Hodinkee
My Watch Story: Making Martinis With A Seiko Cocktail Time, A Datejust As Creative Companion, A Souvenir Of A Journalistic Adventure, And More
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Results for Datejust
114 articles · 94 videos found · page 4 of 7
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Wiki · Guide
Crosshair Dial
Two perpendicular lines crossing at dial centre; mid-century dress-watch cue. Vintage Datejust 1601/1603, Polerouter, Constellation.
Reference · Guide
All Rolex Datejust References Rolex
Every Rolex Datejust: 4467, 1601, 16234, 116234, 126200 / 126300, Datejust 31 (278240) and Lady-Datejust 28.
Icon · Guide
Datejust Rolex
The first self-winding waterproof wristwatch with a date window - and the reference Rolex.
Hodinkee
Hodinkee
My Watch Story: Connecting With One's Father Via A Vintage Longines, A Hometown Watch From Frankfurt, A Coveted Rolex Datejust, And More
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Seldom-Seen Datejust, A Daring Universal Genève, And A Pre-Extra-Fort Eberhard
It's all here in this week's round-up of vintage watches from across the web.
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Malachite-Dial Datejust, A Mint Longines, And A Grail Heuer Skipper
The week in vintage watches from around the web.
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: An Onyx Datejust, An Educational Piece From Technicum Neuchâteloise Le Locle, And A Rattrapante Pocket Watch From Omega
Your weekly edition of hottest watches from around the web.
Video
Rolex Datejust 16233 | HODINKEE Spec Sheet | What You Need To Know
Teddy Baldassarre
Best Rolex Watches For Women: From Ladies To Unisex
The Crown has a rich history of watchmaking for women dating back to Rolex’s infancy. After all, it was women who first began wearing watches on their wrists in the late 18th century, while men still preferred pocket watches before the convenience and utility of military field watches began to proliferate. Rolex’s first high-profile endorsement of its revolutionary waterproof Oyster case was worn by a female athlete, slung around the neck of British swimmer Mercedes Gleitze as she attempted to swim across the English Channel. Gleitz might not have made it all the way across on that try, but the watch came out unscathed after 10 hours in the cold water, ticking the time away accurately, making for amazing marketing fodder. Here in the 21st century, Rolex still offers a catalog with extensive sizing options and decorations on its most popular models. Of course, anyone can wear any watch they like, but there are several pieces that, as a woman myself, I find uniquely more compelling than others. So, we’re gathered here today to go on a journey through what I find to be the best Rolex watches for women available today, rounded up into a digestible guide for your reading pleasure. [toc-section heading="Lady-Datejust"] It only feels right to begin with the only Rolex model family that directly references a female consumer in its naming conventions. I get the argument that some think the name “Lady-Datejust” feels a bit dated, maybe even gauche (even bringing to...
SJX Watches
Hands-On: Rolex Perpetual 1908 Settimo
Rolex has expanded the 1908 collection with the Perpetual 1908 Settimo, a yellow-gold dress watch with an all-new seven-link bracelet. Settimo, Italian for ‘seven’, refers to the number of links across the bracelet; five slender links in the centre framed by two broader links on each side. The result is a supple, tightly constructed bracelet that complements the refined proportions of the 1908. Powered by the advanced cal. 7140, the watch remains impressively slim at just 9.5 mm, combining Rolex’s famous industrial precision with genuine elegance, filling a long-standing gap in the brand’s line-up. Initial thoughts When I think of Rolex, the image in my mind is one of long-term thinking, industrial expertise, over-built movements, and iconic (but fairly chunky) designs. The 1908, especially the Settimo version, shows the brand also understands elegance. The Settimo bracelet recalls vintage ‘beads-of-rice’ bracelets and works well with the vintage-feeling aesthetic of the 1908. The slightly glistening lacquered dial and crisply faceted hour markers provide a bright, vivid appearance; perhaps its the sub-seconds at six and the lack of a date window, but it feels more refined than the dial of a typical Datejust or Day-Date. The case is very sleek on the wrist thanks to the cal. 7140, which, at just 4.05 mm in height, is 34% thinner than the brand’s own cal. 3235. No watch is perfect, and there are a few details that I find mildly annoying, like the plug atop the...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches
