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This article was written in 2008 & websites often vanish or move, so YOU may need to research some of the links --freddy333 So you're a Noob. Welcome aboard. You've just found yourself the coolest and most knowledgeable WATCH forum around. The members on this board are some of the saaviest watch afficianodos anywhere and are well versed in replica, gen, vintage and homage pieces, as well as gen and rep movements. There are oustanding writers, photographers, watchmakers and modders as well as up and coming members who have spent hours and days contributing oustanding pieces of information in the form of topic posts, reviews, galleries, tutorials and you name whatever other kind of information you would want. The questions you have as a Noob have probably been asked before...many times before...so many times that the asking of the question AGAIN annoys many of the more senior members so much that the only response you'll get to your query is: USE THE SEARCH FEATURE, NOOB! Many members on this board have helped me so much in the early stages of my rep journey asking for no more payment than to be a positive member of this board, that I felt I should put some effort into putting together a guide to help you enjoy and appreciate the rep world. I'll tell you now...you should use the Search feature located at the top right of the forum screen. You may not IMMEDIATELY find exactly what you want, but the odds are what you want is buried in the various topics that get returned. Do yourself a favour and read seemingly loosely related posts, because you will find nuggets of information that you will find useful, that you probably never thought of asking. Start by being general with your search (e.g. A7750) and then narrowing things down when you learn enough about the topic and need something very specific (e.g. 0.17mm hands a7750). Here's a step by step guide developed using the Search feature, and comprised of posts I have referred many Noobs to in answering their common questions: STEP 1 - Learn the Talk Don't know what we're talking about in the posts? Look here for definitions: Abbreviation wiki The Zigmeister's Glossary If you want your questions answered without getting flamed, learn Forum Etiquette first: Edge's Guide to Rep Forums Pt I Then, learn the basics about reps: Legality of Owning Replicas Best Sub Phoband's intro to collecting If you've got time... Awesome collection of watch info STEP 2 - Start to Crawl Which watch to buy?? Many people will tell you to pick the watch first...then the collector as some collectors can get things that others can't, although most can get the same merchandise as they all deal with the same factories. Read the brand forums...read the reviews and buying guides. By-Tor, Pugwash, Seadweller, Andreww, Chrgod, myself and a bunch of others have written lots of reviews of various pieces to help you find the best of the best. Selecting a collector to buy from is a tricky choice. There is no "best" collector as it depends on many factors: Where you are from - European buyers often pick European based collectors to avoid semi-frequent customs seizures Price - price variances between collectors after incorporating shipping can vary ~$0 - $120 (more for the big ticket items) Availability of a specific piece (some collectors have access to things others do not) How much you value instant communication (within hours vs. within days) Availability of certain modding being done out of the box Your level of patience in dealing with the inevitable quality control (QC) issues that will arise Where should you buy from?? Check the list below. RWG Member Trade Section RWG Recommended Collectors NOTE: Dealer links can be found in the subsections in the Collectors area or HERE RWG Want to Buy (WTB) Section Which dealer or member is the best?? Trade Reviews (Including Reviews of Collectors) If you need to ship to the EU...read this: Problems Shipping Reps From China into the EU If the collector/site you're interested is not listed below, use the Search feature to see if others have asked about the site already. Finding existing answers about a site/collector in question will yield you more info than asking a question that's been asked many times before. Try various spellings of a site (e.g. watcheden, watcheden.com, www.watcheden.com) to make sure it hasn't been asked already. If you can't find info about the site/collector you are interested in, check below: Ripoff List If you still haven't found info on the site/collector you are interested...use common sense. Buy from them if you want, but don't cry to us if you lose your money and don't get a watch, or get a watch that's a piece of crap that you feel you paid too much for. We have recommended collectors listed above for a reason. They may be more expensive than what you can find out there...but these collectors have been around for awhile, members here have had positive experiences from these ones, they supply decent product, and they will not rip you off. Don't forget to Search. Which watch??? That's a matter of personal preference...but you could search for reviews...or go here: Onzenuub's Rep Review Database You might want to read reviews of the movements before picking which rep to buy...some movements make great looking watches but reps with ticking-time-bomb lifespan: The Zigmeister's Movement Reviews Francisco's New and Improved Seconds at 6 Review Francisco's Seconds at 12 Review STEP 3 - You've pulled the trigger...you're waiting to walk You've made your first order...you're now sweating about if it will arrive...and EMS tracking...the wait...the drama...the horror...ooooh...the suspense. Yeah yeah yeah...we've all been there...so has everyone else: Lanikai's Excellent Post on Tracking Your Baby (applies mostly to CONUS...Canada is never an issue...other countries?? Use search.) A not so untypical shipping story Great play by play of waiting for a first order to arrive Aaaaah...my watch was Handed Over to Customs Aaaaah...I live in the EU and my watch was Handed Over to Customs...you may be screwed (contact your dealer for details on this scenario BEFORE ordering. I spent $500 USD and all that got shipped to me was a !@#&'ing TOY!! RWG dealer Recommendations suck. STEP 4 - You've got the watch...now what?? Congratulations!! You have yourself an amazing mechanical marvel...unless you bought a soul-less quartz cheapo (just kidding). Watches are delicate instruments and require careful handling and care. How do I get the most out of my new watch? By reading: The Zigmeister's Basics 101 - Getting the Most Out of Your New Watch The Zigmeister's User Guide for the A7750 If you've never had an automatic watch, you're probably wondering why your watch doesn't keep running after 2 days: My watch stops running...now what?? The Zigmeister's Mechanical Movement User Guide The Zigmeister's 's Care and Feeding Of Mechanical Movements Problems Accelerating Wear and Maintenance of A7750s Does my watch suck? It's loud...not like the gen. A7750 Power Reserve and Rotor Spinning Problems Noisy Rotor and Grease/Oil A7750 Spinning Rotor...is it a problem? If my watch sucks, should I get it repaired? Some say yes...some say no. If you got a cheapo $100 watch...likely the movement is a DG2813 that can be replaced for $12-$40 (for a DG4813) + labour at $50 for a movement swap. That's almost the cost of a new one. If you can do it yourself...it's definitely worth swapping. If you have a gen ETA movement...it should be able to be repaired by a rep friendly watchsmith and is worth doing so as the movement is very reliable. If you got a nice spanky A7750, it can be costly to replace the watch and the movement...so repair may be worthwhile...but expensive as these are complex movements that require great skill to repair. The cost of servicing may be close to the cost of a new watch, but a proper servicing will give you years of RELIABLE service. Many people say unserviced, they still get years of life out of their A7750s. The moral of the story for me is, if you want the watch to last for years, get it serviced. If you like the watch a lot...get it serviced. If it's fun but doesn't get a lot of wrist time, you like it, but you don't love it...sell it...and likely skip the servicing. If you will cry because the watch died prematurely...get it serviced. You can try swapping out your movement: Toad's Movement Swapping Guide - Redux or get a Free Watch instead My watch sort of sucks...I need it repaired: Repair is always the problem with reps. Good watchmakers/watchsmiths are hard to find. Finding one that can work on the extremely complex 7750 (gen or rep) movement is even harder. Finding one that can work on an A7750 is the hardest. Why should my new A7750 watch be serviced? It's new right? Sure it is: Why service your A7750?? How should a mechanical watch be serviced? Things to know about rep servicing The Zigmeister's Post on the British Horological Info on How Watches SHOULD be Serviced To find a rep friendly watchsmith or watchmaker try searching RWG. You can start by looking here: Advanced Search and plugging in "watchsmith" or "watchmaker " in a Titles Only search. Use The Zigmeister, where possible but read this post first Who is The Zigmeister and where do I find him? ...or Thomson Highway in Europe ...Francisco seems to do amazing work as seen in Francisco's Forum Subsection ...or Domenico seems to be getting good reviews (though I've never used him) - Domenico ...or the phone book or shopping mall repair folks My watch definitely sucks...I want to return it to China: Play the rep game long enough (or if you're unlucky, even your first rep), and you'll get a dud. Maybe it's a movement, maybe the wrong watch, maybe a crooked crystal, crooked hour marker, etc). If yours is DOA or has some issues: Search RWG to see if they are known issues Search RWG to see what other people have done about the issues If the issue is a warranty thing...contact your collector and seek resolution If no resolution found with the vendor, complain about it hereonly AFTER you have attempted resolution so others can be informed of your experience Ship it back to China for warranty repair/replacement How do I return my watch to China? Returning your watch to China STEP 5 - You're walking now...how do you keep things running? Odds are good if you bought a chrono, it has an A7750 movement: What A7750 do I have or should I buy? There are so many versions... The Zigmeister's User Guide for the7750 Movement Care and Feeding of A7750 Chronos - Setting the Date The Zigmeister's Explanation of why handwinding your A7750 is bad This watch is great. Can I take it swimming? Read here for water resistance testing: Reps and Waterproofness Pugwash's Water Resistance Testing Post Greasing Gaskets and 4' Pressure Testing What is Water Resistance? Water Resistance Testing Home Brew Pressure Tester STEP 6 - Walking to running Ok...you love your watch but want it just that little bit more accurate. What can you do? How To Adjust Timing or Beat Can anyone do mods on my watch? The Zigmeister's Post on Questions to Ask a Modder I want to take it to the next level and put a real Swiss Valjoux 7750 movement in my chrono...just like the gen? Swapping Swiss Rotors with Asian on 7750s Takashi's A7750 to Swiss Tutorial Ajoesmith's A7750 to Swiss Tutorial How do I do STUFF to my watch? Francisco's Amazing Tutorial Section RWG Knowledge Base You want improved AR? Chieftang AR. The King of AR!! You want lume? Do a search on "The Watchmeister" (pass through parameter links don't work anymore) NOTE: The Watchmeister is not a full-time watchsmith so his client list is essentially sort-of closed. What does this mean?? Read: Who is The Watchmeister and where do I find him? Everest Watchworks STEP 7 - Take a rest...you've come far grasshopper...you can now leave the Mountain You're enjoying your watch...now put back into the community that helped you so much. Post some pics...write a review...encourage other Noobs...etc Pugwash's Guide on How to Post Pics ...start working on your own watches RWG Links to Where to Buy Tools RWG Watch Repair and Upgrade Section Practice and memorize everything here: The Zigmeister's Technical Info Subsection The Zigmeister's Watchmaking Resource Centre STEP 8 - Be thankful for this amazing resource The information I've provided above is gold. I know you will find it useful. I've saved you months of time searching...and have helped you get up and running quickly and relatively painlessly. The info presented here is by no means comprehensive as the forum has TONNES more to offer. SEARCH. The info above is worth far more than a stack of watch mags, books, etc...so Upgrade Your Membership and stop being a freeloader. If you're so broke you can't afford the small amount to be a Supporter...maybe you shouldn't be buying watches. If you can't afford to support the forum financially...support it through content, buy raffle tickets, post topics, reviews, news...interesting stuff...and Upgrade your membership and support the forum Don't Forget the Upgrade is a Subscription

