Jetsons

Bazz, those are some awesome photos. I would also be interested in the camera you're using but I'm sure it has a lot more to do with the photogarapher than the gear. Beautiful 1665 as well & obviously water tight! Thanks for sharing.

kingkitesurf, the T-39 superdome doesn't look anything like the rep crystal. The difference is night and day & totally transforms the MBW 1665. The T-39 is considerably thicker & taller than the rep. Also, the dial distortions caused by the T-39 at different angles are amazing & again, nothing like the rep crystal. T-39 superdome on my white letter 1665:

Hey, J: Very easy to do and yes, the MBW inserts are glued to the bezel. A gen insert will snap in perfectly. Remove the bezel and soak it in water mixed with dish washing liquid . Let the bezel and insert sit for approx. one hour and the insert will separate from the bezel very easly with your fingers. This will also make an easy task of removing the glue residue from the bezel. Cheers, Jet

Admin, thanks for reminding some of us of all the hard work you and our moderators do to keep RWG alive and well. I as well as may others, are very appreciative of all the behind the scenes work that you guys do for all of us. I am very sorry that some of the expenses to run this forum had to come from your own pocket. That should never happen considering the large membership RWG has. If it ever gets to this point again, please post something to that effect beforehand so we can start a fund raising drive to help out. Glad that you're taking a little time off to recharge the batteries. Take care, Jet

That is indeed a pity Neil but someone had to do it. That's one fantastic looking piece of gear, sapphire and all. I'm not much of a modern Breitling fan but their vintage models were killer. Excellent snag! Cheers, Jet

That is one darn good looking red 1680! The Palp aged dial is a total killer! I'm more of a 1665 fan but this one leaves me scratchng my head. I would have zero concerns wearing this guy to a watch show, short sleeves included. Congrats, Randy! Another marvelous piece added to your collection. Jet

Sub, Consider this one: S&P 500 index fund with a very low expense ratio as the result of the very low turnover. It should be a core holding. http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Fund/Snap...mp;Symbol=VFINX There will be a time to be more aggressive.

Based on the TZ post below, Omega may be shifting their retail distribution to upscale boutiques and limit access to their watches. It seems they are attempting to boost the image of the brand and at the same time, seriously curb mail order & discounting practices. I believe Rlx followed a similar path in the late 80s-early 90s. If you're looking for a gen and can get a good discount from one of the smaller ADs, it may not be a bad time to jump. Unfortunately, good things do often come to an end. Timezone Post: http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=msg...d=0#msg_2099964

Hey, Sub: Very good advice above. I will just add that @ this stage in the economic cycle (economy slowing, rising interest rates, high oil prices and a rapidly slumping residential real estate market), safety, very high quality and dividend paying equities are your best investment vehicle. I would suggest minimizing exposure (at this time) in investments such as small cap, mid cap and emerging markets. Over long periods of time, the S&P 500 (index comprised of the US 500 largest corporations) outperforms over 90% of fund managers. Not many folks realize this but that is what history has demostrated. This gives you a portfolio of high quality companies plus diversification. September and October have historically been difficult months for the US financial markets. Beginning your equity investment program in the second half of October has historically proven to be wise time to invest. Nov, Dec and Jan are historically the best performing months. Nothing like the Holidays to get investors in a good cheer. With the preferential tax treatment of 401Ks and IRAs, save as much as possible on a consistent and regular basis. Regards, Jet

Have a safe trip & best of luck with your studies! If you're studying in the New York City area, perhaps we can link up. Regards, Jet

WOW! Great looking beast, Randy! You finally managed to get the darn movement retaining ring off. I've never been attracted to Breiting but this is a beauty for sure. Interestingly, I visited Tourneau NYC recently and tried a few on plus others. I was smitten by an orange dial model which was a beauty but pricey for an ETA 2824. BTW, I was asked twice if I had an interest in trading my not so stock MBW 1665. Thankfully, I couldn't possibly meet Randy's strict criteria. My watch boxes are already full to the brim! Jet

