josevancouver

Here's a photo of my 5517 which I have spent a bit of time vintagizing: Here's what it looked like when I first bought it from another member: Understand your frustration around getting a rep that screams "fake" because of the markers, etc. I would suggest aging the dial and sourcing some parts to mod it and make it look more authentic.

Great points JohnG. When I go to any store, I fully expect that the price may go up or go down by 2-5%. That's BUSINESS. Price-fixing or lying about a product is another thing. The best way to send a message to dealers we don't like is to stop buying from them. As for Dani being weak-minded, I would agree. Pretty lame tactic.

Hey Noob - don't even trying calling me a noob because I am definitely not one. Noob on number of posts on this board, definitely not a noob in this hobby. I am not siding with Josh or any cartel or whatever. I have bought from practically every dealer for the past few years and if a dealer bumps up the price of a watch by 20-30 dollars, I'm not going to cry 'scam'. This board and others exist to educate and prevent us from getting ripped off by fake scam websites. If a dealer bumps up a price by a certain amount, I don't call that a scam. If I don't like it, I buy from someone else. If everyone else does too, I guarantee that the dealer may start dropping the price down. I also don't buy $700 reps because I know full well that even at a 100% markup, the cost to build the watch is $350.

how is raising the price on a watch a scam? I'm not suggesting Josh is perfect, but the guy is running a business. If he wants to raise the price on some watches and lower them on others, isn't he just running his business? The last Steelfish I bought was from Narikaa because I like the price better. I didn't do it because I thought Josh was scamming anyone, just that the price was better from Reg.

I run a large operation and yes, prices for services go up in certain areas (based on demand and cost) and some go down. I don't think you are being a sheep about it Dave

I lightly polished and lubed the bracelet and the watch just looks and feels so gen-like. The AR on this is terrific - one of the best parts outside of the dial and bezel.

Here are some quick pics of mine. I had the rubber strap but switched to the steel bracelet. Pros: awesome AR, great crisp dial, nice bezel, well-constructed Con: movement was 'wonky' when I got it. Stopped for no apparent reason. I had to shake it a few times very hard to get it moving and wore it non-stop for a week (no problems). I stopped wearing it for about 2 weeks and put it on, no problem. Maybe the movement needed to be worked in a bit?? Jose

Group Shot....

Vintage Comex Sub...

I actually believe that Victoria=Posh. Here's why: 1. Writing style 2. Constant references to pop culture (actors, politicians, etcv.) 3. British woman who lives in the US 4. Constant references to her Mom and Dad (Victoria and Posh both do that) I know that there are those who will disagree, but it's pretty hard to prove that she isn't the same person. After all, it's the Internet! One could compare the IP addresses of V and P, Paypal accounts for Ellite/VIP memberships, etc. but I'm pretty sure that V=P. Jose

A few from my vintage collection: Vintage Explorer 2: Vintage 5512: Vintage GMT:

If I'm not mistaken, there are two versions of the SOSF. I have both, and recently bought the noob version from Reg (Narikaa). The Noob version has (could be wrong) an Asian movement, mineral crystal,and a single coating coating of AR. I don't think there is a Swiss ETA version.

One thing I do know about TWP is that he left a lot of members on RG without watches when he 'disappeared' screwing members over who had paid for watches and mods from him. Just to be clear - he left RG as a preferred dealer after screwing over many - not over some issue with Josh/Andrew.

Photos of my 'vintagized' Explorer 2 McQueen: Need to replace the crystal as the cyclops isn't great, but otherwise, I'm happy with the work done on the dial and markers. Jose

EXACTLY. The consumers buy the product, not the forum. The forum can allow debate and reviews, but the consumers send a message to the dealers/factories when they choose not to pay for lousy service, or substandard product. Not wanting to get into specific dealers, there have been a few recommended dealers on RG and RWG who have been banned or have received consistently bad reviews. As a consumer, I decided not to buy any products from them (up to the point of getting banned) after reading some of those reviews. I'm sure others did the same thing.