Rolex holding the crown position in the watchmaking industry has its reason - it produces "Les Beaux Arts". The moment I unpacked this dial on my work bench, a French phrase rang in my head - "Les Beaux Arts". I couldn't help but gave the dial a good half an hour gaze, trying to figure out the materials and the work processes to produce this little piece of art. I checked all the watch forums, gen or rep together, and learned that gen Yacht-Master 16622 dial is made of a slice of solid platinum. Like the 50th Anniversary Submariner 16610LV insert, gen 16622 dial reflects different glares or sparks under different angles or colors of light. Also like the Submariner 16610 & 16610LV, gen Yacht-Master 16622 dial print has quite a few versions since its 1997 debut. Some have "slender" Yacht-Master font, while others looked "bold". Members on Rolexforums argued about which variation or series built is worth more to invest in or collect. My British friend and I do not have such a problem. To us, the red, "bold", and raised in high gloss Yacht-Master text appeals the best. Rolex dial makers are the elite few who mastered the skills in dial printing. Gen Rolex dials always bears its trade mark feature - raised printed text. On Yacht-Master 16622, the printed text is somewhere between gloss to matte. One thing worth mentioning is, to pad print on an uneven surface, like the platinum Yacht-Master 16622's dial, and still produce the raised printed text is a lost art. I'm very happy my British friend mastered this lost art. Gentlemen, may I present "Kensington High 16622 Dial". The lume shot. Another shot under work lamp. Thanks for reading. TC 07/10/2015

