Thanks for the references.

All I can tell you is that Grand Seiko generally gives better swag and hosts more elaborate events. Like Avis in the rental car car field, Grand Seiko tries harder than Rolex.

It actually occurred in Horology Talk, a Facebook forum this a.m. and generated a massive amount of comments. I belong to both Grand Seiko and Rolex forums and, like the film Ground Hog Day, this Grand Seiko versus Rolex dialogue permeates almost the entirety of watch platforms. I have owned multiple references of both brands and find each brand to exemplify different virtues.  Moreover, the whole hand finishing versus more highly automated production is at the heart of the popularity of the reasonably priced independents like Habring2, RGM, Stefan Kudoke, Stefan Ketelaars, Sartory Billard and Ophion versus the more highly automated big horology brand producers like Rolex and Omega. 

This Parmigiani Tonda Transforma chronograph used to be in my collection until I found myself with way too many chronographs.

Thank you. 

You are entitled on a knowing basis to use the gray market. I am sure that you can take care of yourself because as a WIS you have a good deal of knowledge about pricing and collectability in a way that the lemmings do not. I have personally used gray market dealers to source many watches but usually at less than manufacturer’s suggested retail rather than well over suggested retail. The market is what the market is. I do not know you personally but I have no reason to think that you are deficient in either intelligence or moral character because you use the gray market as do I. 

Leonidas was established in Switzerland in 1841. In 1912, the company was purchased by a Mr. Jenneret-Droz, one of the three sons of the owner of Excelsior Park, an august but defunct name in Swiss watch production which went out during the Quartz Crisis, although the name has recently been revived in connection with a new start up. Leonideas specialized in quality chronographs. In 1964, Leonidas merged with Heuer and many movements of the combined Heuer-Leonidas had the Heuer name on the dial and the Leonidas name on the movement or vice versa. When the Quartz Crisis hit, Heuer-Leonidas manufactured private label chronographs in the early 1970s for the likes of Dugena (then the largest brand in Germany long owned by Alpina, Fortis and BWC), Sears (yes that Sears) and others. These private labeled watches are sometimes affectionately referred as “poor man’s Heuer’s” as they sell in the vintage market for a fraction of the same watch with Heuer branding. If you pop the case backs of these watches, the movements are marked Heuer or Heuer-Leonidas. Leonidas in and of itself was a high quality brand and, leaving aside the connection with your grandfather, you have a watch worth treasuring from a horological standpoint.