jkerouac

I know that we use Google ad placements as a means of supporting the forum, but I found this ad at the top of our main page to be rather curious: Real Rolex

I think my last watch purchase was about six months ago. Since then I've put more priority on The Zigmeister service for a few of my favorite 7750s, and some AR. Plus I bought a new car and just had all of the wood floors in my house refinished, so I feel like taking a breather from spending money. When I do buy my next watch, it will probably be a gold-plated model -- a Mont Blanc, IWC, or Chopard are candidates, but I'm not in any particular rush, so I'll wait to see what new models come out in the next few months.

This program was instituted primary to address the concerns that you describe with such empathy. I actually read about this program several times in newspapers, and I am fairly certain I heard it mentioned on the national news as well. But then, one would have to be a newspaper reader or even a watcher of nightly news programs to learn about this program -- a big problem if the news are on at the same time as Wheel of Fortune. Decisions, decisions.....

Just in case there are any US types on the board who still use "rabbit ears" or other old-fashioned antennas, the government is sending out coupons that will help you pay for a converter: TV Converter Box Coupon

Exactly what I was going to say. My first Pam is still my favorite -- an early gen 192. But the threads are shot, and on top of that I put a couple of really annoying scratches in the lugs dealing with the screws. Thanks to River's spring bars, though, I wear it often. It remains one of my favorites

Congratulations. What I love about your post is how much beauty and satisfaction you achieved for a nominal investment of money. With dealers charging more for every new model, and the growing popularity of modding, there amost seems to be an arms race of sorts to see who can create the "most perfect" rep -- including adding genuine parts. I am not knocking those efforts, but your post helps restore some perspective to the general discussion of modding and the search for the perfect rep. Thanks again, and enjoy your creation.

Tanqueray and Bombay martinis are popular in this house -- with lots of olives. My fantasy is to marinade lots and lots of olives in gin and vermouth.. for a day or two at least... and then just pop them in my mouth until all cares have melted away.....

My wife and I are doing our part to inject some life into the economy...we just bought a new car and next week are having the floors of our house refinished (now there's a fun project for you....NOT!) As for my reps, my money is going to The Zigmeister and the Chief right now. I haven't purchased a new rep from our collectors since last summer. Will I buy a new rep later this year? Probably. Do I know what model it will be? Not at all. Will higher prices make a difference. Hell yes. If sales slow down, perhaps our dealers will try to hold price increases down. In any case, spending our money within the US to the extent possible is a good thing for the time being. P.S. DT, I haven't seen you around in some time. Welcome back.

Actually, the term that annoys me the most is "Spot On" -- as in, "i just received this [fill in the name of almost any newly available model] and was able to compare it to the gen version at the AD, and this rep is Spot On." I expect marketing language from our dealer/collectors, and know to discount it, just as you would from any other marketer. But often I also know to discount the first "reviews" that are posted for a new model, especially when the poster uses the phrase "spot on." Even the best reps have "flaws" or at least differences from the gen. Some of these discrepancies will matter to me, others won't. (Heck, some discrepancies I can't even see, even if I use a magnifying glass.) But the fact that someone spotted it, and may even have been able to capture it with a macro close-up, at least makes me a more informed consumer. Maybe it will be a deal breaker, perhaps it won't matter. But that is up to me. Facts and informed decision-making will shape my purchases, not the terms "Ultimate," "Super," "Best," "1:1," and definitely not "Spot On."

Congratulations, and good luck. I also hope they give you a great discount. Needless to say, please be discrete with your affiliation with RWG. Do nothing that would endanger your job or career. Cheers.

That is my sentiment exactly. When I first saw pictures of these watches, I went nuts. I wanted it. But then the movement reports came in, and I never made the move, even after they released one awesome variation after another (notably the ones with the gold case versions). As beautiful as they are, I cannot justify the expense for such a movement time bomb.

I've only purchased a handful of used watches, and those from veteran members. I have been satisfied with all three. I have a few watches that I would consider selling, but most have flaws, so I would discount them to the point that it is hardly worth the effort. What is absolutely not worth the effort is damaging your reputation for the $50 or $100 extra you might make by misrepresenting something that you have for sale. Even if a person is a "hit and run" type who will never visit the board again, are these paltry sums worth the knowledge of what a cheap [censored] you are?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Office. I've also been catching up on Entourage, 30 Rock, and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations on the Travel channel. Curb and Sopranos were great, but very yesterday. And I am glad that someone mentioned The Riches. An awesome show. I can't wait for the next season.

I wear two rings -- my wedding band, which is a traditional Victorian English engraved gold pattern, and a New Mexico Indian engraved sterling silver ring with mosaic inlays. Finding a decent men's ring other than a wedding ring was ridiculously hard, since I didn't want the usual jewelry store men's ring, and a lot of the southwestern Indian or artisan-style rings look garish or cheap. After years of looking I found what I was looking for at a high-end Indian art gallery in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Sorry, but my camera recently went south, so I need to replace it, otherwise I would post a few photos.

