shimside11

Here's my opinion on pens for what it's worth. A fountain pen is like an automatic watch. A rollerball or ballpoint is like a quartz. There are many variations on the quality of fountain pens. The good ones are made with gold tips, which, being made of a soft metal, shape themselves through use to the hand of the user. You get a big spectrum of quality with these. Some are hand finished, some use very exotic materials, and of course in the secondary market the availability of the rare ones determines the price...many thousands of dollars. Mont Blanc doesn't make the best pen by any means. (I used to sell them). Their trick is that they have established their brand name through brilliant marketing, so they can sell for alot more than, let's say, a Waterman. Some people think that Waterman is the top, but gets overshadowed by MB...(I know, I know, the paralells are frightening). MB uses plastic bodies, while the really good ones use brass, and the heft and balance is just not up there. If you're looking to impress, get a MB, if you want a fine timepiec...rather, pen, then get a Waterman. Oh, btw, if you just want something that writes, get a ball point...they're much more accurate and less of a pain in the ass. Yeah, it's the same old crap, different industry.

Timeman.net has alot of comparable stuff - pages of beat up old rollies and omegas, some good stuff if you look close, frankenwatches etc., you should be able to find one just like it there. I haven't bought from him but he seems to have a good reputation if you're not a hard core purist. edit: just checked, out of curiosity. sure enough, he's got millions of them - black dial silver dial, etc. most of them look pretty nice too.

With all the stuff that you have learned here you know more than most gen owners. It makes for good cover as well. If someone is inclined to doubt you, you have the resources to shut them down. You can compare the AP royal oak to the IWC Ingenieur and actually know what you're talking about. You can drop names like Sub, Seadweller, etc. and actually visualize the differences. One guy noticed my SS Sub and said, that is my favourite Rolex. He had an older GMT Master. I told him that I like mine but am considering a Seadweller because of the cyclops issue. I handed it to him and said that I wasn't sure how I liked the hollow mid links, and waxed philisophical on the 3135 cal movement. At the end he handed it back and said, "damn, that is a nice watch. I think that I'm going to get one". The more you learn here, the more you can appreciate the quality of gen vs reps, so when you get a fine watch (if you don't have one already) you really know what you have. It's nice to know that people here can appreciate the wealth of information and knowledge that we have here.

I was looking for an anniversary band for my wife at my local Rolex AD, when the watches caught my eye. After a very convincing pitch, the guy told me that the knockoffs were getting so good that it was hard for jewlers to tell anymore. He said that a guy brought one in for servicing and they sent it to Geneva. They got a letter back from Rolex's legal dept. which said that they were keeping the watch as it had their trademark on it and suggested that the customer consider a genuine Rolex. I had purchased a really bad day/date in Mexico about 15 years ago. It actually had a sweep second hand when everything else at that time had a quartz movement. But the imitation was so poor that I didn't consider reps beyond that point. The AD said that if I wanted more info, just google "replica watch". That pretty well created a monster. I bought a sad Omega AT rep from one of the rip-off sites for 130usd. Even with all of the problems (wrong caseback, bracelet, date wheel) it was the coolest watch I had till that point. The quality was very good and it was a heavy solid piece. I found so much rubbish on the web and almost gave up on it until I found this place(actually, that place). Saved me alot of money.

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Got this one from silix. The numbers on the bezel are a bit more rounded, like on the goldfinger watch. Although the pearl triangle is red. Angel and Jay might be able to source something like it. Who knows if it will fit. Might be worth a shot.

Well, that's uncanny...I just asked my local watch guy the same question. He is a dealer for Seiko and has the Orange Monster. He said that there is none with a hacking/manual wind movement. That is the biggest thing that has stopped me from getting one. If it was like a non-date sub that I could just put on and adjust the time, that would be no big deal, but it has both day and date to fuss with every time it stops. I just don't see it being worth the effort. Maybe you could swap out the movement in it to make it more user friendly. If I could do that I might just be interested in it. It's such a cool watch but it seems too high maintenance for me. There's always the orange Invicta diver, or better yet the original Doxa that started the whole orange thing. Also, if you're looking for Seikos, I know they make alot of automatic watches that are not available in the US. The Grand Seiko may have what you're looking for but they're hard to find.