Dear All, I received this in the mail today. It's a gift from a long term member of our community. I will not disclose his name here but I'm very impressed by the gesture. And I must say for a non Cosmograph owner it's very nice to wear it. Now the thing is I wonder what this example is. It looks like one of my previous ones (6263 Panda) that came from DW. Can you guys help me to identify my new beauty? Cheers Stephane

Beautiful! Great watch, great shots!

I liked how these turned out Sent from my droptop using telepathy

Sent from my droptop using telepathy

I am in Amsterdam, every one has at least one bike. Riding my bike in Amsterdam is really nice, it will get you faster thru the city then by car. This was my old bike: And this is my current bike:

The fun part is sourcing all the components. Frame from China, brakes from England, shifters from US, Etc. goal was to be under 20 lbs.

I built my own carbon fibre mountain bike about 3 years ago. Went with a 1x10 system. Hydraulic disc brakes. Hard tail, front fork is rigid carbon fibre as well. Even the wheels are carbon fibre. At my age, it's more than fine.

My avitar is my current ride, I bought the bike just for the frame and promptly stripped the parts off and rebuilt with parts that I hand selected. I have rebuilt her once again since first buying her and she looks slick... I prefer club rides, 40-50 miles, group I ride with meets weekly and we are more of the "weekend warrior" variety

Some nice watches here ;-) I'll join with my 1.4 Mil $ one

Looks like the service dial and hands are superluminova, probably all Rolex has now. I would have sent this one to Bob Ridley and let him work his magic. Still not too late if he has all the parts. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Slight deviation from a wristy however this is an amazing piece of Horology art from Joshua. For those who love Panerai you simply have to get one. The PAM desk clock. I love it :-) The dial is awesome, the movement looks great and the lume is really superb! AJ

Wasn't this the watch you pictured and started a thread about over a year ago? You said it belonged to a friend back then. First off Rolex didn't do you any favors by changing the small hand, replacing the insert and Crystal. Surprised that you got your old parts back, but that is definitely a plus. We're this my watch, I would have sent it to one of the independent Rolex watchsmiths, had them overhaul the movement, Polish the Crystal and possibly stabilize the Lume on the hands if it was loose. None of that would have decreased the value of the watch, but replacing all those valuable parts with a service insert, Crystal and service hands definitely decreases the value. I have no idea why someone would want to trade and iconic watch for a "dime a dozen" contemporary sub, but to each his own. Best advice go over to the Rolex forum and the Rolex forum on WUS (WatchUSeek) and post some photos and ask if it would be a fair trade straight up for the sub you want. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk