RLudlowe

I have the Santos 100 Chrono with A7750 and the screws do hold the back in place, but you have to be careful not to over torque them as they're very small with tiny threads. You may have stripped one or two.

One of the great things about this watch - a Submariner is always questioned, even gen subs bring the "is it real?" question. Nobody ever asks that about a Mont Blanc, especially one as heavy and well made as this one. Rolex really screws themselves with all the "anti-counterfeit" crap. It never occurs to people that a Mont Blanc might be a rep. Same with Bvlgari or Baume & Mercier. People just say "nice watch"

True, but it's a 48mm Gen, the rep is the 44mm model - Take a look at this 44mm Gen - http://www.brandnameonly.com/bvasaa10.html Here's the 48mm model - http://www.brandnameonly.com/bvasmewaaa.html They look almost the same, just a little wider, hence the extra marker next to the date - that's also why the date seem shifted to the left on the 48mm model, its actually in the same place but the face is bigger

There are plenty of vintage Breity reps out there, especially the old Chrono-Matics. I don't remember seeing that one, but keep looking!

Not a photo - tech illustration from the Breitling site. If they can't post a photo of the actual rep, it probably doesn't exist and you're just throwing money into the Chinese money pit. Stick with the RWG approved dealers

My favorite is the Datograph without a date -

If he had grabbed my wrist like that, I would have broken his arm - and that would probably reduce his concern over my watch.

I've ordered a custom strap for my Santos 100 Chrono rep, and I was hoping someone out there has experience changing the strap out - It's not obvious if it's a screw or a press fit pin with a swedged end - do I unscrew it or drive it out from the small end with a micro drift? If you've done this, let me know, otherwise I guess I'll just fiddle with it until I figure something out -

You might also try here: http://www.lonestarwatches.com/bracelets.htm

The sad thing about the Indianapolis incident is that the Navy's own policies caused much of the damage - the old "no man left behind" policy caused them to keep dead and mortally wounded men with the able bodied - the smell of the dead and dying plus the blood in the water was what attracted the sharks. Most of the sharks were oceanic white tips, which prefer to feed on carrion or wounded fish. Later studies have shown that if you cast off the corpses, the sharks go after them and leave the living alone. But once a "feeding frenzy" starts, the sharks will go after anything, even each other. Sharks aren't evil, they're just trying to survive.

I just got an Email from Chris, he's been sick but is mostly recovered and returning to work - Patrick and Seri have been covering for him.

Don't forget that about $5,000 of that $6,000 goes to Tiger Woods for wearing the watch on TV!

Not all watch brands are just sizzle - Patek makes a fine piece that's beautifully crafted, so does Breguet and JLC. Their true "luxury line" watches are worth every penny. And bring a LOT of pennies. (avoid the Breguet Transatlantic XXI, get the rep instead)

Nicely done -

Canned air has a lot of power, it can blow small parts clear across the room and damage a balance wheel. Better to use a blower, much more control

The thing that gets me is these were serious Rollie buffs, real WISs - with a photo to study and compare to Gen in very tight detail, far closer than you'd ever get in daily life. And yet there was some serious debate, at least at first. Considering the things they spotted - how many would have noticed if they just saw the watch on his wrist at a wedding or in a business meeting? What if they didn't have a gen handy to compare, detail for detail? Compare that to how easy it was to spot a Rollie rep 10 years ago and see how far reps have come -

If the Laser etching is deep enough, that is -

Yeah, I figured one of the "experts" would address it sooner or later, but I haven't seen anything. I even did a site search. If it's already been covered, somebody send me the link -

I'm not a big Rollie fan, but I've heard a lot of good things about the ceramic GMT II I decided to look into it. One of the big things I noticed is the engraving on the clasp - it looks like the "Rolex" script has been applied, then rubbed out - Here are some pics - Gen on right It's like this in every pic of a IIc rep I can find. There's clearly something there, like a smudge in the shape of the logo. Now I understand no rep is perfect, but what I don't get is: 1) wouldn't it make more sense just to leave the engraving off, and hope nobody notices? after all, nobody is going to believe Rolex did a crappy job like that - 2) if you're going to all that trouble to make the bezel right, wouldn't you at least silkscreen the Rollie logo on the clasp?

And as long as people keep believing that, we'll be just fine!

Here's what I went with - a Colamariner- Something about a Rolex with a bright red face said "Satan" to me, plus I can always swap out the dial later if I get tired of it-

One word - UBoat

Take the 1K, buy three good reps, sell the gen on Ebay -

So true - The usual exchange goes: What kind of watch is that? Hublot Yeah, well you suck, too - but what kind of watch is that?

Also, don't forget to screw the crown down all the way the next time, that's the way damp usually gets in