Palpatine, I'd love to hear your take on grebecks question about movements.

If you define "superior" by accuracy, the quartz will win hands down (sorry, bad pun) If you like the fact that the second hand sweeps, the watch needs no battery, etc., and you get some kind of inexplicable satisfaction from the "soul" of a mechanical watch (and sometimes you can see it through the little window in the back), and have an appreciation of the centuries old craft of watchmaking (ok, ok I know were talking about a cheap Asian movement here, but I'm a romantic so humour me), then you could possibly define the automatic as superior....I do. Really apples to oranges IMO.

The 360 is based on a tag cal. 7 (28,800 bph) which has a power reserve of 42 hours, the chrono movement is where all the bells and whistles are added - separate gear wheel, balance, manual winding system, basically an entirely separate movement within the watch. The power reserve for that part is 100 minutes and it has its own power reserve indicator (that is the part of the watch w/ the 360k bph). This is the coolest thing to come out of Switzerland in a long time. The thing that blows me away is that it is all gears and springs. No electronics. Anyone that says watchmaking is a lost art is totally out of touch.

Tag Heuer cal.360. New last year. 360,000 bph! Now that's what I call a sweep hand. No, not 36,000....

I've been looking to get a gen moon watch for awhile. The reduced is only 35.5mm and looks tiny in comparison to the full size at about 40mm. I wonder if the 7750 might be a bit too big. The chronograph movement seems to be alot to stuff into a 35mm case. All of the reps that I have seen are close in every regard except for the subdial spacing, which stands out from across the room. The rep that I have been wanting is the automatic version. It seems that the dial spacing on the gen automatic is very close to the reps of the manual wind moon watch. The speedy is such a cool watch. If they could make an accurate rep of any version I would get it.

Tag's new cal. 360 is getting there too, 360,000 bph, as compared to the conventional 28,800. I do agree though, Spring Drive is the one to beat (sorry, couldn't resist).

I've been wondering if (with the recent gold prices of over 700USD p/oz this week) gold in watches may get more appealing to the beautiful people and trendsetters. I know that for the past few years, SS has been all the rage. My Rolex AD cannot give away a TT Daytona or a TT Sub, both of which they have in stock, and both of which I tried on yesterday. Right now they have a three year waiting list for SS Daytona, and you have to be a regular customer just to get on the list. They can't keep SS Subs or Seadwellers in stock. Has anyone noticed any trends toward gold lately? I'm not in the most cutting edge geographic location so I'm really not exposed to the latest trends (doesn't help being in the conservative financial services business either). My colleagues' ideas of the ultimate cool watch is still an all gold DD (yeah...old guys) Logic would dictate that as gold prices go through the roof because of increased demand, stuff with gold in it would follow (in a supply/demand paradigm). If it becomes harder to get, will fickle fashion sniff it out and jump on it? Any observations or interesting musings?

The tourbillon was invented to counteract the effects that gravity has on a pocket watch. The whole balance assembly turns round within the movement. Since a pocket watch was in the same place all day, gravity would throw off the precision, so now the balance could turn and counter gravity's pull. The tourbillon is very intricate complication and is hard to make. Recently, over the past couple of years, the complication has caught fire with the watch crowd and now everyone is coming out with them. They are selling for hundreds of thousands of USD, some approaching 1m. The whole idea behind the tourbillon becomes obsolete on a wristwatch, given that the watch is in different positions all day. So the whole interest in the complication is appreciation for its complexity (if one is serious about watches) or that it's cool and costs alot of money (if one is a dilettante with too much money to spend). That's it in a nutshell. Anyone else give it a go?

The gen is 135g. I weighed my SS ETA Sub with hollow mid links, and it came in at exactly 135. I've had a couple of people hold it and say "oh, I can tell it's fake because it's alot lighter than the real one". It really got me wondering so I looked it up and weighed mine. Apparently these bozos haven't held a gen in their lives. Rest assured that these new models are quite accurate, and with the right mods only the freaks could call you out and be able to back it up.

