jkerouac

This is very disappointing news, even for those of us who haven't yet purchased a Portugese. I have been bugging a few dealers for an all black dial Portugese. If they eventually come through, I'll have to decide whether I still want to risk the problems that The Zigmeister described.

I would not purchase a watch just because a particular person or persons had reviewed it. But if a particular watch really appeals to me and I didn't jump right away, these reviews would seal my decision. Pugwash and ByTor are not the only high quality reviewers here, but they are probably the most consistent, and I think they have pretty darn good taste. I'd buy them a drink any time, should either of them pop up in my neighborhood.

That is too perfect! Very funny. But Yard Master watches should have special functions for measuring the amount of grass cut per interval or the growth rate for new plantings.

I vote for the seconds hand--183

I've clicked the ads a few times, but in truth these ads are just not very appealing to me. So perhaps an alternative would be to sell premium placement of watch advertisements to our existing dealers, whom we are already commited to. I realize that on the one hand they are already contributing in order to have their own own sections in the Dealers forum. On the other hand, perhaps they would like to have premium placement at the top of the page whenever a member browses to RWG. They could choose to promote individual new models....or general image messages explaining why they their service/support is better than the other guy's. We are a captive and very receptive audience. No one else's advertising can possibly have as much bang for the buck. Perhaps this would be an attractive option for them as well as for us.

I have a similar Hirsch strap on my Panda-style Speedmaster -- it's similar, but with many small holes rather than the three large main holes on relaxman's strap. I've been ambivalent about the overall look of my Speedmaster, but the strap really makes a positive difference. I recommend these two Hirsch straps to anyone with a panda or domino black and white dial watch. Note: That's a Web site picture, not my watch. By the way, I love that Domino style Portugese. If the solid black dial version, or the gold case versions do not become available, then the domino is the Portugese I will get. So I really appreciate your "real life" pictures.

There is an interesting thread pinned at the top of the Repair & Upgrade forum titled "Getting Your Movements Serviced Is Easy Now ." It seems to me that the illustration in this thread by The Zigmeister of everything that can be done incorrectly to mod a rep is at least equally worthy of being pinned. The cautionary nature of this thread does not need to target a single individual. But it should serve as a warning how important it is to vet the skills and pricing of anyone offering to work on your watches.

In more ways than one!

Toddy is correct about the innacuracy of the white GMT. (I admit that I didn't actually follow your links and was assuming you were potentially interested in the blue SMP GMT, which is what I have.) The gen white Seamaster GMT is a gorgeous creamy white on white, ad the greenish lume on the rep wouold keep me from buying this rep. So the YM might be your preferred option.

I have both the Seamaster GMT and the YM, although the YM is about 18 months old, so a different generation and has the flaws current at the time. If you only have one watch, it would be the Seamaster all the way. No comparison because it is the most versatile in different circumstances and is simply the superior watch. If you really want to supplement an existing collection with something more dressy, then the YM might be the way to go -- a bit blingy for some dressy situations, perhaps, but definitely an elegant statement. I prefer wearing my YM in "sport-dressy" occasions such as going out to dinner, etc. If it's a more serious dress-up situation, then I would probably recommend something a bit more understated such as a Patek or VC. For a recent two-week trip to England I took my Seamaster for every day wear, and a VC Overseas for my brother's wedding and a few other suit and tie occasions.

That in itself deserves an award for self restraint!

I joined RWG I on Oct. 20, '04, so I am approaching my second anniversary. My first purchase was a Speedmaster panda from Abay, which I still wear, though infrequently. I wear it primarily on the weekend while running errands, hiking, or biking.

I am waiting for a package from Canada for 2+ weeks now under similar circumstances. No tracking, because the value of the parcel was not high enough to warrant tracking. I trust the sender. But it is frustrating nonetheless, for both of us I am sure. It gives me some small consolation to hear from others that US-Canada customs can be slow, and that even without tracking they should send a notice regarding the disposition of the package.

In my neck of the woods people are very keen on the HTC Star Trek as the phone of choice if you prefer clamshell phones. http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?code=SMARTFLIP_US I may be upgrading in a few months and right now this looks like the phone for me (though not at the mobile planet price)

What I noticed on Nang's beauty is that either the pedals are very, very small (and perhaps parallel to the crank) .... or you forgot a small detail there.

Back when I lived in Chicago, the state put billboards up along a CTA line through a rough part of town promoting one lottery game or another: "From Division Street to Easy Street" Message: All you have to do is spend your limited income on lottery tickets rather than food or education.

If or when the casino companies are able to own online gambling, then the rules will change, just as these companies opposed gambling outside Nevada and Atlantic City....until they were in a position to own or manage the casinos themselves. As for the US and state governments, I do not gamble, online or in casinos, but it is hypocritical for them to run and promote lotteries and other games of chance while at the same time outlawing their competition on "moral" grounds.