When you think of Rolex, the first colors your mind usually conjures up are green and gold, long the emblematic colors of the Swiss power brand and its world-famous “crown” logo. (Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf is said to have settled on these colors because they symbolized wealth and success.) Blue, on the other hand, is not a color that most watch aficionados readily associate with Rolex, though many will associate it with other watch brands, like Breguet, Breitling, and Rolex’s own little brother, Tudor. However, when Rolex does decide to do blue - whether it’s for dials, bezels, or some combination of both - it does so in a way that really speaks to the brand’s avid fan base. Over the years, some blue-dialed Rolex watches, in fact, are not only popular but have become recognized as classics. Here are seven Rolexes with blue dials - some discontinued and collectible, others still available in the current collection - that have demanded enthusiast attention. (Price estimates for the discontinued models on the list are courtesy of WatchCharts.) Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41, Ref. 126334 ($11,100) Rolex released the Datejust in 1945, and the model is today regarded as one of the world’s most classically elegant dress watches. The Datejust brought two now-familiar elements to the world of watch design, one of which can be found throughout the watch industry, the other being still closely associated with Rolex. The first was the addition of a date disp...
Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex GMT-Master II Review: The Bruce Wayne Rolex
Before getting into the so-called "Bruce Wayne Rolex," let's establish some context. The Rolex GMT-Master is one of the Crown’s most popular models when it comes to the Professional line. It’s been an icon going back to its release in 1954, born out of a partnership with PanAm (in reality, it was a masterfully executed piece of marketing) that gave way to a new jet-setting, time-zone-malleable timekeeper. Since then, the GMT-Master (now the GMT-Master II, incorporating an even more user-friendly dual-time indication) has stood alongside the Datejust and Submariner as a core icon for the brand. It has also represented a platform for innovation for Rolex, being the first model line to see the brand transition to its “Super Case” format and its use of Cerachrom bezel tech. This paved the way for the introduction of a new, steel GMT-Master II in the late aughts with a black Cerachrom bezel insert, a green GMT hand, and green dial text. This stood for years as the most under-the-radar option for potential GMT-Master II buyers that didn’t feel comfortable slapping on a "Batman" or a "Pepsi." However, like many other popular models, it was discontinued. We saw echoes of its design materialize in form of the “Lefty” GMT, with its bi-color green-and-black bezel and matching green GMT hand. But the “Sprite” didn’t strike the same chord as that discontinued OG. Then the 70th anniversary of the GMT-Master rolled around in 2024, and Rolex surprised us all when it re...
SJX Watches
Omega’s Small-But-Mighty Movement in the Aqua Terra 30 mm
Omega’s latest Aqua Terra is a competent women’s watch with a brand-new calibre that is both compact and proficient. Equipped with the new cal. 8750/8751, the Aqua Terra 150M 30 mm launches with a healthy mix of metal variations and dials across 12 models that will surely expand in time. Initial Thoughts Despite scarce coverage in watch media, watches made for, and marketed to women are very important to the industry. And, women have rewarded brands that put in the effort with enormous success. The Lady-Datejust, for instance, is often rumored to be Rolex’s highest volume model. While Omega offered an Aqua Terra 30 mm in the past, the Constellation has arguably the brand’s champion in the segment for the last few years. The new Aqua Terra 30 mm might look similar to its predecessor, but it stands out for the new cal. 8750/8751 that is a Master Chronometer-certified movement. Building a movement that can consistently meet Master Chronometer standards, while being small and thin, is an achievement on its own. All else being equal, larger movements perform better than smaller ones; the difference is significant enough that the ISO 3159 chronometer standard that form the COSC testing standards has less stringent requirements for movements 20 mm and under. Options Omega’s watches are often, and fairly, criticized for being unnecessarily thick, but that isn’t the case here, thanks in part to the new caliber. All steel and two-tone models are 10.6 mm tall (10.7 mm for...
