tomhorn

Very close IMO ... Personally, I think judging AR (just like anything that's visual in nature) is a bit subjective. Everyone has a different opinion on quality and color. IMO if you have the wherewithal and patience to go with Chief, I would still rate his a little better based on some of the amazing pictures I have seen on the various forums of his work, especially on 3717 crystals. Edit ... I see Ubi beat me to the post ... damn that watch ... it's all his fault for sending me down the path I am on ... Having said that, I have a Taka installed on mine because the timing didn't work to go to Chief at the time I was getting Vac to re-lume the dial and hands. I am quite happy with it and doubt I will change it out at this point. On the wrist: Under a direct spotlight with no filter: I just was offering up a path for you to be able to keep your watches in the rotation while shipping crystals to Chief. Nice thing with Taka's crystal is that it is already done (when he has them in stock), so you don't have to be without your watch in the interim. Assuming you don't harm it while it's installed, you should be able to get most of your money back when you sell it. The other thing you could do, since you are ordering two watches, is to ask the dealer you are getting them from if they can get you an extra crystal. Some dealers will sell parts. You can then do the rotation bit the same way.

Buy one of Taka's pre-AR'd crystals ... swap it with the one you send to Chief ... replace it when Chief's comes back ... rinse and repeat for the St. Ex ... sell the Taka when you are done ...

The above is pretty much the same order I followed .... Have just found a gen crown, and will probably swap movements to ETA at the same time I upgrade the crown. It's a never ending battle with me and this watch. I should just buy the gen and be done ...

You had me at ... Definitely interested depending on final specs and price of course ...

still rockin' the Tourby Pilot ...

They do show up from time to time in the sales section, but you won't find any dealers pre-building them if that's what you were looking for.

There are plenty of threads on this watch on the forum. If memory serves to get the 'best' you need to combine parts from the two versions that were out there and also double AR the crystal. Don't remember the exact details, but do remember seeing a thread on exactly what to do. Your best bet is to find one for sale from someone who has already done the mods.

Supermirrors (Sead) is no longer in the US, although he does advertise some stock here in the US from time to time. Don't know if he regularly ships through a US contact or not, but he is definitely overseas now.

Did someone say panda?

Pics are a little too small to tell. I have the gen in a blue dial. My 'box' and papers look very different, as does the dial. Could be different generations, I suppose. The 'box' is soft leatherette with a zip top and a gray interior. This is the only picture I currently have.

According to the Perfect Clones site, it comes with an Asian movement, not genuine ETA.

A bad spray tan? Thought this was a post about watches ...

Gen day today ...

Sold high-end audio for many years in my high school and college days. Sold some amazing stuff, but was underwhelmed by the so-called audiophiles inherent belief that more $$$ meant better quality sound. Having said that, I am an Audio Research fanboy for amplifiers and pre-amps ... Nothing beats a great set of tubes!

My top 5 Bourbon's 1. Old Rip Van Winkle (Now Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve) ... the 15, 20 and 23 year old versions from this distillery are the best you will find IMO. Well worth every dollar spent, although the 15 isn't that pricey. 2. K nob Creek ... don't let the price fool you, quality stuff. Anxiously awaiting the release of their Single Barrel reserve. 3. Noah's Mill ... 114 proof, so be careful when drinking ... Actually best with a splash of water. 4. Basil Hayden ... a very smooth and light bourbon. Great starter for someone new to bourbon 5. Four Roses Single Barrel ... a US bourbon that disappeared to Japan and is now back state-side. Excellent, but hard to find as it's made in limited quantities each year. Don't get me wrong, Woodford Reserve is a good bourbon, but just not as good as some others. As with many spirits, often the smaller distillers make a finer product. Fortunately, I live within a day trip of Bourbon County, KY ... Can't help you on the Scotch. Have never developed a taste for it.

BCE Today ... Love the JLC Freddy!

Unless something has changed, yes, that's the case you need. Finding one on the other hand, will likely be difficult. You can try the CHS, but as many have experienced, that movement is an accident waiting to happen. I wouldn't do it personally. As panerai153 mentioned, chances are that any mods that someone may want to make to a rep have already been attempted by someone here. Very important to do a lot of research before attempting to mod any watch. They all have their quirks and jumping in blind can cost a lot of time and energy chasing down the wrong things. There are plenty of threads on the EXII (including the two I linked above). You may want to go back through them before making any decisions on moving forward. Good luck with the build.

Bought two 23" Samsung monitors at Best Buy for $139 each, and a 2TB Seagate HD for $90 at Microcenter. All for me ... As a former worker of retail in my past life, for those not here in the US, Black Friday's most common reference is to that of a retailer making all its 'profit' for the year from the Friday after Thanksgiving until the end of the year ... in other words, 'being in the black'. Oh, and 'Cyber Monday' is next week, which is the rough equivalent (from a shopping perspective) for online retailers.

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but not sure you really want to go with the correct hand stack movement. Many posts here at RWG about how unreliable that movement is. Also, if you've bought the watch itself recently it probably won't take the gen dial. You need one of the old Noobfactory cases from I think 2006-07 time-frame. The dials in the newer rep watches are larger than the gen dial, so they won't work. Here are a couple of posts about it. I also don't think the 2893 works in the proper case, but I might be wrong there. As for the hands, I'd go genuine Tudor and then have someone re-lume the GMT hand, or just send all the rep hands off to be re-lumed.

He's also on the bay ... http://shop.ebay.com/dyrcsszw216/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1

Yacht Master ... the BK YM9 YM is arguably even better than the Subs.

Hope you have the right case for the gen dial. Can't remember which one is necessary, but the gen dial doesn't work in the newer EXII cases. The gen hands will not work, but as mentioned by Panerai153, the gen Tudor hands should. The GMT hand would be the only issue. You could get the rep hands re-lumed however.

The WM9 Rolex Sub and YM are easily the best out there. The problem is with WM9 'disappearing' and BK not having much stock, it will be tough to get one quick. You'd either have to hope someone sells theirs through the forum, or check with BK to see if he has any YM stock left. Or, as an alternative, it's being reported here that PT still may have the ability to get the v1 WM9 Sub.

unless you want IWC parts, then start with concepta ...

While you can certainly spend over a grand, you still can find them on the bay for as little as $650 - $700 if you have patience and are willing to look around a bit. Will depend on condition, the brand of the donor watch, whether or not the seller actually lists them as a v72, or if they claim to have been serviced. It also helps to know the in-house movement numbers from some of the brands because there are sellers that don't know what they really have. I also keep a list of those watches (Certina, Gallet, Clebar, etc.) that I see advertised with a v72 and then look for sales posts without the movement listed in the description for those watches later. To find a deal on the bay anymore, you have to get creative. PS ... the guy re-listed it as a private auction for a specific person and it appears to have sold for $500. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=160509099587&si=FNi%252FRn1x29HyvIehUX6WcFvkq4s%253D&viewitem=