When studying marketing management at business school, we worked through a PepsiCo case study reviewing the decision-making strategy Indra Nooyi implemented, it was controversial at the time but ultimately the correct decision. So when her name came up on the Australian Institute of Business graphic, I immediately recognised her background and motivation.

It takes a degree of courage to totally alter strategy direction and a whole load of leadership currency to guide the organisation through a dramatic change management program. Yes, leadership is difficult to define and even harder to drag people along for the journey. Indra Nooyi successes at PepsiCo included introducing healthy food and drink products, environmentally sustainable practices, and not only thwarting a bid to break up PepsiCo, sales significantly increased. At a corporate leadership level, Indra Nooyi is a person to emulate and study.

I have to go back deep in my memory to my year seven school trip to Kalbari in what I remember as 1981. There were two songs played pretty much through the school trip, one was the complete tape of the Beach Boys from Surfing Safari to Barbara Ann and Surfing USA. The song that was played in between the Beach Boys greatest hits was A Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

It took Donald just six weeks to crash the US economy, Wall Street has reacted with the Dow Jones crashing. There has been a big sell off in US equities, this has reverberated around the world sending international stockmarkets tumbling.

Trump’s mate Elon Musk through the incorrectly named Department of Government Efficiency [DoGE] is offering any but government efficiency. Through large scale lay-offs of government workers, it does not take much foresite to see government services will suffer. The lay-offs have not been targeted, Trump has taken revenge on the departmental heads who he has viewed as wronged him.

Even more concerning is Musk and his newly hired DoGE minions rushing in and downloading the data from secure department servers. This is a huge violation of the privacy of citizen’s personal data. As we are still in the early stages of the Trump insurgency, no one has any idea where this data will end up, what we know so far is the Musk headed DoGE has control of this previously secure data and could well end up in private hands.

The government workers who voted for Trump are now out of a job themselves, the ones left in employment are too scared to speak out, they are just so insecure in their employment. Military veterans are one of the hardest hit groups, we all know Trump has no respect for those who have served their country, he views them as losers. Those who have been wounded in American led wars have been affected, their pensions are being targeted and they have to ask themselves if it was worth it.

Trump and Musk have called Social Security a big ponzi scheme, senior citizens are rightly concerned, their benefits are being not only eroded, they could well lose the benefits the paid for with their taxes. Republican voters are dismayed, but what did they think was going to hapoen? As an outsider, I could see this unfolding and am interested to see what will happen next.

Despite his protests, Trump inherited a strong economy for the Biden Administration and in a period of six weeks has tanked the US economy. Before I even discuss tariffs, the indecision from Trump has rattled corporate America who need to strategically plan their businesses. With all this upheaval, corporate heads are being reactive, Donald changes his mind regularly and this destroys business confidence.

China is an issue, I have written extensively about the threats China poses to not just the United States, but the western economics in particular. So what does Trump do? Donald in his wisdom hits neighbours Mexico and Canada firstly, then targets the EU and Australia. Trump then tries to diminish Justin Treadeau in front of Canadians having the exact opposite effect with Canada preparing a round of tariffs targeting the US industrial base. I am watching on with interest to see the inflationary effect this will have on US citizens. The US economy is headed for recession, this is how I see this playing out.

I am appalled at the attack on the synagogue in Melbourne during December. These pro-Palistinian fools are taking their anti-Semitism too far. I had never believed we had this level of anti-Semitism in Australia, I stand corrected, I was wrong, the level of hatred is high.

What we saw at the universities was just absurd, the attacks on Jewish students and lecturing staff was unforgivable. The lack of response by the university management was just as concerning. The lack of action is a tacit endorsement of these activities. It has been well documented that universities are the last bastion of socialism. What university staff need to do is present both sides of an argument, allow respectful discussion following academic rigor and ensure lively debate.

This is not what we are witnessing, we are seeing anything but these types of learning behaviours, we are witnessing blatant racist views based on historical grudges. We live in the new world, these old world biases and abuse should not make it to our shores. Instead, the recklessness of the Australian Greens political party and the Australian Labor Party are only perpectuating outdated stereotypes. The actions of Australians are being watched by the world, we should be rightly condemned and we need to respond as a nation.

I have some interest in the Seastar 2000, the 600 metre dive watch certified to ISO 6425 (2018) standards. The Reference T120.607.11.041.01 features a blue wave dial motif and black ceramic bezel insert, the darkish hue on the edge of the dial offers pretty good contrast, this diver has some chunkiness about it. The three link bracelet merges well with the case, the folding clasp with safety latch is a little dated.