Video
If I Could Only Own 1 Watch - The Perfect Do-It-All Rolex: Datejust vs Explorer
Teddy Baldassarre
The Most Expensive Rolex Watches
Admit it, you’re here because you googled “Most Expensive Rolex Watches” in the hopes of gathering up some horological bar trivia, right? No? You say you’re here because you really, truly are interested in buying one of the most expensive watches Rolex currently puts out? Well, good news. We’ve updated this article to incorporate both. Photo: Sotheby's Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, Rolex is today the most globally recognized Swiss luxury watch brand, one of the leading innovators in the watch industry from the 20th Century to today, and the maker of some of the most popular and coveted watch models in the world, from gents’ classics like the Datejust and Day-Date to sport-luxury icons like the Submariner, Daytona, and GMT-Master. As one might expect with such a horological pedigree, Rolex watches have also become some of the most valuable watches on the secondary and auction markets, with the most elite and exclusive pieces selling for $1 million or more. (Disclaimer: obviously, for the most avid and well-connected Rolex customers, it is the legendary “off-catalog” models - like the "Rainbow Daytona" pictured above - that both project the most mythical aura of exclusivity and command the most stratospheric prices. The problem with accurately reporting on which of them is really the “Most Expensive” is built into their rarity: such models change hands without an actual MSRP ever being declared publicly, and whatever that original purchase pric...
Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko SSK023 Review
Let's begin this review of the Seiko 5 GMT Sports SSK023 with a spirited chant: "NWA! NWA!" No, I’m not the hype man for the groundbreaking ‘90s hip-hop act. It’s a New Watch Alert, and all kidding aside, I went and bought a watch, something I haven’t done since I picked up my Doxa Sub 200T Divingstar last year. In spite of my attraction to that yellow-dialed wrist magnet, there’s a new contender in my regular rotation, and it’s not Swiss. Nope, I’ve gone and picked up a new Seiko 5 GMT Sports model, and it’s getting an awful lot of my attention. I’ve fallen hard for the SSK023, probably the most basic four-hander in the Japanese brand's catalog, and I couldn’t be happier. Now, this is hardly my first Seiko rodeo. I’m a longtime fan whose gateway was an old-school 6309-7049, the famed "Turtle" dive watch, discovered by my wife in a mom & pop jewelry store for a mere hundred bucks. It’s not even my first Seiko 5 spin around the block, and I’ve got the SNXJ89, Seiko’s budget take on a classic silver-dialed Datejust, to prove it. However, it is my first Seiko 5 Sports watch with the new-era logo. Prior to the SSK023, I did snag the 55th Anniversary LE, the SRPK17, and it’s everything it’s advertised to be, with its note-perfect re-creation of the very first Seiko 5 Sports model from 1968. That tonneau-cased beauty is a banger, down to the original Seiko 5 shield logo, but the SNK023 represents my first real dip into the modern Seiko 5 pool, and...
Teddy Baldassarre
Omega Seamaster Green Diver 300m Review
How does a vintage-watch lover end up loving the green-dialed Omega Seamaster Diver 300M? Before I answer that, let's get a little philosophical. The deeper you get into this watch hobby, the more you start to understand what a “you watch" is. You build a collection, no matter how big or small, that either jibes with your style, your wrist size, or your general vibe. For example, I tend to gravitate towards old things or things tied to some sort of meaningful historical context. I also tend to like things that everyone else doesn’t. This tracks almost identically with my music taste (a lot of Beatles, Beach Boys, and Velvet Underground mixed with an intense love for ‘90s and 2000s indie rock). This is why the two-tone Rolex Datejust holds a special place in my heart, along with vintage Submariners, classic gold dress watches, and basically anything in the 36mm size arena. Finding a niche like this, however, does not mean that you don’t daydream of cosplaying as someone else — someone who could effortlessly pull off a 46mm diver, or an IWC Big Pilot, or even an Urwerk. It’s like those moments when a Gracie Abrams song appears in your music shuffle and you hesitate to change the song but you’re also afraid to maybe admit, “This is actually good?” Now, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M has been around since 1993 (or, if you want a full history of the Seamaster, you can read it here), and the contemporary iteration was initially released in 2018. This update mad...
