offshore

As all the others have said Michael, a class act Just great to have you as part of this wonderful team here in admin. One could only wish this group were part of my daily work team... what a business we would have! Offshore

To add- Bryan Pannell aka Base, is an established member @ RWI! Wonder how long before he " weaves his magic" over there. Not long is my guess... but he's certainly not welcome here Offshore

As elsewhere... Warning issued, Links removed. Refer forum rule #15. Offshore

OK, I'm going to thrust my 2c in to the POM award... even though I can't win it. ( More's the pity) When I 1st got into reps, I was just another newb who wanted to have something on his wrist, that resembled a gen; probably for ego purposes, can't really remember now, however, after a few purchases, I acquired a few tools, to alter bands et al. Then a few more tools were needed, a watch course followed, more reps were purchased, and suddenly I had the " disease" I then started to question the cost of reps vs gens.. and proceeded to build a small collection of gens. Fast forward 3 years... 30+ reps, over 100 gens in the collection..... worst still, in excess of 1000 "under repair".. "ready for sale" ( mainly quartz) although about 200 mechanicals are in the Work in Progress bins... Thanks RWG.. ( and TRC - my 1st home), I have now spent over $10,000, on tools - equipment and "stock' Torn up countless hours on a huge range of forums... have gone thru serious discussions with the wife about " I'm leaving if you don't temper this OBSESSION!!!" What a ride... wouldn't have missed it for quids... have "met" some great people, who I count as genuine friends.. ( Interestingly I have never had a face to face with any from the forums)... but I can honestly say that the great majority are just terrific, genuine guys. There have been some down times... some eggs have gone rotten, some "friends' have shown their true colours.. but I suppose this is what life is all about. Has RWG saved me? ... anything?... certainly not my bank balance... has it given me anything? Yes... a new hobby... new skills... a better understanding of the world we trade and live in.. but most of all a group of fellow watch lovers, who I can depend on, and work with, to help others enjoy a most unique pastime. Thanks RWG.... so come on... lets see those posts about what RWG has done for you... good and bad. Offshore

You know fxrandy.... posts like this, thrust you in to the WIS fraternity! Luv it... this sort of input is really what we are all ( hopefully) about here... genuine interchange and discussion about watches, movements.... rep or real... but WIS discussion nevertheless. Thank you. And thank you to all those who contributed to this intriguing thread... thomasng for launching it, and all the others with their input. And I see in your avatar & sig, little in the way of smut, soft porn, forum abuse, or the like. Just a genuine love of watches, in all their forms. Good to see REAL members contributing REAL discussion. Offshore

Oh my eyes! Yep, just plain fugly, and a 195 quid? Gotta be jesting. There are some of these with Pam logos floating on the 'bay for A$100, and that's still WAY too dear! Still, no accounting for all tastes! Offshore

Hey, Thanks for that! I have added it to our "links" area. For those of you who haven't found it, its on our tool bar, @ 12 o'clock!! There is a sh*t load of good research stuff there Makes you want to never ask another question???? Offshore

Yeh, well KB certainly would have experience with the hankies! ( Ducks and runs for cover.... looks for incoming.. from down south) Offshore

To cloud the waters even further, ebay will do little about a "fake" listing, unless the seller is silly enough to say its a fake. Then they will pull it. If they only receive a couple of complaints about a listing, they will let it run.... unless the complainant is a VRO ( Verified Rights Organisation) or some such nonsense. How does one become a VRO? Easy, be the legal rep of the rights owner... ie GAF and its counterparts. I actually had a discussion 12 months ago with the Rx legal team in Oz about this, and also with the legals from Richemont. Both pleaded, " Lack of funding" to employ people to watch their backs. So if they get burned ... "c'est la vie" from my view point. I would have thought the legal people would have seen another opportunity to bill their clients for " services rendered" with a list of watches "pulled" Currently there are a couple of Pams on ebay Oz... patently fakes, they have been reported, but both have bids, and as of last nite remained for sale. I've all but given up trying,I used to even contact the buyers, but after being abused, and accused of trying to keep the price down, gave up on that route as well. So its a case of .. bombard ebay with complaints, or weild a big legal club... apart from that..... Caveat emptor. Offshore

This one relates to Omega 300 flaws- obviously a knowledgable repaholic. One of us? Good info! http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-Spot-a-Fake...CAT:-1:SEARCH:2 Offshore

Found a couple of interesting guides on ebay- this one relates to plating. No comment as to the accuracy of the statements, read and accept for yourself, but someone knows a bit about the subject. "What is the difference between RGP, WGF, YGF, EP and SS? RGP refers to "rolled gold plate". Rolled gold is a very thin sheet of precious metal (gold) is actually fused and laminated to a lesser metal such as brass or white metal. The two layers of metal are heated under pressure to fuse them together. The sheet is rolled very thin sheet and used to make jewelry or other objects. Jewelry made from rolled gold wear well over time – especially in watch bands which tend to rub against the skin a lot and lose gold. Rolled gold pieces are marked rolled gold plate, R.G.P., or "plaque d'or lamine". WGF and YGF refer to white or yellow gold filled. It is also called "double d'or". Jewelry is made of a thin outer layer of gold atop any base metal in a process similar to rolled gold plate. If an object is marked GF, it should tell you what the karat of the gold used is. For example, an item marked 1/20 G.F. 14kt. Indicates that at least 1/20th of the metal is 14 karat gold. To be classified as GF, an item must be at least 1/20th gold sold by weight. EP refers to Electroplating – or Galvanotechnics after its inventor, Luigi Galvani. The gold is placed over the base metal using electricity that transfers a thin coating over top of the base metal. Items can be gold plated, silver plated, rhodium plated, platinum plated, chromium plated or copper plated, etc. The thickness of the metal coat varies. Electrogilded coating is the thinnest (less than 0.000007 inches thick); gold-cased metals have a coating thicker that 0.000007 inches. SS is Stainless Steel – NOT Sterling Silver. How can I take care of my watch to ensure that the gold layer doesn't come off? One of the most common causes of gold coming off of an item is actually powder. Talc is abrasive and wearing a lot of powder underneath a gold plated or filled item will cause the soft gold to rub off faster. Avoid powders or perfumes on the wrist when wearing a plated or filled watch. Note that often an item will say that the bezel (top of the case) is plated, but the back is stainless steel. This is to save the expense of using more costly gold on surfaces that do not show anyway and also because of abrasion to the parts that contact the skin. If an item becomes unplated and the base metal begins to show through, a competent metal refinisher can electroplate the item for you. It is impossible to add gold by the RGP or GF process once the piece is made. You may have to re-electroplate frequently to maintain a nice gold finish. The cost is generally minimal. Ask your jeweler. Many jewelers have the capability to electroplate in their shops." Just a copy and paste of this guide- makes interesting reading?? Offshore

