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1940's Patek today...

5513

Finished my tropic 5513 explorer.

On this Veterans' Day I want to take a moment to thank those who have served on our behalf. Thank you. Old Man and a Bucket of Shrimp It happened every Friday evening, almost without fail, when the sun resembled a giant orange and was starting to dip into the blue ocean. Old Ed came strolling along the beach to his favorite pier. Clutched in his bony hand was a bucket of shrimp. Ed walks out to the end of the pier, where it seems he almost has the world to himself. The glow of the sun is a golden bronze now. Everybody's gone, except for a few joggers on the beach. Standing out on the end of the pier, Ed is alone with his thoughts...and his bucket of shrimp. Before long, however, he is no longer alone. Up in the sky a thousand white dots come screeching and squawking, winging their way toward that lanky frame standing there on the end of the pier. Before long, dozens of seagulls have enveloped him, their wings fluttering and flapping wildly. Ed stands there tossing shrimp to the hungry birds. As he does, if you listen closely, you can hear him say with a smile, 'Thank you. Thank you.' In a few short minutes the bucket is empty. But Ed doesn't leave. He stands there lost in thought, as though transported to another time and place . When he finally turns around and begins to walk back toward the beach, a few of the birds hop along the pier with him until he gets to the stairs, and then they, too, fly away. And old Ed quietly makes his way down to the end of the beach and on home. If you were sitting there on the pier with your fishing line in the water, Ed might seem like 'a funny old duck,' as my dad used to say. Or, to onlookers, he's just another old codger, lost in his own weird world, feeding the seagulls with a bucket full of shrimp. To the onlooker, rituals can look either very strange or very empty. They can seem altogether unimportant .....maybe even a lot of nonsense. Old folks often do strange things, at least in the eyes of Boomers and Busters. Most of them would probably write old Ed off, down there in Florida ... That's too bad. They'd do well to know him better. His full name: Eddie Rickenbacker. He was a famous hero in World War I, and then he was in WWII. On one of his flying missions across the Pacific, he and his seven-member crew went down. Miraculously, all of the men survived, crawled out of their plane, and climbed into a life raft. Captain Rickenbacker and his crew floated for days on the rough waters of the Pacific. They fought the sun. They fought sharks. Most of all, they fought hunger and thirst. By the eighth day their rations ran out. No food. No water. They were hundreds of miles from land and no one knew where they were or even if they were alive. Every day across America millions wondered and prayed that Eddie Rickenbacker might somehow be found alive. The men adrift needed a miracle. That afternoon they had a simple devotional service and prayed for a miracle. They tried to nap. Eddie leaned back and pulled his military cap over his nose. Time dragged on. All he could hear was the slap of the waves against the raft...suddenly Eddie felt something land on the top of his cap. It was a seagull! Old Ed would later describe how he sat perfectly still, planning his next move. With a flash of his hand and a squawk from the gull, he managed to grab it and wring its neck. He tore the feathers off, and he and his starving crew made a meal of it - a very slight meal for eight men. Then they used the intestines for bait. With it, they caught fish, which gave them food and more bait....and the cycle continued. With that simple survival technique, they were able to endure the rigors of the sea until they were found and rescued after 24 days at sea. Eddie Rickenbacker lived many years beyond that ordeal, but he never forgot the sacrifice of that first life-saving seagull... And he never stopped saying, 'Thank you.' That's why almost every Friday night he would walk to the end of the pier with a bucket full of shrimp and a heart full of gratitude.

Damn, that's a nice $190 beater. Is it real? LOL! Maybe the guy can consider a used Tissot or Shinola as well. eBay has some decent clearing prices if you are quick.

@ubi .. I can stare at it all day.

Love those tux dials! One I put together for my Dad...

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I bought a Seiko 007 diver to take on vacation with me. You can actually go diving with it, smack it around, and have no worries about it. It cost $190 USD and looks pretty darn good. I've had it on leather, rubber, and nato straps, and it looks fantastic. I wear it for yard work and car work all the time, leaving the reps behind. I bought it after reading an article about great affordable watches which watch snobs will appreciate. So there's that.

This day is to remember and salute all those who have fought for peace no mather religion or belief and those who still fight long after their service a Wise man Said once only those who die is the ones that get peace great story too I myself still visit every year our forever burning flame for those we have lost

Firstly, let's clear up this whole "what are you doing on a rep forum then". i used the term fake, in quotation marks, because that how the ill-informed view them. Secondly, I don't know about you, but if you're wearing a Rolex where I am, you'll regularly be asked "is it real" and regardless of your answer and explanation of it being a high quality rep etc....it's still going to cause some people to stick their back up in the work place. And I'm not in the position to want to annoy or irritate people at work. Day to day, I couldn't care less what people think. Next. This is partly to find a watch. But also partly to get some friendly back and forth and debate on the go. Anyway, thanks for the ideas so far. I'll be sure to consider that name change.

This is my last post, really no more. I'm not coming back, ok, only one update, now I'm really leaving, no more updates.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We should all stand in awe of those brave men and women who left the comfort of their home, a warm bed and three hot meals a day, a loving family and friends to embark on missions that they knew may signal the end of their short life. They went, they fought, and most came home, but many didn't. They all gave unselfishly of themselves to ensure that the rest of us could enjoy the comfort of our home, a warm bed and our loving family. That we could enjoy the freedoms that we often take for granted, but are lacking in many parts of the world. Thank you veterans for your service and sacrifices to keep us safe. God Bless each and every one of you. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Although this is a rep forum, I can understand your concern, especially if you are in a situation where your watch is going to be closely scrutinized, and/or you are in a situation where there is a lot of animosity toward replicas. If I were in your shoes, I would probably opt for a reasonably priced watch like the above mentioned Seikos, Citizens, Sreinharts, etc.. Also there are tons of Micro brands that are close to your price range, especially if you find one used. What will definitely lead to increased scrutiny would be your appearance in the workplace with a 6k USD. Rolex, or worse a rep of a 25-50k USD watch. Want to raise the scrutiny bar? Show up at work with a rep of a 30k USD AP ROO!! I do question your use of the term "fake" watches. While that may be the term your co-workers use to describe replicas, using that descriptor here is sure to raise the ire of many of our members. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

How ironic "stigma with fake watches"? WTF? Better change your name then pal. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There are a lot of nice genuine watches in that range, a lot of them will be gently used, but pretty often available with box and papers. Some that come to mind are the Seiko divers. The monsters, black orange, etc are rugged everyday watches that are pretty much bulletproof. Some Citizens, Used Steinhart Divers. The list could fill this page! I would go on EBay and type in Seiko Diver or Seiko Monster. Another good source of good used watches are the sales section on WatchU Seek. You are going to be hard pressed to find a decent chronograph in your price range in a mechanical watch. The ETA 7750 movements alone are selling for more than your watch budget. For complications, Quartz will be the only alternative. . Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have to say... Of all the smart watches I've seen, this one definitely looks the nicest.

Ooooh I've never been a means to an end before. This is fun.

I think what he did was use us as a final soapbox. Our uptime is nearly 100% and he knows we won't delete his topic because it didn't break the rules. So we were a means to an end. Sorta parasitic though.

Hit up ssteel. Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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