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This is not just a forum, nor just a forum on replica watches, nor a forum on just watches regardless, nor anything on what you will find anywhere in the world on internet. This is a SPECIAL FRATERNITY, where you do not need any minimum qualifications to be part of, nor do you need to be of any particular status whether you belong to the House of Lords or live in a cardboard box!!!! There are no initiation rites here, there are no judgements made here, there are people from all walks of life that never boast to be Professors or high profile people even if they are!!!! We respect each other, we have debates, arguments but at the end of the day we are still a Fraternity that values each other in peace. Where will we find this?? Do I need to say anymore? John Lennon would be as close to his dream of Imagine in a place like here!!! On a final note, I experienced the passing of two family members while I was on this forum and the solace and sanity I got here ( where today is the 5th anniversary of one of them) gives me the will to move on!!!!! I am privileged to be here!!!!!

Here's a pic of my '61 5512 for reference. Sadly not the original dial - was replaced with one from '67 at some point in its life.

#diswristpectful*

What a wonderful rep Does that help soothe your battered soul?

And the well respected member of this community is hereby telling you that this comment has no place on this thread. Cease and desist immediately or take a time out. If you have a problem, feel free to PM me directly. Else, do not air your grievance on every thread, especially when you have no real reason to feel aggrieved in the first place. Stop here and now.

What he said. What is represented in the OP has no dog calling itself 15202. Period. Hello again RWG.

Hologramet that is a fine build my friend !! Stunning ! As for comments about spending too much ? Hmm that’s really subjective. Many fellas on these forums like myself can easily go but a genuine version of the watches we build .. lol but it’s just not that fun 😁 where did you track down the dial and hands ? I really really love these dials on a Daytona and want to build one 😁

Today is the anniversary of D-Day and I haven't posted this in awhile. It seems like a good time to do it again. This day is call’d the feast of Crispian. He that outlives this day, and comes safe home, Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named, And rouse him at the name of Crispian. He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say, “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.” Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say, “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.” Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he’ll remember with advantages What feats he did that day. Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words, Harry the King, Bedford, and Exeter, Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester, Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be remembered, We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

^^what he said Also I recommend against using the little rubber button to press against, like I show in my photos. I use another large diameter die on the "button" side, that fits over the domed caseback. I actually dented the caseback on my 1675 with that button when pressing on the last crystal. If you have Manly Hands like Mike On A Bike, you can do the old hockey puck press too. Cut appropriate holes in two hockey pucks and use your manly grip to squeeze the ring on. If it won't go using that method, it's probably too tight anyway.

https://www.audemarspiguet.com/en/boutiques/ You're welcome.

Exactly... You just stated some of the reasons for going franken and not gen. I saved 12000€ by going with Chinese steel in the midcase and bracelet. That's 60% off. Sarcasm over the internet is hard.

The feeling of having Swiss 904L steel in the midcase and bracelet is definitely worth 12000€. So, be careful what you spend your money on folks. Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

The ARF hands look so good. Best rep hands in the ceramic reps, nice curve like Gen. On my 2824 the hour hand clearance off the dial is good too, some of the non 3135 reps have flat hands too close to the dial I think. The ARF Dial has nice 12 /6 / 9 hour markers too not flat or too pointy I do find the ARF Lume is like brilliant white to look at in natural day light when Gen is more off white. But the insert and pearl shape is really nice Here’s mine with a prof xtal and a Gen DW modded as overlay Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is so true. I bought a 5512 from Andrew 3 years ago and it was my first good rep. I ended up shaping the crown guards to PCGs, drilling the lug holes, installing an Athaya crown and tube, Ofrei Tropic 19, etc, etc over time. Most recently I just installed a Vietnam 5513 dial and Miyota movement after I dropped the DG2813 while working on it. All in all, it’s been a great education and there’s something to be said about wearing a watch you worked on yourself. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I doubt anyone was comfortable contemplating their first build. My first was the 6542, a really complicated build at the time, only Freddy333 had done one. I've rebuilt/improved it 6 or 7 times now, and wear it daily. The thing is that if you choose to build one, the knowledge, information and help/guidance here is astounding. Bottom line is that your watch should be what you want.

I wear my 6542 or 6204 daily. I've had pawn shops, jewelers and even the owner himself of a Rolex store compliment my watch and not question it at all. It all depends on you. What do you like? What 'fits' you, your age, your person? I'm 68 years old and drive a Mercedes. People don't question rep or gen. My son is 30, drives a Toyota. He gets questioned about his 116710 GMT or his 16160 Submariner all the time. As mentioned, I am old and reps are getting too expensive for my tastes. As a young man a gen Sub was around $600 new. For me, building a watch is the 'best'. But that's why this place is so great. You do what you choose to do, what's best for you, and it's all right here.

Go vintage, and I'll tell you why. There is so much less scrutiny AND there is so much more interest in "old stuff" when you encounter a regular civilian. What I mean by that is if you are wearing a brand new, flashy, and shiny modern Rolex this is going to draw more comments of "hey, nice watch." Then you are left with the dilemma of how to respond. Do you just say "thanks" and leave it at that, or do they continue asking questions about it and share how they have always wanted one, or whatever the case may be. The lingering and nagging reality, no matter how freaking awesome the rep may be (50th anniversary SD43 or the latest Cameron Deep Sea) many of the general public will always have a gut feeling about "cheap Chinese knockoffs." With vintage, it flies under the radar with the average civilian, but with other watch enthusiasts it can draw the right kind of attention. You can talk about the build, you can talk about the history of the piece and what drew you to that particular one. Then you can share details about your build with them. How you tinkered with it yourself, or how you worked with a really cool watch builder wherever, or how you sourced parts for months (or years) to make this build. Honestly, every watch person I have ever talked to and every civilian I have talked to about vintage pieces has always responded VERY favorably when I share that I love vintage watches and I am building up the courage to assemble and build my own vintage watches. I use the vintage auto restoration analogy all the time because I think it is the perfect comparison. Not one person on the planet (besides maybe a hardcore auto show collector guy) would ever fault someone who restored and built a classic Vette using a mix of aftermarket OEM spec parts. They would all say "awesome Vette" and talk about it fondly. I think vintage watches are the same way with everyone except the most hardcore of the collectors. It's for personal enjoyment. Good luck! If you decide to go vintage, there is no better place to be than right here. The most brilliant minds in the horology world reside here on this forum and they are willing and happy to help in any way they can. I love this place.😀👍