Or how about "Free My Willy" ??? An uplifting classic if ever there was one (although I admit that I missed it at the multiplex!)

As previous replies indicated, new reps, or generations of reps, are appearing every day. It's an exciting time as we try to figure out which models will appear next and try to plan our next purchases. If you are talking about new generations of existing reps, you might want to think like a rep manufacturer. Simply put: how much does he/she need to spend to reach that "next level" of quality, and how much do they expect to gain from updating an existing model vs. bringing out a rep of a completely different watch? I'd suggest to you that rep manufacturers might see more incentive to go from 70% accuracy to 80% or 85% than to go from 80-85% accuracy up to 97-98%. These are reps. Most people, including the persnickety members of boards such as this one, provide a pretty good volume of business at the 85-90% level. And once the market has purchased large volumes of watches at 85-90%, how much of that market is going to get rid of the old to get the 97% accurate model? Some, certainly, but enough to make the upgrade a good business decision? Especially when the release of a new model such as the IWC Portugese or Bentley GT causes a stampede of new purchases?

Dr Zhivago Lawarence of Arabia Godfather 2001 Vertigo You Only Live Twice Duck Soup/Horse Feathers/Night at the Opera (you pick 'em) Seven Beauties Body Heat Man Who Would Be King

If you are getting close to 50% of purchasers posting reviews, then I would consider that a pretty good percentage. People should post reviews of new dealers and unusual deals and there is nothing wrong with politely asking purchasers to help establish your credibility. In truth that percentage will probably diminish as you become more established because many people will resist posting reviews that merely state "perfect communication/delivery/watch" etc. if nothing else makes the deal noteworthy. Also keep in mind that not everyone is going to repost the same review on all of the boards -- some people will, but this is a distinct minority.

I just had another idea and this one [if I do say so myself] is much better than my last: Let's take a lesson from the magazine business. What do a lot of magazines do when you buy a new subscription or renew? They send you a "bonus" gift such as "25 Top Training Techniques" (for a sports magazine) or "50 Hottest Models" (for a mens magazine). We have some incredible content ...PHENOMENAL CONTENT!!!.....that has been pinned at the top of many of our forums because they contain a distillation of the best pearls of wisdom that we have to offer. No self-respecting collector should be without this information. And we're giving it away free!!! Too often newbies don't even look at the pinned posts. (Remember The Zigmeister's complaint about this a week or two ago?). Instead they ask the same basic questions over and over again. One reason they don't is because we don't put adequate value on our pearls. No offense to Richard Brown's Replica Watch Report (because I think it has great advice, which I paid him for and I feel I got value for my dollar), but a lot of our content is at least as valuable as his, and in many cases it's more timely and to the point as well. But the board in all good intentions gives it away for free. So let's put a value on it. Subscribe for a year and get access to a package of "the best of RWG." Choose not to pay and perhaps we tell non-Supporters who ask dumb questions that the answer to all of their newbie questions.... and more.... is contained in our best of collection. Choose not to pay, and perhaps you can still find this content, but you'll have to hunt for it because only Supporters have access to the "Best of" Forum.

OK, I hadn't signed up for the lottery, but now I have. One other option is to add a few more membership categories: First Month: Newbie Second Month: Freeloader Third Month: Deadbeat Fourth Month: Leach Fifth Month: [censored] Cheney fan (Just kidding ) etc. .... until the person becomes an exalted Supporter.

I currently contribute (financially) to two rep boards. I can't imagine donating to more than that. If anything, I may not renew the other board, because I spend quite a bit more of my board time here. Overall, I think there are too many rep watch boards. People argue that each has its place and the more the merrier, but there are significant costs involved in maintaining any board with a reasonable level of participation. Perhaps there is room/opportunity for merger. This is probably the most active of the boards. For that, I presume it has the highest percentage of newcomers, dropins, short-timers, or however you want to categorize the new registrants. Then there are those who are still relatively new (say members for 2-4 months) but who haven't seen the need to contribute financially. Each of these needs to appreciate teh costs associated with the board and the potential benefits. I like the idea of a tiered membership as Admin described. This makes a lot of sense in terms of 1) making it easy for newcomers to pay a very nominal amount to see the value of the board, but 2) requiring a somewhat larger commitment for continued and enhanced participation. Perhaps only the General, Off Topic, and Dealer Sales sections (no reviews, no repairs or expert areas). I incuded the Dealer Sales section because I think that ought to be up to the dealers -- do they want to be visible to newbies, or would they rather restrict viewing of their new offers to established members who might be less prone to unreasonable chargebacks or other behaviors. I like the idea of a trial membership. The drawback would be people reregistering with new accounts every 30-60 days to get the enhanced participation for free. Could this be tracked via IP address?

Congratulations, Gunnar. We were in Florence just two years ago in early October. I would go back any time. There is a great watch boutique in Florence. I forget the exact name, but I believe it starts with a P.........