mcdj

They don't call it catch and release for nothin. This hobby is a lot like fishing. You spend a bunch of time and money getting the best tackle and researching the best fishing spot, then spend the day fishing and come home empty handed.

I considered making one of those online petitions for this, but I thought better of it. Instead, I'm adding a poll here. The factory obviously has their reasons for discontinuing the SSD. It seems unlikely that it's because they're introducing a V3, as the V2 has been discontinued for quite some time. I suspect sales were just not up to speed for whatever reason(s), and keeping the tooling around for the occasional odd order was probably cost prohibitive. Add to that the high (probably much higher) demand for the DSSD... Anyhow, there seem to be plenty of people on the rep boards who would continue to buy SSDs if they were available. My theory on the SSD's demise is that once word got out that the watch was discontinued and the trusted dealers stopped "stocking" them, inquiries about the watch dropped off and we have merely been selling/trading the remaining pre-owned ones back and forth to each other for the past 6 months. That is to say, the dealers and the factory have no idea how much people still want this watch because people have stopped asking them directly for it. So, this may be a longshot, but my hope is that if we can get enough people to vote "YES I WOULD BUY ONE", and get the cartel dealers to show this thread to their contacts at the factory, maybe they'd see enough demand to reissue the watch in some capacity. For it to work, I assume there would have to be some sort of group pre-order via one of the cartel dealers to get the ball rolling. Not sure how that would work. I do know though that money talks…merely having 100 people say they would "probably" buy an SSD won't likely be enough to motivate the factory. It may also be that we would have to reconsider how much we'd be willing to spend. I believe the ETA SSD V2 was $228 before shipping (maybe more?). I don't know about you, but at this point I'd be willing to pay $350-$400 for a brand new QC'd one. So, if you would DEFINITELY order a new SSD reissue, vote YES. Obviously it's not a contract, but please don't vote if you aren't 100% sure you would buy one, and please be open minded about the price. If we're to have any chance of organizing the power of the forums to institute a change at the factories, we have to mean what we say.

Interesting watch. Much more in line with what a vintage rep should be, price wise, given all the mods folks do. One thing I prefer on MBKs in general is the hours markers. If you want to age them, you have a whitish base to do so with. (I always prefer a creamy color for the markers that looks like NOS.) Josh's dial is already too lemon yellow IMO.

lol ok sorry folks. I just hate when people assume the worst before checking.

Dunno bout that dealer, but I can tell you that rep is horrible. The bracelet is marked Ocean, which was exclusively an IWC model, but IWC never made an Ocean Chrono. Eterna made a Porsche Design Chrono, but it wasn't marked Ocean on the bracelet, and it was far nicer looking than this rep. And either way, the Eterna is never referred to as a Bund. That is reserved for a special orange or red hand version of the IWC Ocean 2000, designed for, and mostly issued to military divers, and certainly never made by Eterna, and never a chrono. bund info here... http://www.iwcforum.com/Articles/OceanBund/text.html The Eterna that this rep is trying to be...

umm, did you do ANY research before posting this? the watch pictured appears to be 100% legit. it's an auto 3510.50, not a moon watch.

lol doh.

You are definitely not the only one!

To my knowledge there were only 2 "transitional" dive models; the Sub 16800 and the SD 16660, which appeared variously with sapphire crystals and matte dials with no white gold on the markers, with a few at the end of the run coming appearing with white gold on the markers and glossy dials. In 1989 the no date Sub jumped directly from 5513 to the 14060 model number. I have seen a few 5513s with plastic crystals and white gold on the markers, so these could be considered a transitional version of sorts, but unlike the Sub and SD transitionals, these did not get their own separate model number. Since the rep in the OP's post appears to be sapphire, it would be a rep of the 14060 or possibly the 14060M.

Funny, I literally just ordered one last night. Eddie Platts, timefactors.com.

nice, but it looks like a brand new RSC dial/hands. if so, what a travesty. OTOH, it looks like some genuine McQueen cheese around the bezel! someday you could clone him from those bits!