Worn & Wound
The Rolex Land-Dweller is Here: We Got a Watchmaker’s Perspective on the Crown’s New Dynapulse Movement Technology
In recent days, much of the watch internet has been abuzz with the apparent news of a new Rolex collection with the somewhat hard to believe name of Land-Dweller. Leaked images of the Crown’s new watch began to emerge in the days leading up to this year’s Watches & Wonders, and, as you’d expect from the internet, debate ensued. The shots purported to capture a Datejust-adjacent design with sharper lines and, perhaps, an integrated bracelet. The official Rolex teaser for Watches & Wonders on Instagram seemed to confirm many of the details that had already been guessed, and then a very Daniel Craig at the Olympics style image of Roger Federer wearing the watch hit social media via the tennis star’s (and Rolex ambassador’s) Instagram account. It appeared to everyone at this point that the Land-Dweller was real – we only had to wait for the details. Rolex has made those details public as of today, with the announcement of the new Land-Dweller collection. This is much more, though, than Rolex jumping on the integrated bracelet sports watch bandwagon (although, it is that, at least a little bit). The Land-Dweller is also an important moment for Rolex as a movement maker, as it introduces their new, patented, direct impulse escapament which goes by the trade name Dynapulse. It uses dual silicon wheels and introduces us to Rolex caliber 7135. More on that caliber in a moment, but first, the broad strokes of the Land-Dweller collection. The new collection features a f...
Fratello
Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Owned Entry-Level Rolex Models
Another Friday, another list! This week, we’re highlighting the best entry-level Rolex models you can buy pre-owned for an affordable price. A few weeks ago, we looked at five great Rolex Datejusts. While searching for the best picks, I saw many more great non-Datejust options. That inspired this week’s list of five pre-owned Rolex models […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Pre-Owned Entry-Level Rolex Models to read the full article.
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Hands-on: Rolex 2021 - Explorer, DateJust, Daytona
Monochrome
The Evergreens – The History of the Rolex Daytona, the Emblematic Racing Chronograph
Rolex arguably has more iconic models than any major watchmaker, from the Submariner to the Datejust to the Explorer (and many more). Still, the Cosmograph Daytona has become something of a unicorn and a collector’s dream in the last couple of decades. At a time when the brand’s steel sports watches were still readily available […]
Teddy Baldassarre
The Seiko Dress Watch Of The Yar
As someone who typically leans towards the toolish side of Seiko’s offerings, there was something about the watch I bring you today which stopped me in my tracks for an inexplicable reason. Perhaps it is explicable (perhaps in real time while writing this) and I may figure out a way to explic...I mean, explain it. Yes, I am coming to you to introduce a new Seiko Presage Classic model. It is called the SPB478J1, and I think it just might be the attainable dress watch of the year. Okay, taking a step back for a moment, I am a Rolex guy and a two-tone guy. I regularly wear a two-tone Rolex Datejust on a jubilee bracelet so I certainly have a type. And you can see from looking at this watch, the Seiko SPB478J1, that it fits nicely into this category for me. Getting my biases out of the way, let’s dig into the watch. So Seiko, as we know, calls its watches by their reference numbers. But it also gave this one a nice little descriptor on the website: Delicate Cream Silk. I mean, come on, that’s amazing. It’s almost like it could be the alternative name of a band consisting of Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak. The name actually refers to the watch’s dial because, of course it does. The dial texture is “inspired by unbleached natural Japanese silk, a material which has long featured in Japanese home décor and clothing since ancient times.” The brand calls this a ‘Shiro-Iro’ colored dial. Moving to the watch itself, it features gold-colored accents for a mixed-met...
