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Hey R! You know I've still got the Bulova 11BLACD that I bought after our discussions from way back when? Never did end up using it for any projects, but it's a fine movement. Unfortunately inside a gold watch, so it doesn't get that much wear... It's been nice taking a peek into this world again, but really not keen on starting any new builds. That time has passed, the characters have changed, and the prices got much, much higher. That being said, I have a younger co-worker who loves watches, and recently discovered the joys of buying parts from Raffles Time and putting them together. I've been giving him a lot of helpful hints, without revealing the full extent of my past obsessions! Felt nice to see that enthusiasm spark up in someone else, though, so let's not count out the next generation just yet! Really glad to see you still on these forums and that your posts are still pinned. There's so much precious knowledge on these fleeting websites.

Good to see you back again! Many of the hardcores are still here but things have slooowed down a lot since you left. Things sorta stand still sometimes. I'm still here but don't work on watches much anymore because...well, the fun has gone out of it. High Price$ and No Parts have ruined it for me. Besides that, I have property to take care of (always have) and age is catching up with me, so I've slowed down too. I still try to wear mechanical watches now and then but cleaning out fence rows, mowing, hauling wood, working on houses etc. is not good for them so they are put away most of the time. I carry a plastic quartz watch in my pocket to tell time when working...don't want to work past quittin' time. Ha!

I am away so no pics, but watch was delivered today. Timeline delay definitely on VS fac. Not TT. Just a good heads up thread for how long it takes now.

tomhorn: Thanks! Glad to see familiar old faces—and your avatar might be the oldest! miquel: Hard to go wrong with either of those, but sad to hear that the Great White got away from you. I was in Bangkok last year, and Nah Piek is long gone, unfortunately.

Welcome back!

...and I've moved out of Calgary...now I've only got a JF 16610 and a ZF BBPro Vintages are gone (I miss them all!), but still hang out part time lurking the forums. That was a great visit way back when...

Domenico is in Germany, but i have not heard from him in a long time.

I heard the same from Tryusty. watch has not been passed to him for QC pictures. ordered on 4/15

Can you believe that I've been back to Calgary only once since then? Visited a client last November (very cold!) and still remember going over your MBWs. I hope you’re both still well. That 5512 is such a one-of-a-kind masterpiece!

"Was it from some jeweler in Texas? I bought a couple of watches from them in the early 90's." Yep, Dallas. I bought a few too, pretty good deals back then.

I think I used to get that same list of watches for sale. Was it from some jeweler in Texas? I bought a couple of watches from them in the early 90's

Hey M! Ironically, I was just reminiscing about when we all met in Calgary with Chiman 12+ years ago! Glad to see your still around with your amazing and outstanding collection!

I’ve noticed the Indian YouTube “tech videos” as well. Clogging up actual good sources. digression aside. Maybe that is how we revive RWG. THE definitive source of Rolex knowledge. 😃

Better red than dead --

I think the growth of Rolex misinformation/disinformation has simply matched the growth of Rolex 'collectors', especially those of the younger generation, who, just 10 years ago, viewed Rolexes as "old men's watches" & opted for Dick Tracy (ie, Apple) watches over mechanicals. Like just about everything else today, truth has been eclipsed by fashion (parading as truth by those who have been trained to comply to the fashionistas). But what irks me more than the 'Millenary, Bobs Watches, Brodinkee' clutter is the growth of Indian- & Spanish-language spam that litters google, youtube & other previously useful sources for info/data/pics/vids, all of which have little to do with Rolex & nearly always using the name as click-bait. Not to turn this thread into a political rant, but, unless AI can change the Titanic's destiny, I think the days of the internet as a reliable source of Rolex knowledge may be behind us.

Red Sky at morning... ...rider take warning. The motorcycle is under guard by a small army, a pop! gun, and a robot.

Somewhere on a hardrive or old Windows XP machine I have tons of stuff I downloaded back in the 00’s. I’m just too lazy to power it up and sort through it. Like I said, it’s 2024 and I can’t get a solid Google result. I’m curious what misinformation have you seen? edit to add, I was looking for 1030/60 movement info, and even the so called “Caliber” repositories have dropped anything older than a 15xx 🤷🏼

It is always good to hear from long time members who haven’t been around for a while. I’m truly happy to learn you are still around and enjoying your watches

I am glad not to be the only one to have noticed this. Looks like Rolex info is being dumbed down like everything else. I have also noticed quite a bit of 'disinformation' (political term Ha!) on many forums lately. One exception is 'Xeramic' on VRF. That guy is sharp. Something else...it seems like there are more 'Frankensteins' claiming to be 'genuine' and 'all original' now than in the past. If I can spot one, it's just not too hot.

This is a very healthy attitude to have, but I cannot tell a lie: I love sweating the small details! It's not so much the thrill of fooling a crowd of "experts", or the fear of being called out by that one actual expert (so annoying). The main object of the deception is me! I want to glance down on my wrist and convince myself for even a second or two: "So that's what that feels like." I think this black 6239 will be it for me, though. It's become so much harder and more expensive to pull off what we were doing in the glory days! But it's nice to keep tabs, and to reconnect with familiar names.

With the enshittification of the Internet, I have come to the conclusion that "Searching" or even using "AI" to find quality Vintage Rolex Data has become a chore. Anyone else tired of the watered down data from Millenary, Bobs Watches, Brodinkee, Fratello.... They clearly got their SEO right, but the data is generally to high level. Search 6542 Albino and you get trapped in Brodinkee land. You would think in 2024 there would be a killer online Database of EVERY, Rolex Reference, Rolex Bracelet, Rolex Endlink, Rolex Crystal, . . . In 2008 you could search Rolex bracelet reference and get 'usable' spreadsheets. Now you get a $hitty link to Millenary with wrong data. 😠 Try asking an AI about the 6542 and it will conflate the 6543 Milgauss in its answer. Sorry about the rant/vent... Other than RWG, where do you guys go for quality Rolex Reference Materials these days. I am specifically interested in "Parts Interchange" data. Cheers! Edit to add: you also can't show up at TRF/VRF asking about Parts Interchange without raising eyebrows or upsetting the purists either.

What happened to Clean?

Yeah, still here too, but damn I miss the glory days of the late 2000's early 10's. Rep's have moved to Modern nearly 1:1 needing little to no mods (VSF/Clean/etc.). I still have a box of MBW, DW/Spinmaster Daytona parts I need to build out... As I have gotten OLDER, I own Gen's, Rep's, Homage's, Franken Projects. And when it comes to the reps/projects/frankens --- I no longer care about chasing every Correct Detail . I am too old to care about Called Out over crown guard shape, or some random detail. If the overall aesthetic is there, the build quality, I wear it and don't look back. Can it pass the- sitting in a dark bar, or @ the Sushi bar = good enough. 😄 My wife has a saying "Women dress for other women" [men generally don't care, as an attractive woman is attractive regardless the cloths] I think the Rep/WIS crowd are similar "Rep wears sweat every detail, for other Rep wearers" LOL. Keep the frankens coming!

Trusty/Andrew is aligned with Ben/FinerLabels. Not my scene, but I get the emails from both Trusty-Andrew and FinerLabels-Ben. Looks like they rotated URL's, and I don't have the current one...

Now that Bergies is gone where to source this fine poducts Anyone. looking for recommendations