docblackrock

Ah finally somebody posts one..... I love the Autavia, modern reissue or not Kicking myself now after passing up a rare LE a couple of years ago - the 'Gulf' black/orange accented dial version WITH matching rally stopwatch all in a gorgeous wooden case. Still there's nothing like a vintage 'Tavia, not just the 1163 'Siffert' model yours is based on, but the sheer variety - I've been lusting after an early GMT for ages, but prices have gone insane these days

Swine 'flu 0 Lani 1 Mutated killer virus met its match clearly I'm quite shocked at the misdiagnosis though, ought to have been the very first on the list re. differential diagnosis. When Ubi emailed me with updates, I naturally assumed it had been ruled out. Anyway, great to see you back, and I wish you a full and speedy recovery mate.

Unusual use of sarcasm but I'll bite. Your point is what exactly?

Yes and no. They're actually not that difficult to find on the market - usually a couple of fleabay from time to time. Just a matter of finding a perfectly minty example for a decent price (allowing for the fact that the required replacement strap is now a couple of hundred notes extra *ouch*).

Is it just me or does he have the look of someone contemplating seppuku? Probably wishful thinking I know.... Arnie - the perfect example of how marrying well gives you a life that normally wouldn't be possible. Oh and his father was a die-hard Nazi and the apple didn't fall that far from the tree IMO. Did I mention I'm not a fan?

All that money and yet with the exception of the two JLCs (Reverso and Diver), the Omega Apnoea, and of course the reissue Monaco (which I'm currently stalking), there's not a single watch there I'd give wrist time to Clearly an avid collector (as opposed to a WIS) but in general aesthetic terms the whole set is IMO quite tasteless, tacky and very much infused with an "I'm richer than you" tone. That Offshore has said he was an embezzler fits perfectly. Madoff probably has a similar collection you'd imagine.

Compared to their genuine counterparts, both the gloss dial of the GMT and the matte dial of the DSSD, are correct. Previous versions of the DSSD had a gloss dial, which required the use of matte varnish spray to modify to a more correct finish.

Crap you could be right Now I think about it, the movement does crap out quite often requiring an expensive service

Wasn't the Swiss* but yes there's absolutely nothing wrong with IIII instead of IV. My family has a c.250-year old grandfather clock with a IIII on the ornate dial - somehow I don't think the Chinese reppers are responsible The irony of that supposedly funny photo and so-called punchline - maybe it needs another, second, black border around it with the standard "FAIL!" on it. * Guess what? It was the Romans! Who'd have thought it. Of course back then it was sundials

I'll happily back this up by saying it DEFINITELY still has nickel in it, lots of it in fact - contrary to belief it wasn't chosen by Rolex for any hypoallergenic reasons, but for its 'whiter' finish and slightly increased durability. 904L Stainless Steel C 0.02% Cr 19.0-23.0% Cu 1.0-2.0% Mn 2.0% Mo 4.0-5.0% Ni 23.0-28.0% P 0.045 S 0.035 Si 1 DESCRIPTION 904L is a high-alloy austenitic stainless steel with low carbon content. The grade is intended for use under severe corrosive conditions. It has been application proved over many years and was originally developed to resist corrosion in dilute sulfuric acid. It is standardized and approved for pressure vessel use in several countries. Structurally, 904L is fully austenitic and is less sensitive to precipitation ferrite and sigma phases than conventional austenitic grades with high molybdenum content. Characteristically, due to the combination of relatively high contents of chromium, nickel, molybdenum and copper 904L has good resistance to general corrosion, particularly in sulfuric and phosphoric conditions. DESIGN FEATURES Good resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion. Very good resistance to stress corrosion cracking. Good resistance to intergranular corrosion. Good formability and weldability. Maximum service temperatures of 450 deg.C. (824 deg.F). TYPICAL APPLICATIONS Production and transport of sulfuric acid Metal pickling in sulfuric acid Production and concentration of phosphoric acid Use in seawater, brackish water, condensers, heat exchangers and pipe work in general Paper and allied industries Gas washing Chemical and pharmaceutical industries http://www.allstainlessltd.co.uk/info/904.html I'll not copy it here, but if you want to compare composition with 316, then here it is also.... note the Ni content is at around 10-15%, almost half of that in 904L. http://www.allstainlessltd.co.uk/info/316.html

