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Tudor "Big Block"

I am back! Back as an owner of an 5513

Wearing this out and about tonight ....

Newly finished tropic Daytona

I have said this before but it might steer a new guy down another path and save them a lot of time and money... After putting a few Frankensteins together using genuine rolex 15xx movements I have come to the conclusion that it is simply not worth the trouble and expense. Why? Because: 1...rolex movements cost too much today 2...parts are few and far between and cost too much 3...the movements are not rugged enough to live very long if the wearer is rough on watches aka "Raised on Quartz" 4...btw, 30xx and 31xx movements are not much better I can put a watch on with an Eta movement and not worry about it but any watch with a rolex movement in it worries me to no end. I know many can say they have not had any trouble with genuine rolex movements but I can not. I have had a hell of a lot of trouble with them in the past 40 years. Not too bad when you could buy parts from supply houses but much different today when you have to bid against 20 people needing the same part on eBay. The downside for me is now I have a few movements left without cases so I am in the process of buying a genuine case now and then for the movements. I have been on the lookout for 1002 etc cases to make 34mm "explorers" but they cost too much or have a big dose of corrosion. You can get by selling a watch with a "refinished" dial but not with a replica case. So...what am I saying? Think long and hard before putting a genuine rolex movement in a Frankenstein watch. Etas are better and cheaper for this type of project.

This is my first purchase as I make my foray into serious watch collecting. I've dubbed it the KingFrog. Forget my gen Rollie's, Zenith, Hamilton's and Tissot... This baby is where it's at...

Need more wrists! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Actually going to play golf today [emoji466]️ so my golf watch. Go Hawks! Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

Lovely watch. Some people might quibble about details but the bottom line is - that's a lovely watch. Enjoy.

Awesome big block! Here's his more modern brother. it's like a vintage daytona with a date, larger case and auto movement, love them all.

Fifty Fathoms again!

Pure magic, been eying fir months now for a really nice 5513...and guess this is the one I'm after. What a great build, crisp and clean, congratulations! Wear it in good health. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Exactly. I'd also like to add that your knowledge early on will most likely be model dependent. Me, for instance, is more modern Submariners (and I even get those wrong sometimes!), just because I have been building a franken for a while. I'm focused on flaws of that model, so I have learned that model. If you threw a couple PAM111s in front of me, I couldn't tell you the difference. Early on, you'll want to jump on things like this because you think to yourself, "I don't want to miss out on this if its real", or " I have to jump on this before someone else finds it". As you learn, you'll realize its a game of patience.

Beautiful! I'm using the same 5513 underline dial in my build that should be finished soon! If you're looking for a gen crown and tube I have both 703 for sale, $250 shipped. Really lovely watch!

I wondered who was going to pick that up. About the time I was going to pull the trigger I saw that it was sold. Nice pick up! Your pictures are outstanding. It is nice now, but I agree with all of droptopman's comments...MKII or III. I have a few Athaya and have compared them in person to my gens and they are a great alternative. I love that creamy lume!

Great looking piece. Love that strap. I agree a nice MKII or III insert would look great on that. Athaya crown could also be a nice cost effective option. Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

It will take some time just to figure out the watch slang forget knowing by a pic. (it was a no brainer though) That being said welcome and hangout it will come to you.

Good thread for anyone new to read. Welcome to the forum violator. It takes time and much reading. I totally understand where you are coming from. It seems a little overwhelming trying to understand what our very knowledgeable members are talking about sometimes as they see things the untrained eye does not. After a very active year on several forums and much reading and research and maybe more importantly much interaction with experienced members...I am finally starting to identify some of the subtle differences and feel a little more confident in my judgement/appraisal. Obviously not everyone wants to spend that much time and effort on a "hobby" but if you do, this is the best place to learn. Good luck Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

Here's mine http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/ Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very, very nice. Enjoy wearing it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

This is exactly one of the reasons I love reps so much. The true value of these high end brands are closer to the rep price then the gen price. The price is artificially inflated ( just like the oil price was - controlled by cartels and monopolies) As nice as a gen is it's just not worth the price. Agree with beachcomber that it is supply and demand - this world is gone crazy. I hope reps get better and better. If you get e super rep with a good movement that can last years and years - that is very satisfying to me. The high prices of gens makes the brands seem somewhat pretentious which is a pity because they are good quality and have great design and history. In some respects wearing a good rep feels way better to me than wearing a gen ( I am probably in the minority here but it gives me a real kick) I also feels rocks to tell someone if they ask. Long live reps! +1 on Panarai153 comments too!

Need some details on this one!

I've heard it said the Submariner is the world's most expensive $500 watch.

jmb gilt

Casual Friday. Stuck in the office writing policies all day [emoji16] Go Hawks[emoji458] Sent from my droptop using telepathy.

When you are dealing with luxury brands, the old algorithms of price based on cost of manufacturing and value go out the window. The luxury brands have their own cost/price ideas, and it probably has no basis in reality. This applies not just to watches but all luxury items.. Why can you buy a really nice high quality leather handbag at a good mall store for say 100.00 USD and a comparable LV bag is over 1000.00 USD? Is it really worth 10X? Of course not., but women fall all over themselves to purchase them. Same with watches. The 8k Rolex is not a great deal using the conventional cost/price algorithm., but we all know that isn't the case. Sometimes I believe that the marketing arms of the luxury brands companies set the prices based on what " The rich suckers out there " will pay for them. Their philosophy seems to indicate that if we price and item high enough, convince the public by marketing tactics that this is and exclusive item, and you have to buy this item to be part of the "in" crowd, it will sell like hot cakes. Another idea is to preserve the exclusivity of items, they need to price them high enough that "the great unwashed" masses can't afford to buy them. God Forbid that a society maven sees every cleaning lady or secretary toting a purse exactly like hers!! Now, we just couldn't have that could we darling!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Underline Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the reasons they can get away with selling at the prices that they do is that people pay so they produce.people have got used to paying ridiculous prices for luxury goods so in tern the makers of these luxury goods can raise their prices incrementally every year or various times throughout the year.if you're going to tell me that a stainless steel Rolex submariner is worth $8000 I have some swamp land in the Mohave Desert that I'd like to sell you.as I mentioned before in other posts we are paying for marketing, brand name and prestige. There is no doubt that Rolex is a quality product but in the same breath they are not worth their asking price. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Enjoy

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