crystalcranium

Smells like a disaster. I'm reminded of the time I told my Father I was fixing our perfectly fine TV. We've heard this story before. Want to know how it turns out? Inexperienced watchsmith wannabe just wants a peek. The short list. Scratched case back Cross threaded case back Distorted Gasket Just a tiny regulator adjustment turning into a watch that runs 3 minutes fast a day......or has it's beat rate changed because you don't know what lever to move....a mechanical watch killer. Bottom line...enjoy your replica...leave well enough alone.

Let me start of with a disclaimer. In the past month, I have sold or given away almost all of my replica collection with the exception of my gold FA Jones and my stainless Sub. I have a growing collection of good genuines and I found the reps were collecting dust getting very little wrist time. So my perspective on the value of investing in replica watches is a little skewed these days. I will probably buy an interesting piece here and there but for now, my days of investing a major chunk of my take home pay in replica watches are over. Replicas still present a remarkable opportunity for watch lovers to own beautiful mechanical pieces but in the last 4 weeks, I've had the opportunity to purchase some remarkable watches, like the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Grande Guichet and quite frankly, the fit and finish of the replicas were looking a little forlorn down on the farm once I saw Paris. That being said, I wonder who will buy pieces like the Breitling Chronomat Swiss 7750 with diamonds or almost $2000? Does anyone think buying this watch makes good sense???? "Grade A diamonds"???? What the hell is a grade A diamond? I thought letters like VSI and D flawless were the letters used to describe diamonds. Now there's some fodder for the "little lies" thread. I actually consider the $90 Asian 21j reps better deals these days. Some of them are beautiful, all are affordable and none of them will put a dent in your genuine savings cookie jar. This is in no way meant to be a replicas bashing post. My replica experience is evolving,...not ending. Chris

WOW. Haven't been there in 23 years. Looks like I need to go back!!! Funny, the city hasn't changed much. I remember a drunken night at the Moulin Rouge where there were beautiful horses rearing up on their hind legs right in front of our stage front table. It was one of the most fantastic live entertainment moments I've ever experienced.

I put my new 28,000 eta sub side by side with a 15 year old Sea Dweller and there is no comparison. The genuine is smoother without a doubt. Unless you work in a snotty "I don't give a damn who we sell to" store, there is nothing to be gained by calling out rep wearers. I used to thump my chest when I walked out of an AD with my unsuspected replica but I suspect now they were just being prudent salespeople.

I'm in a weird place now with replicas and genuines. I love reps and think they still represent an unusual bargain but I'm thinning out my collection and I seem to be gravitating toward reasonably priced genuines. Next to go will probably be my beloved GT on a genuine Breitling leather strap. That will leave me the obligatory SS sub and my gold FA Jones, which is the only watch I own that my wife actually thinks is beautiful, as my only remaining replicas. The genuines include the Omega SMP Chrono, Hamilton Jazzmaster Chrono, Hamilton Dodson, Raymond Weil Don Giovanni and the next addition.....an Oris Artilier Chronograph in Stainless Steel. Maybe 6 months from now I'll be selling all of those off for 1 $8000 Zenith Grande Open Class El Primero......or maybe I'll buy 25 new reps!!!.....

Use a jeweler's cloth with rouge already imbedded. Do not use polishing solutions for metals. It's too abrasive. A very small amount of "Barkeepers Friend" on a moistened cloth rubbed very gently does wonders to revive gold plate. You can't actually "polish" gold plate without quickly abrading it off. Don't get too crazy about cleaning plated watches. Every so often, I clean my watches with a soft cloth that has a little glass cleaner sprayed on it and that's it.

My son rotates a Casio G Shock and a Timex Ironman.

I was washing my 6 month old black sports car one day and decided to let my 5 year old son help so we could have a great time and get nice and wet. I turned my back for 30 seconds and looked back to see him dragging the metal hose fawcet back and forth in wide arcs against the hood paint. Arughhhhhhhh!!!!! Fortunately I did not react in such a way that my son will need psychotherapy. Unfortunately, I had to get the car hood repainted. He went through the clear coat, color coat and primer right down to the bare metal. He's 18 now and I still don't trust him to wash my car. My watches......no way.

EMS in the US is delivered 365 days a year. I have recieved 3 EMS packages at 11:00 am Sunday.

Do some research. The Wankel is so superior to the piston engine in simplicity and efficiency that had 60 years of piston engine technology not preceeded it, it would have "revolutionized" the automotive industry. A piston engine can't compare to it when it comes to weight/HP ratio, number of critical moving parts, and stability at high revolutions. A rotary engine actually becomes more stable the faster it revs. I could go on and on!!!!

