deltatahoe

great watch & pics; i'm totally intrigued by those flying indexes i couldn't agree more with the title of your post....rep collections absolutely lead to gen purchases; the great thing is, rep collections lead to much more informed/refined gen purchases. my first gen watch purchase was a sinn u2; there is no way on earth i would have chosen (or even known about) that watch unless i started collecting reps. given i didn't have an appreciation for watch movements before finding RWG, i probably would have bought a quartz breitling chrono of sorts (or something similar) the real trouble is going to be holding off till next year to buy my next genuine watch (i'd like to keep it to one per year) deltatahoe

first off, welcome to RWG i wouldn't worry about servicing a handwind 6497 (asian or swiss), and a small screwdriver is all you need to change straps... deltatahoe

this is one of my favorites: white dial breitling chronomat evolution on genuine brown crocodile

this is good to know....will likely pick up a santos 100 chrono at some point and will definitely get hktan to make a nice strap for it.... deltatahoe

i hear you to a certain degree, but don't forget that we have a similar second-hand market for reps....you could just as easily wait and pick up a used aquatimer on the trading board (at a similar discount in terms of percentage of original cost) and be able to resell it and recoup your costs....

what an awesome shot vic you know what they say, timing is everything..... deltatahoe

today it's my pam 232 on papaya brown.... deltatahoe

given the case isn't filled with argon gas (like my sinn u2) or something crazy like that, ziggy can probably take care of any warranty-related issues that you might have, most likely twice as quickly as an AD, and at a very reasonable cost. taking this into consideration, i wouldn't be too concerned about the warranty -- unless you're really unlucky, you'll most likely save more buying a grey market version and paying ziggy for any repairs that happen than buying one from an AD.... just my $.02, deltatahoe

i looked briefly but couldn't find any 'reduced' blue lume versions of this watch; i'm just hoping they will eventually rep the 43mm standard version with date.....i think that rep will sell like hotcakes.... deltatahoe

ziggy's on vacation guys -- i think he's turned off his messenger....

i think i'm more clueless than before who's the class dunce now?

so here's your post in the other thread.... to be 100% honest, i have no idea what other detail you are referring to.... could you PM me too? deltatahoe (aka noob4life)

words of wisdom we've all been there deltatahoe

ahh the missing bezel marker....i didn't catch it at first glance (admittedly i didn't look too closely)....but perhaps you should be happy that it was missing upon delivery.... imagine your disdain in asking paul to provide a replacement bezel/marker a week after you received the watch, when the marker popped off and poked a passing admirer in the eye while you were walking down the street. and the oxidized crown guard....certainly not ideal, but not a deal breaker. the real key here is understanding that paul is a drop-shipper (as are joshua, andrew and several other prominent dealers). he never sees the watches, so unless you're getting extra special treatment (which unfortunately didn't seem to be the case), you aren't going to get much (if any) quality control. sorry to be the bearer of bad news.....i totally understand the feeling of disappointment in getting a watch that isn't as it should be..... deltatahoe

i'm a little confused vic....i don't know anything about the pam 199.....what exactly is wrong with it? also, you mentioned that you did get a casing replacement for your mini fiddy....so what is the hang-up? re: eddie lee, i would argue that a comparison to paul is unfounded. EL might not be the most responsive on email or fastest to ship a watch once you make a payment, but he has always made things right in my experience. one piece of advice -- don't feel like you need to buy more watches to get decent customer service. paul is THE discount dealer; there is a reason his prices are lower than everyone else. as an example, joshua has always had slightly higher prices for his pieces, but is clearly known for his top notch post-sale service. i've found if you are loyal to a particular reputable dealer (making most if not all of your purchases from that particular dealer), they will provide quality service without requiring you to buy more watches (they realize that you will eventually buy more watches, and when you do, it will likely be from them). to be honest though, once josh got his automated site up & running, i've actually purchased fewer reps from him. maybe i'm old fashioned, but imho there is something about the dialogue that goes back and forth about buying a watch (not to mention the ability to negotiate price within reason) that i enjoy about buying reps. at this point (having built my collection to a place where i'm really happy with it), i'm most likely to buy a new watch off of the trading forum (when i see a particularly good value or hard to find piece). sorry about the rant on my collecting theories. what was your issue again? deltatahoe

to be honest, i was thinking of the many NON-watch 'things' that i could buy for $50k that have more wow factor than the freak. i realize this is sort of breaking the rules, but i just can't imagine spending $50k on a watch. i'm sure this will change over time though deltatahoe

thanks for the feedback on the costeau ziggy....interesting that this one is well made all around, whereas the big bang (another so-called super rep) is not so well made. deltatahoe

while the freak definitely has a WOW factor, i can think of lots of other things for $50k that have MORE wow factor.... deltatahoe

this will most likely be my next gen (it's taking all the self control i've got not to purchase it tomorrow)... jlc reverso squadra hometime deltatahoe

looks great italiano -- i've come really close to picking up one of these on multiple occasions. it is an impressive watch (navitimer on steroids!!); i'm concerned my normal navi won't get any wrist time if i get this one.... wear it well deltatahoe

really??!? i'm curious -- which europelli strap did you get (ie. was it a shell cordovan)? in what size? i might be interested in buying it if you want to get rid of it... deltatahoe

i do love the papaya brown strap on my 232 have you tried a europelli shell cordovan strap yet? drew has top notch communication/customer service, the straps are unbelievably well made and the leather is best in class. you will not be disappointed. deltatahoe

i agree w/ the comments above -- you definitely want a 26mm strap for a 47mm watch. i might even wait until you get the fiddy before spending $100+ on a nice strap -- you might think the fiddy looks ridiculous and want to sell it (hopefully not).... i'll second the quality and value of the watch boys straps (i have one on my 183h), but imho the fiddy looks better on non-exotic straps... i love my 217 on the europelli shell cordovan black w/ copper stitching, and think the fiddy would look great on the vintage caramel w/ khaki stitching or dark cognac shell cordovan w/ copper stitching (link to drew's site is here; scroll down to the bottom for his 26/26 mm shell cordovan straps)....the matching copper stitching looks amazing with the gold hands.... just my $0.02... deltatahoe

well that was easy. thanks T for everything you do for RWG i've updated my signature; hopefully it will lead to some extra donations... deltatahoe

i saw one of these in person last weekend at my local AD....it was the panerai gmt 8 days power reserve model w/ date (phew!!! that was a mouthful); i have to agree with you guys -- there was way too much going on with the dial.... definitely a cool looking movement from the back though -- i personally like the look of the new in-house movements.... deltatahoe