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde
“Quiet luxury.” That’s the phrase that kept getting thrown at me during my week with the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde. “This is so quiet luxury.” It was an almost near-universal response, a constant chorus scoring my time with one of the most talked about new dress watches of 2024. Weirdly, that wasn’t my experience of the watch at all. To me, the Toric Petite Seconde was a dress watch for the guy who doesn’t need to get all that dressy. The guy more likely to be caught in a green chore coat than a cashmere sweater. Cards on the table, my wardrobe is not all that luxurious. I tend to prefer Levi’s with Blundstones or L.L. Bean flannels and Patagonia Jackets over Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli. A sizable portion of my clothing has been purchased at REI. It’s an aesthetic my brother jokingly calls my “man of the people look” and, while I think that may be an overstatement, it’s probably not far off the mark. Unsurprisingly, my taste in watches tends to skew in a similar direction - I have a predilection for great dive watches and solid steel three-handers. Sure, a two-tone Datejust might make its way into the rotation here or there, but, to balance it out, I’ve spent a good portion of this year falling back in love with digital watches. I tell you all this so I can say, honestly, that when a brand like Parmigiani Fleurier releases a watch like the Toric, a small seconds dress watch available exclusively in platinum or rose gold, I...
Fratello
The Tudor Prince Oysterdate “Jumbo” Is A Vintage Value Proposition
I am a big fan of vintage Tudor, as many of you will probably already know. Tudor, to me, is a brand that represents the very best of Hans Wilsdorf’s vision of creating mechanical excellence but without the posh baggage of Rolex. The vintage Tudor Prince Oysterdate “Jumbo” will scratch the Datejust itch but with […] Visit The Tudor Prince Oysterdate “Jumbo” Is A Vintage Value Proposition to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Fears Introduces the Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour, with a Module by Christopher Ward
Back in January 2023, Fears and Christopher Ward collaborated on the Alliance 01, the first limited edition watch made specifically for the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers. The watch became an immediate cult sensation, partly due to its unusual jump hour complication, and partly because it was just plain rare, right from the start. The watch was only available to members of the Alliance, a smaller group for sure than the typical audience for either brand. But when a watch like this appears, something with a highly specific complication that also strikes a chord with the community, we know that it’s only a matter of time before a version comes along that’s more widely accessible. Well, that time is now. Today, Fears introduces what they refer to as an evolution of the Alliance 01, the all new Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour. At its core, this is still very much the watch that we saw back in early 2023. It keeps the 40.5mm Brunswick case, a cushion case design that splits the difference nicely between sporty and something more refined. I happen to own a Brunswick, and find that the case is something of a chameleon – on the right strap it feels like a true dress watch, and on a bracelet, worn casually, it has an almost Datejust-like quality, which is to say it’s right in the middle of that dress/sport spectrum. But the real heart of the watch is Christopher Ward’s module, also carried over from the Alliance 01, that allows for the jumping hour complication. ...
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Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium Automatic Everyday Watch Rolex Datejust 41 Alternative
Worn & Wound
The Enduring Appeal of the Dunhill Rollagas Lighter
While the term “everyday carry” is broad enough already, I’d bet my money that a lighter which costs close to $1,300 would not be included in anyone’s list. But, for me, it’s hard to deny that a Dunhill Rollagas is the epitome of style and functionality – and here is where I’m willing to expand the definition of “EDC” just a little bit. For many of us who consider ourselves collectors – whether it be watches, pens, or knives – I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “My cheap X works just as well!” And while this may be true (and trust me, my house is littered with matchbooks and cheap Bic lighters), I know that I’m not just buying something for functionality. When I buy a luxury good, I’m buying into the brand itself and the history behind it. While the $5 Spongebob watch my nephew wears and my Datejust both tell time, sure, there’s an undeniable difference that exists beyond timekeeping. When a brand does it right, you can almost feel it. I’d call it nearly talismanic while my more cynical peers may call it just plain ol’ good marketing. But whatever the case might be, I feel a little different holding a Dunhill lighter in my hands. When I run my thumb across the sparkwheel on a gas station Bic, I’m instantly brought back to when I was sixteen and trying my first cigarette. When I do the same with a Rollagas, I feel like a proper adult. I like who I am when I have one in my pocket. The History of Dunhill For a brand to have been on a...