Oooooohhhhh sweet. My honey was a 1980 Mazda RX-7 white with a leather interior. I had it up until a few years ago, rubbed it with a diaper and treated it better than I treat my wife in many ways. Sold it because of storage and insurance issues and it broke my heart.

There, did I make myself clear!!!! What the F*&% caused that?????? Sorry!

The point is that many people, and I'm talking about casual watch lovers who want more than a Seiko on their wrist but who don't know the dirt in the details, see the Moonwatch as the be all and end all of toughness, surviveability and desireability only to be dissappointed to learn that it's a plastic crystal manual that is really very simple and modest in construction and capibilities. The MBW carries with it a similar mythic desireability among rep collectors until you read the fine print that it's a very inaccurate replica out of the box. I was seeking to make a parallel analogy, not impune the value of acrylic crystal manual wind watches in general.

The point is that many people, and I'm talking about casual watch lovers who want more than a Seiko on their wrist but who don't know the dirt in the details, see the Moonwatch as the be all and end all of toughness, surviveability and desireability only to be dissappointed to learn that it's a plastic crystal manual that is really very simple and modest in construction and capibilities. The MBW carries with it a similar mythic desireability among rep collectors until you read the fine print that it's a very inaccurate replica out of the box. I was seeking to make a parallel analogy, not impune the value of acrylic crystal manual wind watches in general.

The point is that many people, and I'm talking about casual watch lovers who want more than a Seiko on their wrist but who don't know the dirt in the details, see the Moonwatch as the be all and end all of toughness, surviveability and desireability only to be dissappointed to learn that it's a plastic crystal manual that is really very simple and modest in construction and capibilities. The MBW carries with it a similar mythic desireability among rep collectors until you read the fine print that it's a very inaccurate replica out of the box. I was seeking to make a parallel analogy, not impune the value of acrylic crystal manual wind watches in general.

Yes the origins are American....19th century America and the Ball watch company was bought by Hamilton USA I believe so the original Webb C Ball company that made railroad standard pocket watches is long gone as an independent organization. The modern watches are very nice but I don't especially care for the idea that this is a new company that bought the trademark rights for an old name. Super luminova has an inexhaustable life span with no loss of its' ability to absorb and emit light. I would think any electric watch would suffer from extreme temperature problems. The Speedmaster manual Moonwatch survived numerous torture tests of extreme temps and conditions. Just an update on the watch. My wife has upped the ante saying she'll chip in for my birthday so now the target price is around $1800. Looks like an Oris Artilier Chronograph is in the crosshairs.

No question an MBW. Lousy replica out of the box. Iconic mythical status but a Noobmariner is closer to the genuine article. Kinda like having a genuine Moonwatch as your Holy Grail. Do you really want a manual wind acrylic crystal watch as your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?????

God Neil, you crack me up. I can easily imagine Angelina dry humping my wrist. I hope that VC is "dive" rated!!!

Only $320,000......now that one I might consider wearing.

2 million dollars + correct????? On a wrist??? So basically you are reducing the question to "What's the worlds most expensive watch?" It stimulated a little more thought in me. Better set up a budget for a 24 hour bodyguard.

23 skidoo....Bo do de o do...... I see the hole in the logic of the question. 'Mr prosecutor, you said nothing about owning reps!!!!"

A minute repeater is a mechanical watch that uses a series of chimes to announce the time of day when a button is pushed. Quote from wikipedia " The minute repeater works like the quarter-repeater. The main difference is that the minutes that have passed after the last quarter are struck rapidly with the help of a high-tone bell. If, for example, the time is 11:58 then the minute repeater will signal 11 low tones followed by 3 series of high-and-low tones and 13 fast high tones." Obviously, a complication left over from before luminous hands and hour markers.

I think everyone is saying no more loud and clear! Thanks for spreading the gospel of salvation among us sinners.

OP "If you had an unlimited budget, but could only own and wear one ‘genuine’ watch, which one would it be?" I interpreted this as this would be the only watch you would own and wear. If I wore the same watch every day, it would qualify for "beater" status.

Could you guys really wear a watch worth 30K-50K-150K every day as a daily beater???? To me, it would be like strapping sheet rock to the roof of my McLaren F1 and use it to haul supplys to the construction site every day. The fact that this is the ONLY watch I would be able to own in this fantasy scenario, just going for the rarest or most expensive or most prestegious is a far too simple way of looking at it. If I had a $100,000 Patek on my wrist when I accidently brushed my wrist against a brick wall, I'd...I'd......I can't even think of it. Only if I were allowed another watch that I could wear with impunity on a daily basis would I go for the best and most expensive of complicated pieces from the oldest companies.