Hate to burst your bubble, but that is not a Ken Trading RXW. It's a knockoff of a knockoff. Ken Sato of Ken Trading, as your post mentions, was an homage specialist. But for the most part, his forte was homages of rare and exotic models. Among the exceptions to this were a Yachtmaster (Sailmaster!) and modern Explorer II (Expertimer), both in black and white dials. You'll notice none of your links show a Daytona; that's because he never made one. He also never made an LV Sub. He also put a lot more, borderline nonsensical writing on his dials. On the other hand, he would never put "Date" on a dial that had none. He also never used the word Oyster on a single watch. Here's a snapshot of his offerings from 2003... http://web.archive.org/web/20031202030710/...collection.html By 2004, Panerai really started putting the heat on him to cease and desist his homage operations, and he eventually succumbed, losing a court battle against the Vendome group. Some time later, he introduced a "Hummer" line of watches that mimicked AP Royal Oaks, but their success was limited. About that time, maybe around 2005, rep factories in China/Hong Kong picked up on the cult status of Ken's previous efforts and began producing their standard rep fare emblazoned with the now defunct RXW logo. Among these were myriad straight copies of current watches, like the modern Daytona, the LV Sub...watches Ken never made. True RXWs are fairly rare and increasingly collectible. The Chinese versions are inexpensive, found everywhere, and as mentioned in this discussion, on par with another straight copy label, Alpha. Fake RXWs used to litter ebay, but they've cleaned up the cheap ones, because they were blatant rip offs of Rolex. The models that don't get yanked are generally the "real" Ken Trading models. Ken was clever enough to change his designs just enough to thwart the Rolex lawyers (but not enough on the Marina Militares to keep Vendome away). mcdj

Not so fast there.

Heywood Jablome Holden McCrotch

pm sent! oh crap. not for sale.

Having just changed the crystal and bezel insert on an older MBW 1665 last week, I can confirm that the "MBW" 1680 does not have a 1:1 bezel assembly. The bezel is sloped, like a Panerai bezel. The washer is dish shaped like the photos by the OP. This is why a gen insert needs to be glued in. I think a gen bezel retainer ring would fit (maybe not?), but the washer would also have to be changed, and then who knows if the bezel ring itself would even snap over the top. Not good. No longer 1:1, so what's the point?

I received an MBK/MBW 1680 this week from a well known dealer (not Reg). It too is marked 1680 between the lugs. I have not tried to add any gen parts yet. I am hoping there won't be any problems.

Yes, that would be a 14060, not a 5513, and a little pricey for this model IMO. *oops* the pricey comment was for another 14060 by the same seller, around $4K.

For buds with the mic/control button, the new Apple In Ear headphones are pretty friggin great IMO. I owned ER6i and found the sound to be airy but thin. The Apple buds don't have much oomph in the low end, but neither do many "neutral" buds. The Apple are also dual driver based...tough to find that for $79, especially since you get the mic/button. For buds with no mic, I can not say enough good things about the Denon C700/751. They are the mid range darlings of Head-Fi. Amazing punchy bass, smooth mids, great imaging. A bargain at +/-$100.

You are an idiot for considering this purchase Seriously, this site reeks of scam, as in take your money, send nothing. Their claimed replica inventory nearly covers Seiko's entire catalog, and all are pictured using gen pics. Same with their Casio listings, etc. I say they're out to snag as many orders from unsuspecting noobs as possible and then fold up shop. There is simply NO WAY anyone is repping all these obscure unpopular watches. Some of their rep prices are even higher than the gens typical web prices, e.g. Seiko Monster.

I've been living in NYC for 20 years, 3 subway stops from Canal. I've been buying reps there for all 20 years, and been in the "back room" in multiple places, but I've never seen watches in the back, only bags, and not a single safe. OP, as mentioned, there has been a major crackdown. It started with Rolexes. But within the past 2-3 months, you can't even buy a Panerai unless the cops are giving the dealers a day off. There are permanent police RVs and vans stationed up and down the block now. Entire swaths of dealers have been put out of business and their stores remain vacant. There are some reps still available; Omegas, a smattering U-Boats and IWCs, plenty of B&Rs and Pateks, and some APs. My feeling is the reps you can find there seem to fall into 3 categories... 1. Those brands which don't really feel the pinch of counterfeiting because their uber wealthy target market would never buy a rep, and the rep customer either could never afford, or simply wouldn't drop the coin on, the real thing, i.e. Patek, Vacheron, AP. 2. Those brands who have always seemed to do very little to quash the rep trade, almost as if to silently embrace the added brand recognition that reps can bring a watch company, regardless of the hit their already massive gen sales may take; like Tag and Omega. 3. Those brands who are just a bit too small and boutique to have enough global resources to do anything about the situation; IWC, Porsche Design, B&R, etc. Just my theories. One thing's for sure, stick to the north side of Canal. The south side is primarily junk. There's a young guy between B'Way and Lafayette, very friendly, not pushy at all, who sells some "Swiss" versions, literally on the top shelf. His prices on the lower shelf stuff are considerably cheaper than the online cartel prices and the quality is very similar if not identical. Don't waste your time with the guys who carry briefcases. Stick to the shop fronts. And don't waste your time going anywhere with anyone who whispers "Rolex, Movado" as you pass by.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Turner#cite_note-0 maybe do a little research before spreading this FUD. the guy is a white nationalist/supremacist. anything he says means zero.

my test for crystals, be they sapphire, mineral, etc., vs. plastic, is to lightly tap it against my tooth. Plexi has no "clink".

Yup, that's the watch, minus the seconds.