cornerstone

By the way, Ofrei have the totally legitimate 7753 movement for roughly $560 Canadian. 7753 Movement So where does your friend in the trade think the other $400 Canadian is going? More Swiss craftmanship?! (and Ofrei isn't cheap - retail prices!) Cheers! EDIT: I'm trying to say- I think you have a great quality watch!

But even the "REAL MADE IN SWISS ETA" was really "made" in China too. ETA makes movements in China - it doesn't intentionally make good ones in Switzerland and crap ones in China as it were. These Swiss ETA movements (made in China) end up in expensive Swiss watches - and the quality is ETA. Many are 'tarted up' before the market - they look better on the outside. But they're the same deep down - they run the same. The dealer price is always going to be massive, and it's always going to have a massive retail markup surely? Perhaps your friend has an agenda? He sells gen watches and you show him a rep?

Second that! Great game - it seems for everyone except Narikaa! Thank you! I'm totally stumped - and I've tried. Been looking at a lot of German watches - Tauchmeister and Trias - but not in cigar territory! Very cheeky game! But for those of us not in the "Land of Tony" it's getting too late... By the way, by the "Land of Smiles" you meant Dudley, right?

Thanks for that - I later realised I had jumped the gun with my first post. I found a profile for a very similar model and used that to excellent effect - it had better 'out of the box' one-click results than Noise Ninja for my camera (and I thought the Noise Ninja results were good, but in comparison the NN resulting photos were a bit 'softer' for want of a better description). I'll have to try out the other link as well.....! Cheers!

That's now TS MooCroc TM to you!! Great pic - great strap! It ticks all my boxes: (1) It's black - tick (2) It's not SS - tick (3) Now has an amusing name - tick (4) It doesn't cost more than the watch! Tick tick tick! Brilliant link too - I might try this lot. *Bookmarked*! Cheers!

I think he might be misleading you or is quite genuine but labouring under a false impression. This is my understanding (I'm no authority, but I've read around - so someone with a keener knowledge may be able to correct this): All common ETA's are manufactured in China - they then go to Switzerland to be 'finished', at least one tiny little bit in the manufacturing process is left to be done in Switzerland. This way they can be called 'Swiss made'. To confuse matters further, of course many manufacturers like Omega add their own work to the ETAs. I think when we buy a rep ETA movement it is the same ETA that gets sent to Switzerland - it's the real deal, except that one tiny step is not done to the sound of cuckoo clocks. In terms of the movement, they are the same. However, in a rep, the way that movement is treated as it is placed in the watch will not be as pristine as in a Swiss factory. But the movement itself is not the problem here, it would be as true with the Swiss finished version. To further confuse the issue there are Asian copies of ETA movements - but these would not be called an ETA, and would not cost these amounts. As I said, others may be able to expand, or refute parts of this, but it's my understanding of the whole ETA deal. Cheers!

On the subject of typefaces, out of interest, does anyone know what is the main Panerai typeface is? The logotype and the numbers?

Fantastic!!

I should say, I meant the Pass Around Watch - kind of forgot that RWG watch meant something else too! This was exactly what I was about to ask (no kidding): Did it ever get to Paris? I checked the thread, and it just arrived in Paris!! Dance, Puggy, dance!!! Top work!

Cheers guys! @Ubi - for Mountain Dew through the nose, I'm sure you already have one of these The problem is, now that I have an Aussie passport, why am I still crap at sport?!

Great pic! Yes, LA surely! That's 777 Tower, no? I went to Legoland in Windsor once - where you can see a Lego version of Windsor Castle....in sight of the actual Castle. £30 per person well spent! FFS.

You're such a sweetie...

Happy birthday!!

This may answer your question, I remember it was part of the Treasurer's Report at this year's Annual General Meeting...

It's actually pretty good, very impressed I found a profile for a similar model camera to mine and it does a fantastic 'one click' job - I compared it side by side with a Noise Ninja effort and was quite chuffed. Top tip Cat 5!

By the way - this is what the staff use to tell when the Apple Pies are finally hot enough to scald your tongue, squirt you in the eyes and blind you.

Only a fool would! Which is why Neat Image have a version for OS X too But no profile for my dilapidated camera that I can see...

GOTCHA! I'm totally kidding; a serious subject but it's a watch forum! So while everyone thinks you're in here flaming me, I say let's have a secret disco! Dancing, watches and boobies! Shhhh.....don't let on.....! :cc_chinese: Ah, c'mon - it was a wee crap joke! Cheers!

Just tried to grab it as it floated out of the screen! But it seems like I'll have to buy one instead Fantastic!

Fantastic picture!! I'm sure that annoying 'P' will come out in Photoshop! (I joke!) Being the "moon watch" surrounded by all that white gives it an ethereal, floating feel - makes me think of those sixties visions of an anti-gravity future...

The cartel issue has been debated before - I think a key point is that Rolex don't sell straight to consumers, their market is high end jewellers and retailers. If, for example, Rolex were able to tell those dealers not to sell grey imports or lose all their supply and dealer status that would be anti-competitive. Whether those dealers accepted would indicate Rolex's market strength - in a truly competitive market, they would say "screw you then - we'll sell these other watches instead." But, if they run scared it is evidence of a dominant market position. I think a high end retailer in an expensive street with massive rents would be quite scared to lose two or three of the biggest brands. High end watches are about more than telling the time. As we all know, you can tell the time more accurately for a couple of bucks. They are effectively fashion accessories - jewellery. And their most valuable asset is that they provide status. That's where all the money is at. But amongst all this, is the fact that mechanical watches are also little machines - boys' toys. Many watch enthusiasts are really into this aspect; moreso I would say on a rep forum where a lot of the watches become 'projects'. After all, you would be a bit of an ass to try to claim higher social status for your fake Rollie in a room full of fake Rollies! When that's all said and done - I think Pugwash was on the money here. We see, we like, we want, we get cheap. Canny consumerism, and avoidance of "buyer's remorse".

Boom boom tsch!

I only said insignificant because you said it was debatable if the band would have existed without him; it was just me trying to be funny anyway. I think you're right from the perspective of his influence on the later music of Pink Floyd. But I think that the first album had a huge impact on music beyond Pink Floyd - that's where I see his importance. As for the rock 'n' roll stories - Keith Richards has long since set the drug tolerance "put up or shut up" level for wannabe rock 'n roll suicides everywhere!! lol !! Cheers!

I wouldn't stress flying to the US and back. Have a great trip!!