while regulating the air pressure accumulated inside its case during the decompression phases of deep-water saturation dives.

The case of the new Sea-Dweller is 43 mm in diameter — 3 mm larger than its 40-mm predecessor. The scratch-resistant sapphire crystal over the deep black dial is equipped, for the first time on this model, with a Cyclops lens over the date window at 3 o’clock, enhancing its legibility. The text “Sea-Dweller” appears on the dial in red, echoing the look of the original 1967 model. Finally, the watch is equipped with the used Rolex Caliber 3235, a self-winding movement boasting a number of innovative technical details, some of them patented. This represents the first time Rolex has employed this recently introduced, technically superior movement in one of its “Professional gradetimepiece. Like all used Rolex watches for sale, this Sea-Dweller carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, instituted by Rolex in 2015, which ensures a high level of precision and timekeeping performance (-2/+2 seconds per day).

Like its most recent predecessors, the new Sea-Dweller is water-resistant to a depth of 1,220 meters (4,000 feet). Its 60-minute graduated, unidirectional, rotating divers’ bezel is fitted with a patented black Cerachrom bezel insert manufactured by Rolex in a virtually scratchproof ceramic whose color is unaffected by ultraviolet rays. The bezel’s graduations are PVD-coated with a thin layer of platinum. The dial’s large hour markers are filled with Chromalight, a Rolex-developed luminescent material that emits a long-lasting blue glow in low-light conditions.