Every year hundreds of new wristwatches are introduced. Some feature innovative designs or mechanical improvements, and others are available only in limited editions, keeping the field interesting for collectors. Following the success of the previous edition, this new annual highlights hundreds of the year's most extraordinary wristwatches in close-up color photographs accompanied by complete specifications, giving collectors a wealth of up-to-date information, all in one volume. The specifications for each watch include price, movement, special features, complications, casings, dial, band, and available variations of a particular model. In addition, general histories of each manufacturer provide an overview of the company's background and style. The annual's elegant photography and organization will encourage readers to peruse the year's offerings watch by watch. And the range of styles, from classic to modern, will appeal to watch enthusiasts the world over, who will find this current edition both a handy reference and required reading. Peter Braun  is editor-in-chief of Germany’s renowned wristwatch magazine,  Armbanduhren. Ernst Benz The Event of the Century by Elizabeth Doerr American history has always been closely related to European history – until 1776 that is. There are many examples of European and American history coming together again in the watch industry: Companies like IWC, Movado, Bulova, Chase-Durer, and RGM are all good examples. Ernst Benz, the watch brand introduced last year by Wilmington, North Carolina’s Orbita Corporation and Swiss inventor/engineer Ernst Benz is another perfect example of these two continents joining to make history. And within this great event, the company is supporting and propagating yet another historical moment important for all of mankind, but one that actually took place in North Carolina, the home state of Ernst Benz Limited. In 2003 a historical event that changed the course of travel forever will celebrate its 100th anniversary: The first manned flight achieved by Wilbur and Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. The Wright brothers from Dayton, Ohio, began researching and experimenting with flight in the late 1890s. By the year 1900 they were already searching for a good place to try out their ideas. For their first experiments in flight they needed constant wind, soft sand, and plenty of privacy. They began to poke around in North Carolina’s Outer Banks area, receiving responses from two different residents of a town called Kitty Hawk, both describing the area and promising the residents’ support. One month later the brothers arrived in Kitty Hawk along with their glider. As promised, the people of Kitty Hawk provided them with food and assistance, the men of the nearby Life Saving Service Stations also becoming their ground crew. Wilbur and Orville Wright returned to Kitty Hawk in 1901 and 1902, each time sporting new and improved designs solving their problems of life and lateral control. By the year 1902 the brothers felt they had achieved all they could in glider flight, and wanted to move on to manned, engine-powered flight. In Dayton they had designed and built propellers, a gas engine, a drive mechanism, and a launching apparatus, though even after they had arrived in North Carolina, they kept on re-designing the drive train. On December 14, they were finally ready. Wilbur won the coin toss and piloted the 605-pound aircraft, though he unfortunately overcorrected on take-off and damaged it. On December 17, 1903, on the sands of Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at 10:35 a.m., Orville Wright lifted off in his machine-powered aircraft for 12 seconds and flew 120 feet, his brother Wilbur running alongside the entire time. Outer Banksman John T. Daniels recorded the moment photographically for the annals of history – one of the world’s most famous photographs. The day wasn’t over for the Wright brothers and they continued to set brand-new world records, finally reaching a distance of 852 feet in 59 seconds on that fateful day. The centennial festivities, already being termed the Event of the Century by a number of American organizations and members of the press, will be celebrated nationwide, but most fervently in North Carolina. One of the most prominent organizations at the centennial is the First Flight Centennial Foundation, based in Kitty Hawk, NC. This organization is planning gala functions and fund-raising by licensing aviation-related products. These funds will benefit the goals of the First Flight Centennial Foundation, which include among other things improving the Wright Brothers National Memorial located in Kill Devil Hills. Former president George Bush Sr., is the honorary chairman of the First Flight Centennial Foundation. Ernst Benz Limited has, naturally, been appointed the official watch supplier for the events by the First Flight Centennial Foundation. Based on the ChronoSport, a timepiece that debuted