I have to agree w/ tjgladeraider. Getting all bothered about .5mm on cgs or whether the crystal is sapphire, or exact subdial placement is all good fun, and makes this pursuit all the more exciting, but when you get into counterfeiting serial numbers, it goes from novel to sinister. There is only one reason a manufacturer would put a real serial number on a piece. I think that placing a coloured gear in a rep rolex movement is also very suspect. (I've seen some of those lately). The intent for most of us here is to get as accurate as possible, but it is not the intent to resell as genuine. Nobody will ever call anyone out on a watch because of a serial number...unless they are considering buying it for a gen price, and inspecting it for authenticity. There is such a fine line that separates the various forms of larceny. Steal the stock in trade of a company that has spent years building a brand identity, but don't scam some poor greedy schmuck that thinks he's getting an unreal deal on a Rolex day-date or red sub. There are so many arguments as to why one degree of theft is almost ethical and another is totally unacceptable. Is it OK to counterfeit a paper note for purely artistic reasons (to the point that no one could ever tell) as long as you don't try to pass it? How about copying the old masters to learn the craft of painting? Everyone has their own ethic. Makes for interesting discussion.

I never wore watches when I was a teen either. All I needed to know was when school was out and when band practice and gigs started. Once I got responsible I started wearing watches.

One of my favourites

All he has to do is own them once (even for just a few days), document it, and he could make more in the secondary market than he makes with the Newman's Own stuff. Nice closet industry - kind of like Picasso signing doodles on coctail napkins. I know that Newman's Own goes to charity and he doesn't need the money, but maybe he could donate all the proceeds to helping Rolex stamp out counterfeiting...(sorry, couldn't resist...flame away if you must)

I've been looking at some of their other stuff. Some of them are very nice looking watches. The first I'd heard of them was a review of a Samson tourbillon on TZ. The guy seems to like his. It looks like the tourbillon actually turns. Most of them are copies, I'm sure, but to non-watch people they just look like nice watches. I may look into getting one or two just for fun.

Here is an interesting take on a popular model... samson I guess this is what they do with the watches that don't become replicas. You see it all the time with subs, DJs, etc. but it's kind of cool to see this one come out, since it was only introduced about a year ago. I wonder if Alpha will be picking up on this one?

bling=new rich, fleeting, fickle,dilettante, bad taste, poor people w/ money...rather embarassing to be in that sort of company. don't want to be associated in the least with any of that. Show me these guys in ten years. In 1984 MC Hammer was flying all his cokehead friends around on private jets and buying personal islands. By 1990 he was selling commercial real estate in Dallas (according to an early 90s Rolling Stone article). At least he has the sense of humour to laugh at it now. 90% of lottery winners are broke within five years. That is exactly the kind of gaudy stuff that the nouveau riche think will make them look sophisticated, and it's the first to be pawned when times get hard.

I have found that when I let people think that a rep is genuine (if they comment on it), they don't really make much of it. It's just a nice watch. Now when I slip in the candid "it's actually a replica" I get much more interest. They are curious as to where I got it, how do you tell the difference, how much, etc. I get to tell them about creative birthday packaging, customs, the thrill of the chase, how many of the latest reps are remarkably close to real, (don't worry, I haven't betrayed our little community or our dealers) and I get alot more milage out of the conversation. It has been said so many times here, and by here I mean there...anyone can buy an expensive watch. Most people with reps have crappy Canal St. pieces. It takes some doing to get the elusive A+++ solid gold, Italian made, grade 1 reps for under 1000usd I have to admit that there is a bit of a buzz when I catch someone looking intently, but giving it away sometimes makes for more fun.

We're probably alot more secure in this pursuit than we think. Some on this board think that you can tell a SS Sub '05 model a mile away from the CGs or the pearl. A rep at my AD couldn't spot the tells (yes, she was relatively new), and was amazed by the quality of the latest reps. If you can spot a good sub rep across the room you are probably a freak (like most of us). This article really points out that the info the general public gets is dated and inaccurate. Things have changed so much the last couple of years that it's hard to keep up. One guy told me that he could tell mine was a rep because it didn't have holes in the lugs. I guess that the bottom line is wear your rep with pride. Unless you are hanging out with guys that are all wearing the real thing, nobody will know (or really care, for that matter). And if you are in that crowd, it's likely that you could afford the gen with a little discipline, if you are ill at ease with sporting a rep.