Official Time is worth a look - they use 'bull' leather, essentially a waterproof process that gives a look not too dissimilar to the rubberized hybrid deployant staps (black with either orange or white stitching) that Omega supply as an option on the gen PO. See them HERE...hover over 'Watch Strap Shop' and choose O20/18mm. Here's my 20mm from them - mounted on my Speedy but you get the idea. If you want it with orange stitch, just buy yourself a Letraset marker

*double post sorry*

A watch should fit you like a good suit. Form-fitting yet comfortable. No unwanted movement. No unsightly lines or bulges (like jchurch....seriously, your hand looks swollen and blue....not a good look). Metal bracelets in summer, like lightweight/linen suits, need a hint of give - the comfort half-link extension of the 116710 bracelet for instance is genius. Too loose I always think looks effeminate. That cringeworthy Rolex 'rattle' also springs to mind. Only other thing to consider is the old ulnar styloid process (aka the bony protuberance on the lateral aspect of where your hand meets your wrist) - on some people it's huge so they wear their watch usually above it where it tends to be looser for comfort's sake. Me, personally I don't have a visible SP, we're talking flush at the joint - maybe I should be a watch/hand model like Duchovny's character in Zoolander?

In some private collector's safe, without question. Don't buy that 'lost' theory - stolen to order almost certainly. Sad but there you go. All being well, I'll be posting a shot of something nice later this week

We call it Celsius these days (after the Swedish guy who came up with it). And by "these days" I mean the last 60 years

^^^ Like describing how to perform an appendectomy without mentioning the anaesthetic i.e. DON'T forget to mask off the crystal first for obvious reasons

Think you must have a different inferior Google to the rest of us... http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&am...mp;aq=f&oq= http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&am...mp;aq=f&oq= http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&am...mp;aq=f&oq=

Well if you're going to be so unimaginatively literal, let's not bother to continue this. Honestly, is that the best response you can muster? Tell me then, what is he doing in this photo? And why? Mitchell is also pictured elsewhere WEARING both 1675s in the simulator, clearly using them for operational purposes. Reading lots of stuff doesn't always make one well-informed. To flatly deny a GMT Master was worn on the moon is ridiculous. As for NASA "letting their astronauts wear watches", I think you greatly overestimate the control the civilian govt agency had over their military charges - some of whom were fast-living type-A personalities, including many of those who had come up through the Gemini programme a few years earlier. Surely you've read Tom Wolfe's seminal book? It's widely accepted as non-fiction. Oh and for what it's worth, the late Chuck Maddox was an Omega Speedmaster fetishist, so his research was hardly unbiased.

Still presenting your opinions as facts Pugs? You've not changed I see... Go on then, explain this away...I'm all ears.

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet by the 'fanboys' Why all this talk about the Speedmaster? Not the only Moon watch after all, merely the only Moon chronograph Common knowledge (mostly corroborated) that many astronauts preferred and relied upon their own personal Rolex GMT Masters both in flight prep and on missions, including the Apollo series. Not the best article of the type, but plenty of interesting evidence in HERE...

Hate to say it, but there's a distinct difference between looking vintage/worn, and just recklessly damaged. This attempt just looks like the former - unnatural. Why didn't you just stick to the tried and trusted "masking crystal and jar of coins method"?

That link to that (crappy) 089 shows the bracelet is a commonly available SS bracelet so ignore any description - look closely at the endlink, specifically the brushed 'interstitial' part (as opposed to the curved 'CG-shaped' part) - this clearly does not match the colour of the Ti case lugs. As for do Ti bracelets exist as reps? Not any more. The only one that was ever available was OOP some years ago. It came on my 192 Tanti - and has contrasting (brushed) Ti / SS (polished) links.

It's one thing for the hand setting to be inaccurate and the date change to occur outside of the 10 mins, 5 either side of 0/12:00, but not only is way off kilter, I'd be very concerned as to why an ETA 28xx movement was taking two hours to change. It's not a 7750, and should 'snap' over immediately. Sounds like there's some date mechanism or dial clearance issues to deal with here.

Nice work mate.. At a guess... Step 2 is Chief AR for the crystal " 3 is a black ETA 28xx datewheel " 4 is a gen dial (bye bye pumpkin, hello white numerals) " 5 is the crown/tube swapout and finally... " 6 is to marine epoxy up the HeV No sense in half-measures R