That advice sounds as good as any. At this point you are in a roulette wheel sort of situation, and not one where you have a lot of control. The best you can do is muddy the water a bit and keep your fingers crossed for a positive outcome. Good luck.

Anybody wear one of these beasts through airport security? I can just imagine one of these security people popping a gasket when they see the crown assembly and conclude that it's a grenade. If sneakers and other footware can be weaponized, why not a watch on steroids.

If I had a heart condition I would have keeled over in the final minutes of the game. Honestly, I'll bet there was a spike in coronaries in the northeast last night. Go Celtics!

I'm saying that several times I think they delayed crediting a payment until the day after the due date in order to impose the late and finance fees. Example: Electronic funds transfer from my bank initiated four days before the due date, but only credited to my account the day following the due date. With mailed checks you need to allow even more lead time.... at least seven days. I frequently compare the mailed or payment submitted dates vs. the date my accounts are credited. No other type of business even comes close to the credit card company's lackadaisical payment processing systems. But then, very few companies have non-existent grace periods like the cc companies either. But they've trained me well. I pay my cc bill not on the weekend along with the rest of my bills, but as soon as it arrives. I don't want to pay their interest, plus I have an completely spotless credit record and get really [censored] off at the notion of them mucking with it. P.S. So why don't I switch? They have a really good points program.

In the US I think there is little difference between many lenders and crack dealers. When you get a mortgage, the amount they say you can afford is totally out of whack with reason-- unless you don't need to eat or buy clothes, transportation, heat, electricity....etc. And the credit card companies will keep sending a person (or pet) solicitations until many people are swamped with cards. My wife and I pay off our cards every month, but get within a breath of the due date and they will do their utmost to sock you with finance charges. I despise their business practices.

Darts. I pin pictures to a wall and throw darts. But I'm a lousy shot, so sometimes it takes a while before I even hit one of these pictures. Actually, I select based on style first and then quality. The style has to spark something in me, otherwise the fact that it is accurate or well built doesn't mean much. On the other hand, I've resisted watches that turn me but that have bad reputations, such as the IWC Portugese. I'd still love to have one, though. I also look for variety, so dark vs. light dials, numerical vs. unmarked bezels, chrono vs. non-chrono, strap vs. bracelet, and dress vs. sport. Right now my focus is on adding a dress watch, but I am having a hard time making up my mind.

I've thought some more about this, and once again I want to commend Pug for raising the question in the first place, and for clearly stating the circumstances in his review. I'm sure this isn't the first time that a member has received a watch in exchange for a review, and most such reviews have not been as clearly labelled as Pug's. On the other hand, some early "reviewers" have been able to identify flaws that a dealer subsequently fixed, thus directly benefitting later purchases who received better versions than they would otherwise have received. But I'd like to think that I would receive treatment equal to that received by Pug, Bytor, or any of a number of more distinguished members, and I would hope that a newbie with only a handful of posts would receive the same kind of treatment that I might receive. Otherwise I think the quality of the information and guidance we receive on the boards will be diminished.

I do not think this is a positive or desirable trend. Even if someone is an impartial reviewer-- and I would not think of impugning Pug's integrity especially since he started this thread -- a person could be swayed by the knowledge that if the current review is favorable, it might result in the collector selecting you to receive and review a subsequent watch. On top of that, if collector x selects member p to do a review, then the collector is obviously going to cherry pick a perfect rep for purposes of the review. Certainly that is likely to happen anyway, if an active reviewer such as Pug purchases an early release of a rep. But it's even more likely when the review is prearranged. With restaurant reviews, most reviewers try to maintain anonymity to ensure that they do not receive preferential service. With car reviews, the reviewer generally does the same, or borrows the car for a day or a period of days and then returns it. This is to ensure that reviews are impartial. We should do everything we can to ensure that our reviews remain untainted as well.

Dang, I had to look up vernissage. That skeleton version paired with a two-tone strap is great.

I have my eye on Miss February. Can't you just imagine the offspring of Miss February and my avatar?

My first post-college job was as a newspaper reporter. There is something rather "focussing" when the managing editor comes to you with a lead on a story and says that he needs three pages, four pages, or five pages (his choice, not mine), and it needs to be done within 90 minutes or two hours (once again it was his choice, not mine). I had no choice other than to focus on getting the information I needed and and creating the story correctly with the first draft. To say the least, this was a very bracing experience. For writers, deadlines are a good thing. They make you focus exclusively on the essential question or questions. Punctuality is the same. Do whatever you have to do to be at point A at time B. I must admit that Mrs. Kerouac works on a slightly different (ahem) clock, and even after 15 years it can drive me crazy.