Have a great day T. We really do appreciate your efforts.Thanks. Happy Birthday. Offshore

Celebrate well Puggy, with a little moderation Offshore

@doc. So I threw a dart at a board for Barcelona... please tell me whether I am alive, just breathing... or DOA! Not much news of them here of late. ( And none about this comp downunder.... obviously we didn't get to qualify!) But all part of the fun.. I s'pose... would be good to know what I am betting on. Soccer is it ? Offshore PS @ jtb... You would not beleive the " call to arms" thats going on down here for the Test series. Most tests sold out, a huge marketing campaign to have everyone in green and gold... supporters clubs...I've never seen anything like the hype being generated. I seriously hope that it doesn't start a Pom bashing cult ( either verbal or physical) ( We do have some other race related probs going on here at the moment) and I wonder if some of our "youth" may not realise that Pom is a word of endearment. Well its beyond my control... Watch this space. Offshore

Well ry, you can tell 'em you're going to Bali, and its -> that way, and let 'em loose, or give them the "pie" option. Glad to hear that you are moving closer to " Gods own country".. really just across the pond.... will DEFINETLY come over for a Q L D ( quiet little drink) when you get there, and that's a threat and promise all in one. Maybe we can coerce the Scots contingent to join us for a GTG... just next door to him really! Offshore

Sit on your hands! Let them contact you.... If and when. Offshore

We all understand -I hope-that our rep watches vary due to many "assemblers" acquiring parts from different manufacturers. ETA, ( regardless of where their factories are based) would probably source some component parts from outside contractors. Therefore these parts COULD also become available to other assemblers.. there lies the $64 question... which will probably never be satisfactorily answered. I have told this story before, however I believe it throws light on the whole Asian manufacturing physche. Some years ago, I was buying parts for outboard motors, considered " aftermarket" ie. non original. In one factory I was shown a high volume part, and was offered it .. with or without the original manufacturers part no. When I queried whether the "manufacturer" would sue them for using the P/N, I was told..." Oh no, we make that part for them, we just have 2 dies, one with the P/N and one without... which one do you want?" They didn't see that the part belonged to the "manufacturer" it was theirs, and they could sell whatever they produced, to whoever had the ready $$!! I bought many thousands of that part, and made a lot of money, until the manufacturer, ( a major listed company) told me to stop selling the part ( and others) with their P/No's... with a threat of ongoing legal action, which I would certainly loose. So I purchased the part, without the part no. embedded, and heard little more. Eventually, other steps were taken to stop my trade, ( another whole story) So parts is parts! They may be produced for ETA, they may be copies, (they may even come from an old die, or manufacturing process from the original).. That which is assembled may be all/some/ or none, of the original or copied parts. They may be assembled by ETA factories, or by ETA workers out of hours freelancing, or by some grotty little shop with unskilled, ill equipped workers, using whatever bits are laying around. ETA... Swiss....Asian....Chinese... we probably would need to DNA each part to try to find an origin... and we still wouldn't know the truth of the assembly quality. Just my take on it guys. Offshore

Rg, Where do you dig this stuff up from? LMAO!! I chose the yachtie to view... always wondered what a video of a watch would show...... for the 1st 3 1/2 minutes it didn't even do what a watch should... run and tell the time! And filmed at 10 to 10... what a coincidence. And I wasn't inspired enough, to even go searching for prices! Please don't tell me. A Cellini baggy for a Yachtie? papers in ????? My goodness. Where will it all end? Thanks for the link... made my day... although I sit here looking at my gen doing exactly the same thing~! Offshore

From memory, Omni, we had an extended discussion on these, maybe 2 years ago?? , over at "Guide" I remember at the time, wondering how one would ever work on one? Maybe they have special optical glasses, or use a wash off dye or something, just so you can see the parts to work. Lord knows, the small bits on a normal mech, are frustrating enough, and you can see those critters! Think these would even stretch the Ziggmasters talents! Interesting watches, and a view from Omni, that should not be overlooked. Heaps around secondhand eh! Wouldn't impose much faith in retaining value. Offshore

So you are all aware, this matter is under review in admin, and we are awaiting some outcomes prior to arriving at a decision. Offshore

dunno about that, 'specially if the 20yo is blonde There is one clan worth researching, goes under the pseudonym of TTK, very fierce warrior types I understand, but with a caring core. Maybe try and catch up with some ancestors whilst on your trip! Offshore

Actually I thought thr TRL was very close to original Offshore

The only way, short of jungle drums.

Thanks for that Puggy- they must have turned the lights back on down here. Or someone is pedalling harder Offshore

Ken, agreed, but you would think they would all be out at least 16-18mm,,.... at the very least.... s'pose there's no telling... bloody reps. Offshore