Leaderboard

Hi everyone. I know it's been some years since my last posting, but I wanted to check in to let everyone know that LHOOQ is still alive, healthy, and still in possession of all of his beloved project watches. Maybe I'm being an egomaniac, or maybe I know that this is a pretty tight-knit community of good, helpful people. I was spurred to write this post due to certain recent events. Recently someone recognized the dial on one of my few Panerais, bolstering my belief that the rep crowd is so much keener-eyed than your average WIS. He pointed out that he was almost certain that my dial was one of a small run produced by one legendary German Paneristi. It was nice to chat about this after we'd established our rep bona fides to each other, but then I learned that the German in question, Rolli, had died five years ago. And I felt terrible. Rolf wasn't a close friend, but we had exchanged many messages in the past and I always appreciated his rigorous, crabby pursuit of the perfect finish, the perfect lume mix. Who else have we lost, and who else will we lose, and never find out about? Two unfinished items pulled me back in: 1) To fix a jmb-cased 1016 project that has never quite worked right ever since I took it to my watchsmith in the Philippines for assembly, and 2) To finish a Daytona project that really started 12 years ago. (80% of the parts were just sitting in a drawer.) I couldn't have done either of these without good old alligoat, who took those parts to the right people, and even tossed in a few from his own collection. (BIG parts, at that!) And that's why I have this lovely black-dialed 6239 sitting in the pile. I can't promise a full-on return to the rep world, or that I'll be especially active on the forums again, but I will do my best to respond to PMs. Especially now that my access to the original LHOOQ account is borked, making my stuffed inbox irrelevant! Quick thank-yous and hellos to the following: alligoat: I owe him at least a couple of steak dinners by now! jmb: He smoked me a brisket! Unfortunately my current job doesn't take me to Texas as often as my last one. Chiman12: Met him once all too briefly in Calgary so many years ago. The MBW 5512 that prepared for me still gets a lot of praise, and unsolicited offers. Akira: Spent an afternoon with him in Arnhem last summer. I would have gone to see him in Germany, but that was a bridge too far. (No, really, we were in Arnhem.) Donerix: I'd love to catch up with this strapping man of mystery again! ubiquitous: My original inspiration for all this extravagant foolishness. And a top guy. There are so many others. Please don't be upset if I forgot to mention you here.

Blasts from the Past... L to R...14K Hamilton 'Wesley' from the 1940s, 9K Buren Grand Prix from the 1930s, 14K Pierce from the 1920s/30s, 14K Lord Elgin with 'step side' case from the 1950s. The Hamilton looks like new. The Buren has a 15 jewel high grade movement with 'three finger bridges' and uses a 'sew on' or one piece strap, the strap bars are soldered in the lugs. The Pierce has 15 jewels iirc and is in fine condition. The Lord Elgin is in fine condition except for the 'age spot' on the dial, it has not been wet as far as I can tell. The dates are a guess and info on the Hamilton and Lord Elgin can be found but I am too lazy to chase it down. Many Hamiltons have the model name engraved inside the case back. After the current 'Gold Rush' pans out, there may not be many of these old classics left.