Well, it's bad style to start a discussion, and then not contribute to it, so let me give it a quick go. [I should add that it is also bad style to be writing late at night, knowing that the alarm goes off in five hours. So let me keep this brief.]

Let me thank you, John, for the very informative message that you have posted.

Without any doubt, the thing that I like best about the Lemania 5100 powered chronographs is the legibility / usefulness of having the chrono minute hand mounted on the center pinion. I wear mechanical chronographs to run and time other sports events, and the 5100 offers far greater legibility than either a tri-compax or a V7750 layout. An engineer could probably express this in a more technical sense, but "plain English" suggests that the chrono minute hand on the 5100-powered is far easier to read than either of these other two lay-outs. Running outdoors, and using a chronograph to time the run, the 5100s are easy to read, the others aren't . . . it's that simple. Whether it's five times more legible or ten time more legible can be for the scientists; all I know is that I can easily read the 5100s, but not the tri-compax or 7750s.

Please say that the 5100s are "rugged". I'm not sure that I have any evidence or way of measuring what is rugged and what isn't. The 5100s have been flawless as running / sports watches, so have the V7750s. I have not used the older V72s or V773xs chronographs as running watches . . . that would seem to be tempting fate.

As a collector, I hope that the Lemania 5100s will have a long life, but I can also confirm that I have not bought them is long-term investments. Yes, over the last decade we have seen lots of Cal 12 Autavias and Monacos, as well as V72 Carreras and V7736 Monacos, experience huge increases in their values . . . maybe tripling or quadrupling would be a good rule of thumb, while some have gone up 8X or 10X. I have purchased most of my Lemania 5100 powered chronographs in the $1,500 to $3,000 range, and if they hold this value, or gain or lose 10% to 20%, I will be happy. Many of the chronographs that use these movements seem to be "keepers", with some dedicated enthusiasts who like them, so when the time comes to sell, I am not looking to hit a "home run", only to be able to sell at a reasonable price. If the $2,000 Sinn or Tutima is still fetching $1,800 to $2,200, that's OK for me.

I simply don't think of these as watches that will sit in the safe deposit box for the next generation of collectors, although if there are plenty of parts, then maybe replacing the worn plastic pieces every 20 years will be a reasonable approach. They are awesome tool watches to wear and enjoy right now, and that's exactly why I own a handful of them.

Finally, let me add that I really like the look of many of the chronographs that use the 5100 movements. Whether from Heuer, Sinn or Tutima, these are great looking watches, to my eye.

So as a user and collector, that's what I like about the Lemania 5100 chronographs . . . whatever may be in the movements, they are fantastic chronographs on my wrist, and to my eye, and that's good enough for me!!

Thanks again for raising this interesting topic.

Jeff