deltatahoe

i didn't see the sales post, but my guess is that the seller perhaps didn't get pre-approval for a sale of over $1,500... deltatahoe

some beautiful watches -- love that black dial with silver subdials makes me sad my project fell apart deltatahoe

a member is working on a project royal oak here; you may be able to join in if you're interested. all the best, deltatahoe

thanks for the update paul i'll let the more seasoned AP experts comment on how it looks (i'm just along for the ride on this one) @joerg, i could be wrong, but i'm pretty sure paul just added the picture to the top of his post -- the people listed below were the folks in on the project at the time of the original post (more joined over time). deltatahoe

hmm....the watch boys have a dark blue gator in 21mm for IWC watches; assuming you don't mind the pilot's watch inspired strap style (essentially the way it tapers at the end of the tail), this strap should work. anyways, happy hunting deltatahoe

couldn't agree more. this is the only alarm angelus movement that i've seen where the gears have been left in place, and i have to say -- it looks 10x better that way. fantastic watch FGD; wear it well deltatahoe

i'm with simon -- go for the 118 happy holidays deltatahoe

welcome to RWG clark if you're looking for a reasonably priced (non-UN branded) gator strap for your UN, check out kurt at the watch boys (click here) -- his gator straps are top notch (amazing value for the money). all the best deltatahoe

welcome to RWG chris your post was a pleasure to read; you described very well the "is this for real?" thoughts that just about every member had when they found RWG. keep reading (given all the info out there, we're really all still noobs) and take your time before buying your first watch -- you'll be glad you did. all the best, deltatahoe

the forum is definitely free; are any of the "trash talkers" you're referring to mods or admin? i would be shocked if that was the case. some members may feel the need to try to convince others to contribute, but i don't think you'll find any mods or admin amongst that group. there was a time however (not that long ago) when admin made a request for donations when he was having to come out of pocket on a monthly basis to keep the site running, but lanikai's efforts in the past year on the raffles have helped to raise enough funds so admin doesn't have to make those requests anymore. for me, i really enjoy spending time on RWG and am happy to chip in to support my hobby. even the platinum membership is only the equivalent of a couple beers at a bar per month, and i certainly get equivalent enjoyment out of RWG. if you don't feel the same, don't contribute -- it's as easy as that. just my $0.02 of course, deltatahoe

yeah i specifically remember how hard it was to take a picture of my aged insert to accurately capture the color of the insert. in the end, i ended up putting it on a white piece of paper. i think it would probably be best sitting next to a new, unaged insert. strange. so if i'm reading your post right, he sells an insert with an incorrect pearl, then also sells a correct acrylic pearl? deltatahoe

looks great lani -- congrats on a finished project i've been meaning to start my own insert aging project since reading your thread. will yuki sell inserts individually? i need to dig up the pics i took of my aged genuine (vintage) insert a while back & post them here -- yours looks very close deltatahoe

i just had another random thought: does anyone know if the crown on the gmtiic, new blue sub or DSSD larger than a standard submariner crown (i'm guessing this might be the case given the rest of the case is bigger). i should know this, but i sold my DSSD a while back (in anticipation of the better versions coming). deltatahoe

certainly more than i'm willing to pay for this project plus the fact that i'd have to kick my own ass for putting a genuine brevet crown on a bastardized fantasy watch deltatahoe

interesting thoughts alligoat; you're probably right re: JB's thinking on that watch. also agreed on the whole "100% original" claims. a perfect example is the sales listing rosnik posted in this thread, the seller of that watch states "all original", but the crystal is clearly a beveled service crystal and not an original top hat tropic 127. imho the only way to know for sure whether or not a watch is 100% original is to buy it from the original owner (and i think we all know it is almost impossible to find original owners of these sought after vintage rolex watches these days), and even then it has to be the rare case where that owner knows for sure that nothing was ever replaced. it happens once in a blue moon, but as you say, it's very, very rare. deltatahoe

interesting idea andy -- any guess as to where to source one of those? i guess i could just shoot josh an email -- never hurts to try, right? deltatahoe ps, taking a second look (i know this is nitpicking), it would be great if the crown was a little bit longer...

wow -- incredible condition for that watch -- what a find!! congrats & wear it well deltatahoe

i'd definitely think you're right. another thing that is happening is that a vintage rolex will show up on ebay (where the watches typically fetch lower prices), and experienced collectors who know what they are buying (and are comfortable with buying off ebay -- many people aren't) will purchase the watch and then turn around and sell it on VRF and/or TZ -- sometimes making a quick $1-2k in the process. although what is strange to me about that particular 1680 is that john buckley knows all the wrong parts on that watch -- you'd think he would have fixed the watch up himself and sold it at a premium price, as that dial looks to be in really good shape. deltatahoe

john buckley is a reputable vintage rolex seller. agreed that the datewheel and clasp are definitely not original, although that doesn't mean they are not 100% genuine rolex. describing the watch as perfect is certainly a bit of a stretch. deltatahoe

very interesting. if you could get chris to brush the metal beforehand, it would be even better. i have a spare genuine silver datewheel for the 1575 and would be willing to take some close up pics for him to get a sense for what it looks like if he would be interested in taking on the project / helping push through the changes to the factory... let me know deltatahoe

hmmm well the idea is borrowed from the guy on VRF that did something similar (via project X designs). but i mentioned that at the start of my post, so i'm guessing that isn't what you're referring to. perhaps jmb will let me borrow his crown? deltatahoe curious to hear what your thinking of B (nice rhyme btw)....

correct. i don't mind the crown being a little "long", but i'm more looking for one that is larger in diameter i may take you up on that offer as a starting place... thanks a bunch deltatahoe

why not? this is a fantasy watch; call it a new age bond watch. something old (no crown guard), something new (double AR crystal). i think the double AR crystal would be an interesting element of a unique watch. deltatahoe

thanks for the info looks like i'll have to double AR the existing crystal. i wonder what the crown etching will look like after getting AR coated anybody ever had a rolex crystal with a crown etching at 6:00 double AR coated? also, anyone have any thoughts on oversized rep crowns? i'm trying to remember which subs we used to criticize by saying the crown was too big thanks in advance deltatahoe

getting back on topic, the fascinating thing (to me at least) about the aforementioned member cvg_* phenomenon is how the member(s) join on different dates each month starting (based on my informal survey of the pages) in january 2008. this isn't 30 new memberships per day for a couple months -- it's 300-400 sporadic new memberships over the past 24 months deltatahoe