One of the apprentices brought one in for me to look at, the helium valve ensures this is a professional dive watch suitable for commercial mixed gas diving with stints in the recompression chamber and/or saturation bell. The 46 mm stainless 316L steel case is big, the crown protector is integral with the case and sits well with the largish crown. The large baton hands offer plenty of lume, the second hand with lollypop really works well, the round applied index markers offer a stylish dive watch.

The Powermatic 80 can be viewed through the display caseback, this is a proven automatic movement based on the ETA 2824-2 architecture with Tissot upgrades. The 80 hour power reserve is now becoming de rigeur with Tissot, this long power reserve comes with some limitations with 21,600 vph. The Nivachron balance spring offers plenty of magnetic resistance, this is a titanium-based alloy that is exclusive for Swatch Group brands. The Seastar Reference T120.607.11.041.01 offers plenty to the wearer and I can see why this is a popular diver.

Possibly the most collectible Rolex model; released in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona is the motorsport timepiece that is now viewed as the coolest of the Rolex models – no arguments from me. For anyone interested in motorsport, Daytona Beach in Florida is the famous venue for NASCAR’s Daytona 500 mile race along with other events at Daytona International Speedway. It isn’t much of a stretch to name the Rolex chronograph after the legendary motorsport track.

Released in 1955, the precursor to the Cosmograph Daytona was the manually wound 6234 reference that was apparently anything but a best seller. Rolex was well regarded in the sports watch category and the chronograph was fitted inside an oyster case with the tachometer printed on the dial. There was only 500 of this model manufactured between the years of 1955 to 1961, known as the pre-Daytona, these timepieces are highly collectible and sell for big dollars.

The Cosmograph model was released in 1963 and featured to tachograph scale engraved in the bezel to increase legibility. Not yet known as the Daytona, the name given to the chronograph was Le Mans before a name change to Daytona. Despite being worn by racing enthusiast Paul Newman, the Daytona was not yet a popular timepiece and somewhat languished behind other well known chronographs.

The current model Cosmograph Daytona is fitted with the in-house 4130 automatic perpetual movement from 2000 onwards that has a 72 hour power reserve with parachrom hairspring and COSC certification. The classic Daytona models were fitted with an outsourced and modified Valjoux Calibre 72 hand wound movements with Rolex raising the standard frequency from 18,000 to 21,600 vph.

From 1988 onwards, the Zenith El Primero automatic movement was fitted to the Cosmograph Daytona range with modifications including slowing the standard 36,000 vph to 28,800 vph. Ironically, the early Cosmograph Daytona was not in demand and a poor seller, apparently Rolex retailers were eager to discount the model to get them to sell.

Now days, a waiting list of three to five years is not uncommon to secure a Cosmograph Daytona with a basic oyster steel model setting you back $15,700 AUD, white gold $36,450 AUD, yellow gold $44, 050 AUD and the platinum model is listed as price on request. Remarkably, these prices seem pretty reasonable as rare and vintage Cosmograph Daytona models can set you back $200k plus along with some of the Paul Newman models.

The double standard is staggering, South Africa has referred Israel to the International Court of Justice yet they seem to have magically failed to refer their sponsor Russia to the same court. The South African government has failed to apply the same standard to Russia, a known country supporting terrorist activities. So, what is going on here?

Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been numerous documented incidents of Russian torture, Russian murder, indiscriminate Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities and intentional targeting of civilians. Then there is the targeting of civilian infrastructure from the power grid to communications. Then there is the targeting of hospitals, the Russians are just disgraceful, it is hard to argue any positive aspects in their flawed reasoning.

The Ukrainian cities have been flattened by Russian artillery, this is straight out of the Russian military playbook, devastated the cities, killed civilians and caused mass movement of displaced people. We have seen Russia kidnap Ukrainian children and take them over the border to Belarus and Russia for indoctrination of Ukrainian children. The war crimes committed in Ukrainian gall me, the international community has been slow to respond with military aid as they fear Russian escalation and nuclear retaliation. Yet the world knows Russia invaded Ukraine, they know war crimes have been and are currently being committed and they know there is more to come.

If we compare this to the situation in Gaza, all the foreign aid offered to Palestine was used to build tunnels and procure weapons. None of this went to the betterment of the Palestinian population, instead they celebrated in the streets after the October 7 surprise attack. Israel was caught off guard with the October 7 attacks and a large number of the hostages are still being held in the tunnel network. The world is aware of the sexual assault and abuse of Israeli women, yet this does not seem to bother the South African government, they endorse this abuse of women.

The PRS516 mechanical chronograph [Reference T149.459.21.051.00] is not the only chronograph in the Tissot catalogue. The PRS516 sits in the sports collection so that is pretty much their premier range and a pretty decent chronograph for the price of $2925.00. A good budget chronograph when a premium range chronograph from the premium watchmakers is upwards of $10,000.