Worn & Wound
G-SHOCK Introduces the Two-Tone Utility Color Series
Whenever I see the words “two-tone” come screaming across my inbox I wince just a little bit. I feel like for as long as I’ve been interested in watches, people have been trying to tell me that two-tone is coming back. Sometimes I’ve wondered if there are people in the industry whose entire job is to publicly speculate on the status of two-tone among the larger watch collecting set. I tend to think that there’s so much conversation about whether or not it’s coming back, nobody would even notice if it arrived. So that’s the headspace I was in when I glanced at the latest press release from G-SHOCK, which heralded the arrival of the Two-Tone Utility Color Series. It turns out that these watches aren’t really what you’d normally think of in a two-tone conversation. They are quite literally multi-toned, meaning they incorporate both the traditional black resin cases found across the G-SHOCK line with brown integrated straps (with dial accents in complementary shades of green and yellow, for the most part). So two-tone, in your grandpa’s Datejust sense of the term, is a misnomer here. Digging further into the press release, though, I found another buzzword heard less often in the watch community: “Gorpcore”. Just for the hell of it, I decided to apply some statistical analysis here to see if gorpcore in the watch world is something I’ve simply missed out on. I searched for the term in my email, and retrieved exactly two hits. The first, of course, ...
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: The Nivada Grenchen F77 Lapis Lazuli
Nivada Grenchen’s F77 was a big hit when it was released last year. With an integrated bracelet, 37mm case, and exposed-screw bezel, the F77 captured all the fun of 1970s sports watches. Even better, this was no mere homage: the watch has actual heritage street cred as a reissue of a model produced by Nivada Grenchen in 1977. Now, Nivada Grenchen has leaned even further into that 70s funk, with four new dials for the F77. I got to go hands-on with arguably the funkiest of the bunch: the F77 Lapis Lazuli. The F77 LL keeps all the specs that made the original a hit, but with a new dial crafted entirely from–as you may have guessed from the name–lapis lazuli. The other three dials in the new F77 releases are beautiful, with one dial featuring an anthracite basket-weave pattern, another made of aventurine, and one limited-edition model in meteorite. But despite the attractiveness of the other models, the F77 Lapis Lazuli is the clear standout. The blue of the lapis is vibrant and eye-catching, while the speckled pattern evokes a starry night’s sky. And because it is made of stone, each lapis lazuli dial will be unique. Despite being something of a novelty in today’s market, the lapis lazuli dial is true to the 1970s vibe Nivada Grenchen is trying to capture in the watch. Stone dials had their moment back in that era, and lapis dials are particularly collectable. (Just look up the lapis Rolex Datejust that now sells for tens of thousands of dollars.) Fashion is ...
Fratello
Watches And Wonders 2024: Is This The Year I Lose Touch With Rolex?
As you may know, I am a long-term Rolex admirer. I wrote a book on the vintage Rolex Datejust, and I both own and have owned several “crowned” watches over the years. This year’s Watches and Wonders, however, sees the brand lean further into a realm that I find myself struggling to appreciate. So, as […] Visit Watches And Wonders 2024: Is This The Year I Lose Touch With Rolex? to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
William Wood’s Fire Exit Watch is a Truly Original Take on a Traditional Calendar
I have a complicated relationship with Day displays. So often, they’re crammed onto the dial, take up too much space, they don’t add much to the functionality of a watch - I frequently don’t know the date, I very rarely don’t know what day of the week it is - and throw everything out of balance. My… distaste for day-of-the-week displays (and frankly the complication as a whole) is why I prefer the Datejust to the Day-Date and have never kept an SKX for longer than a few months. Still, every so often, some brand comes along and does something so clever I can’t ignore it. Here, with the new Fire Exit Watch from William Wood Watches, we find clever in full supply. Those familiar with William Wood Watches will know that the brand draws heavy inspiration from the history (and materials) of firefighting, and the brand supports a number of firefighting charities. While most William Wood Watches draw their firefighting inspiration from firefighters and their equipment, the Fire Exit Watch draws from an oft-overlooked piece of fire safety gear, the emergency exit sign. Specifically, the Fire Exit Watch is based on the globally ubiquitous ISO standard (yes, they standardize more than dive watches!) green “Fire Exit Man” signs. Those of us who spend most of our time in the United States may be shocked to discover that, as with the metric system, most of the rest of the world has gotten on board with a single style of exit sign. With the Fire Exit Watch, William W...
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