Slartibartfast

@chis5264 . Nice dial on that Seamaster!

Jameson's every time. I'm no Irishman, but I know what I like!

Boring....... just how is that boring exactly???

[censored], that is odd! Go on, give it a go. Rip it apart, and do it yourself!

No, don't try this (IMHO). It would look crap, and you would would ruin a perfectly good $80 watch. Buy some cheap watch tools and have a go at ripping it apart. What better way of learning than on an $80 watch! What's the worst that could happen?

It is a great shame that we might not be getting the ETA movements advertised. But I don't understand the objection in the fact that a cheap CN movement might fail. You almost expect it to happen, but you have saved a huge amount on the original purchase price. You can always replace the whole movement with a new one from Cousins for less than a tenner. What's the problem?

Yep... saw VC, saw PP, but cannot remember seeing JLC. It was the first selection of B&R I have seen in the flesh!

You should know that we in London and the South East of the UK are the most watched public in the world (according to reports on the BBC). Walk or drive, catch a train (especially a tube) and you are caught on camera on every corner. I have read reports that the average UK punter gets photographed on CCTV on AVERAGE 300 times A DAY! Turn around, look up, and there's a camera smiling back! But that's a differenrt story.........

That's what made me think that the IWC's might be more expensive than the rollies........ the exclusivity.

I was in Rouen (northen France) this weekend. Just by 'the clock' is a jeweler, who stocks all sorts of top brands....Rolex, Tudor, IWC, Brietling etc. I was window shopping with Mrs Slartibartfast and drooling over the IWC Pilot Chrono (my next planned big rep purchase), when I noticed that every watch in the window had a price tag EXCEPT the IWC stand. Clearly, you will know if you can afford a Rolex from this dealer. But you will have to ask the price of the IWC. And if you have to ask, sir, you cannot afford it! Kudos IWC! I love it.

Was in Harrods (London) today, and couldn't resist dragging Mrs Slartibartfast round the fine jewelery and watch room. I was staggered at the selection of just about every top brand watch that you can think of. One very obvious brand missing from the line up was Omega. Even Rolex has its own 'fitting room' so is represented well. I even saw a selection from Silberstein. But my old favorite Omega was nowhere to be seen (unless I missed it of course). One thing that I was staggered at was the price of Hublots. I mean they were between

Yeah, I'd go with #1, as the pearl is off centre, and so is the 30 on the bezel marker. Took some looking at though!

I spent about 4 weeks reading up on this forum before taking the plunge. I really came here for a fake datejust, but was overwhelmed by the choice on offer from the dealers. I ended up buying an ETA Seamaster from Joshua. A good choice I think. A solid rep, that is still going strong a good 2 years later. Who knows, if I had bought an Asian 21J version that packed up 2 weeks later......... I may not have the addiction I do now!!!

Fabulous Francisco! Thanks for sharing your tutorial with us. You have proved that with the cheap cost of replacement Asian 21J movements that it is well worth fixing up 'Asian' reps. Well done!

Unusual combo of colours on the dial. Like It though!

Got my heart racing there!. No, definitely a gen!

I have used Cousins with great success. But I have also found a UK seller on ebay. Have a look here Can't see any reason why he wouldn't send to Sweden. It's worth asking because the items sold represent good value for money (for occasional use). He also sells toolkits. Good luck. Enjoy!

OK, being inspired by rodwc's brilliant post on his experiences with Noctilumina, I thought that I would take the plunge and share my results with you guys. As rodwc said, share the good AND the bad so that we can all learn, and hopefully improve. I started with my 1655 project watch. This baby has been apart and back together again more times than Tower Bridge, but I have not finished with it yet. Here is a shot of the dial after removing the lume that I had painted on using a mixture of acrylic paint and Night Colour. After mixing up a small batch of Noctilumina using a 50-50 mix of the ultra fine and the medium grade, I tinted the mix using both gold and brown colours to give a vintage colour to the mix. The first results were crap, and had to be removed before it set. I tried again the following weekend, with more success, and also had a go at the hands too. I used a 0.18 tech pen and a 5x loupe. Now my results aren't that good, I know, so please don't reply stating the bloody obvious! But I am keen to carry on with this and improve my skills the more practice I get. I have greatly enjoyed this first attempt, and am sure that a second is on the way soon. I would stress to all that are thinking of giving this a go for themselves, that it is far from easy, isn't quick, will probably disappoint you and make you wish you hadn't bothered. But if you take the view that you may improve the more you practice, then why not try for yourself! Oh yes, and the glow isn't too bad either! (I know it should be green, I bought the wrong stuff (yada, yada, yada) ) As rodwc said, if anyone wants to share their Nocitlumina experiences, step up!

PM sent, pammo13

Great post rodwc. You beat me to it! I am just at the same stage as you, having bought a Notilumina kit myself at the beginning of the month. My first attempt was terrible. I had to remove it from the dial before it set. Not enough binder! I have found that to get a good consistency, the trick is to add the pigment to the binder (and not add binder to pigment). It makes a BIG difference. I bought ultra fine pigment and mixed that with a medium grade, and it didn't seem to be too grainy. It went on quite well. The dial I applied it to didn't have any lume (just faux painted markers), so even Noctilumina is a 100% improvement in 'glow factor'. I agree with The Zigmeister's comments. This is a job for a highly skilled and experienced person, and I am sure that materials costing 3 times the amount will yield better results. I have many years experience as a draughtsman, so using a 0.18 tech pen for detailed work isn't foreign to me, which I am sure helps. My results aren't fantastic, by any means, but I am not beaten just yet. I bought this kit to have a bit of DIY fun with. I will persevere, and who knows, I might get better at it!

Thanks for the tip chrgod. I'll take a looksee!

Hmmmm......... Yep, just me then!

Just a simply brilliant review. An invaluable reference. Thanks!