I was somewhat in the beginning of this discussion and it is bad etiquette to sit back quietly for so long, even when the alarm has flagged the Monday race and I am minutes away from leaving... Hoy ho and wink at Jeff

So, let me try to cover my angle - the semi-educated, certified OCD and alas, with some disposable cash watchgeek. Some may argue this is equally dangerous to a woman with a credit card or a nutjob with a AK-47. I know it is - quite a few of the crazy sales come from people like me who are so eager to land a piece yet so poorly educated they pay premium for their lack of knowledge. And the market heads north. Anywho, this thread is not about me but rather the Lemania 5100 family, so let's try:

As the sort of watchgeek that I am, navigating in the horological galaxy is only possible using few lighthouse points on the map; these are typically niche or highly skilled "pro" collectors the likes of our very own Jeff, David of Calibre 11, Ben of Hodinkee, Elizabeth of WorldTempus and so on. Chalk these in the friends list of living people who know their stuff. Then second on the list come books and publications from recognized people in the field. It was not random I quoted George Daniels in my latest tweets about vintage-vs-modern Rolex, or that I dragged Mr. Maddox in the Lemania tweet thread. Either way, I look up to those when it comes to pointers. And here comes the 'but' you've been waiting for - to me the people who do X for a living are the top source imaginable; case in point - John here does watch repairs for a living. Ever day. And he has seen beyond the top plate of the movement which I can google from Ranfft:

The 5100 / 5012

The 5100 /5012 detail

That extra millimeter below the surface could be the dealbreaker for anyone anal about movements - I know it is for me. However, and this is where we come round to John's words again - this time it may not be rational but I want one. I am hoping to land one of them EZM1, I am equally hoping that Sinn have reworked any parts of the movement which may not be up to the standard of a Mission Timer. We all know that exposing (old) plastic to freezing cold means that it becomes fragile just as we know that any EZM watch is good for -45 to +80*C right?

I will pass on the discussion with the following - we need a Sinn EZM1 cracked open and pictured. Not that any owner would be up to it but if you are servicing yours anytime soon, please be sure to bring your camera along for the first 15min of your watchmaker time and click a few movement shots for us, would you?

Second comment would be - the Lemania movements have loooong expired their licences or patents, or whatever kept them from reproduction before. How come, with this solid of a following, no single company from DEPA to Sellita to Citizen and beyond, have ventured to take the 5100 platform and bring it to the 21st century with Diapal, Silicone and what not making it the ultimo-primo adventure mechanical; the 7750 will be the economy line in any of its variants, if a reincarnated Lemania 5100 is on stage...

Before I close - thank you Jeff for kindly hosting the discussion and thank you John for taking the lesser popular stand but with such good arguments behind!!!

Will follow this one with utmost interest