The three dial chronograph with sub-dials at the 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions, the colour contrast on the white sub-dial rings, the white and black bezel is a great contrast. The paddle/syringe hands are unusual, they are just too big and rectangular and just too clunky for my liking. The orange hands of the sub-dials work well, there are a number of colours on the PRS516 but they seem to merge well.

The 41 mm 316L stainless steel case is not all that rounded, I don’t think I am a fan of the rounded case lugs, I do really like the mineral glass display caseback though. The Calibre A05.291 is an ETA 7753 hand-wound movement with 26 jewels and a 60 hour power reserve, the movement operates at 28,000 vph frequency [4Hz] so has the required accuracy. The 7753 is a fantastic chronograph movement fitted to so many timepieces, this movement has been around since the early 1970s so fits the retro look of the PRS516.

Overall I am positive on the PRS516 mechanical chronograph, it is priced accordingly but just a tad expensive for my watch collection. The PRS516 mechanical chronograph would work well as the primary watch and I do not think I would do this justice in my rotation. This chronograph would just not get the required wrist time, so I will not be adding to my collection for this reason alone.

I was down the shops sitting in a cafe after a colleague sparked my interest in watch collecting. I was sitting there having a flat white and citrus tart thinking of what constitutes the top five chronographs. Depending on what you are looking for, the chronograph is a brilliant choice, so I thought, what I think are the top five chronograph watches? Any one of these five chronographs will make an individual a serious collector. All with different styles, all these designs are from the late 50s and early to late 60s. All classic designs that have stood the test of time. I decided to rewrite an email for a blog post. 

Rolex Daytona – the Cosmograph Daytona named after the race track at Daytona Beach in the retirement state. The older versions used a Valjoux 7750 movement before Rolex came up with their own in-house chronograph movement.  It is argued that the Cosmograph Daytona is one of the most highly sought after Rolex model, the waiting list is long, Rolex just can’t supply and has made this model unattainable for most, hence its desirability.

Omega Speedmaster – timeless design from 1957 worn on all manned lunar missions. There have been many reiterations over the decades, but for me, the Moonwatch Professional is the quintessential chronograph of the Omega brand. This was the chronograph that was used to time the Apollo 13 burn to get them back to earth when all the other instruments in the control module had been shut down. So a mission so high tech in the early 1970s, it is incredible this famous NASA mission relied on old mechanical technology to get the crew home.

Zenith El Primero – set the standard for the chronograph, when they went into receivership the chief engineer was told to destroy all the designs from the chronograph movement to the case. He hid the designs at his house and around a decade later they revived the original design. For myself, the El Primero 3019 PHC movement is a masterpiece, it is so fortunate that the 3019 PHC movement design and tooling was not lost. Powering the early series Rolex Cosmograph Daytona models, the 4030 cam-type chronograph movement was used until Rolex developed their own in-house chronograph in 2000. 

Breitling Navitimer – most chronographs have a motoring background, however, the Navitimer is an aviation tool watch. The Navitimer is designed for pilots and features a circular slide rule for mid-air calculations, this makes the dial hard to read for the average watch enthusiast. I have never been a huge fan of the flieger style, I do respect the history and application of the Navitimer, this is the most unique of the chronographs. A WWII era flieger is known for a large clear dial with a 12 o’clock triangular index marker and a large crown that can be operated with gloves on. The circular slide rule is unique to the Navitimer, 

TAG Heuer Carrera – the Heuer Carrera is pretty much the chronograph that made Heuer, this 1960s design pretty much sums up what the Heuer Watch Company was. Although there have been plenty of models over the years, the 160 years Limited Edition is the best. I love the silver dial version, the clean and refined look of the dial makes this by far the best version. I don’t like the skeltonised version, the dial is horrible, the height too large and not a great wrist feel.

Lavazza really is Italy’s favourite coffee, it is not difficult to see why, I drink the gold labelled Oro ground coffee beans. It has been a while since I was in Italy, the last time I was there I saw Lavazza signs everywhere. It is not hard to see why, Lavazza is flavoursome and bold without much bitterness. Hopefully I will be in Italy this year and renew my association with Italian coffee, it has been a decade, I will see what has changed.

Lavazza is my daily choice at work, I have a French press so brewed coffee in a mug is my work coffee. I have a Nespresso machine at home, so whilst I can purchase Lavazza coffee capsules now, I prefer their ground coffee. I like my coffee strong so a heaped tablespoon will ensure the coffee is not weak. I tried some Lavazza capsules but didn’t like them that much, to my thinking, you cannot beat ground Lavazza coffee.