Very nice collection, Floris! Good to see you back. Jet

After seeing Ubi's TW 16610 Franken creation, I realized that there was hope for a properly fitting & accurate bezel insert. Ubi was amazing at helping me and kindly provided what I have been searching for many moons. He also added one awesome little extra that is featured below. On to the Pics: TW 16610 with one heavily ground OEM insert. Beautiful craftsmanship! The surprise was an aged vintage insert that through the miracle of chemistry, was transformed to a matte dark chocolate brown finish. I knew my MBW 5514 would be the perfect place for it as it would compliment the aged hour markers and hands. Looks terriifc! Side by side comparison, MBW with colored pearl on the left & Ubi's on the right: Looking good: Hope you enjoy & many thanks to Randy! Jet

The Tudor Monte Carlo is one gorgeous watch but rare as hell. I tried locating one a couple of years back but the price they were fetching put me out of the race. Here is a recent Bay auction with great photos and full specs. Geeeez, took $7K to land this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLEX-Tudor-RARE-70s-M...5QQcmdZViewItem Added: Randy, I just noticed that you have the OEM dial and case for the MC. Holy smokes! I have never seen the dial offered. It never ceases to amaze me the ability you have to source rare parts. Watches I have: MBW Rollie 1665 & gen Tudor Sub for casual and sport For dress, either of a 1950s or early 70s JLC Memovox Beater, very early model French made Heuer 200m diver but I'm careful with it as its fast becoming a rare bird. Also, TW 16610. Jet

PP, I've used this with excellent results on inserts & pearls. Haven't had one fly off yet. http://www.gssupplies.com/cement_hypo.html The precision applicator makes it a breeze! Purchased a tube up on Ebay but available in most hobby type stores. Jet

The "m"s in 300m and chronometer line up perfectly in the gen dial. This one looks off center which is a common flaw in TW cased sub dials as are the other details I mentioned. The rehaut is good. This appears to be a TW case which is about as accurate as you can find.

Not great pics but the dial should be better. The "swiss made" doesn't appear to be centered, the "m"s do not seem line up and the 6:00 marker is too low.

On the wrist (bracelet on its way): Evening: Not sure about the rest of the weekend. b

I have yet to remove or install hands but I ran across this tip (I believe at RWG) that should make installation a heck of a lot easier. Illustration below. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The way i found most convient to install the hand, is to take piece of paper fold it in middle put the hand on the fold, pickup the paper, and fiddle a bit so that the ... nevermind check the image...then hover the hole over the pinion, and use a hand setting tool to pres the hand. A second tip by Edge: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=4855&hl=

Nice job! To my eyes, the difference can easily be seen in the photos, night & day. That was a rather nasty gap between the case & bracelet that I had not noticed before. Just another of those little details that seperate the rep from the real thing. You must have one massive tool box to conveniently have a spare Royal Oak bracelet handy. Is it a gen bracelet? Very nice RO! Jet

Congratulations! Great looking young lad! Nice watch too. Cheers, Jet

Check Timezone.com sales corner for minty used examples. There were three listed there yesterday. Two with the black and one with the white dial. Usually available for around $200 which is a darn good value. Another alternative is to search the TZ Seiko forum if looking for new. You may have to post & ask as dealer links or references are not allowed. Members normally PM the dealer info. Most of these come directly from reputable dealers in Japan which ship worldwide. It is a nice diver! Jet

Borrowed from another site but the same principle should apply to the TW. Definitely keep the O rind and add a thin coating of silicone grease to the moving parts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can see a flat metal "washer" with parts that are bent upwards (see left side of the photo) and a part that is bent down keying into a dent in the case (see on the bottom). This is the spring responsible for the ratcheting "clicking" sound and action. By bending the metal parts up a little higher or lower you can stiffen or soften the ratcheting action of the bezel!

Awesome 007, Bazz! One of my old clunkers. b Have a great weekend everyone! Jet

Good for you, Joe! Very glad to hear tthat you are in good health again! Stay well. Jet