jkerouac

At times I think we can lose touch with the pleasure of finding a very nice watch for a rock bottom price. Just as with gens, you don't have to drop larger amounts of money in order to get a rep you can wear with pleasure and satisfaction.

A really good write-up. The Colt is the first Breitling I paid attention to in the wild -- I found myself sneaking glances at it during business meetings. Congrats and welcome.

Infamous--- the ultimate flattery

Definitely go to an indy rather than a authorized dealer for service.

If you don't have prior experience with the guy, I suggest you start with simple service to gauge their quality, reliability, and value.

And I focus on the movement rather than the "brand," as in "I believe it has a 7750/2836/etc. ..... have you worked on those?"

Simply saying it's an Asian movement doesn't tell him much, because it could be a $10 piece of crap or a fairly good movement. The guy I've used has been fairly complimentary to the quality of many recent vintage rep movements.

One more thing: When you say -- "I need it to last a long time. I'll need to have it serviced within the first few months of wrist time to ensure this" -- be sure of what kind of service you are getting. The Zigmeister has made a compelling argument (with physical evidence) that many watch repairers only do very superficial cleaning. He argues that to ensure long-term reliability you need a full disassembly, cleaning, and relube. If your repair person is only charging $75-100 for a movement service, you probably aren't getting a full service. Check The Zigmeister's subforum for particulars.

Define "nice" William.

Is it good looking? Yes.

Does it have a good movement? Lemania, very much yes.

Is it accurate to the gen? Someone else will have to offer an opinion, but I wager that there are differences?

Would anyone even notice the inaccuracies (if they exist)? Doubtful, depending on what kind of crowd you run with.

Consumers in general are cutting their spending, even if not at immediate risk of layoff.

When I do spend money, right now I lean toward purchases that will make a difference in my local economy rather than for the benefit of rep dealers and factories.

Buy from a local flooring dealer, perhaps hire a handyman if you can't do the work for yourself, and patronize small local restaurants. I want these people to stick around and in turn be able to do their parts for the local economy.

For a great balance between sound, noise isolation, and price, I highly recommend the Shure SE210.

http://www.earphonesolutions.com/shseea.html

Earphone Solutions also has excellent information discussing the pros and cons of different models of earphones, plus links to independent reviews on sites such as CNET.

For many collectors, the hunt is as important as the catch. Ask yourself what you are looking for. Is it to own as many reps as possible before you exhaust your enthusiasm or bank account? Is it a collection based on variety? Or perhaps its based on a particular brand, style, or even model?

There's no need to rush. If you are long-term collector, your great collection will come together in time.

In hindsight, how many collectors bought too many watches too quickly, then decided that they didn't really meet their tastes or expectations? I've generally found that each purchase helps inform, or fine tune if you will, the next purchase in some way that I hadn't anticipated before I received the last watch.

Also, notice how many of yesterday's "must have" models eventually flood the resale boards. I've been tempted by hot new releases just like everyone else here, but I really try to resist that temptation by asking myself, "If there were no RWG buzz regarding this rep, how would I feel about it on its own merits?"

My own philosophy is that I like having a variety of watches to wear. If I don't wear a watch, I have to think long and hard whether it's something I want to keep.... or resell to free up room for something that will see more wrist time.

Cheers.

Very nice. Keep up the great work. The wallpaper on my personal desktop is getting to be a bit long in the tooth. Your image could serve as a replacement.... if I stick with a watch-related theme.

It's been a long time since I plunged into a political thread with Demsey in the house.

I'm not going to comment on the original topic, but.....

... nice avatar there, Demsey. Where have I seen that one before?

I'm confused by the statement "someone has actually been trying to hack their computer through the forum, and has so far used seven IP variants."

I hope someone can explain the attack strategy and vectors in more detail.

As for compromising a paypal account, or any other account, for that matter, this seems like a separate type of attack. The first sounds like a denial of service attack. The second attack would be grabbing your credentials and impersonating you to steal your money. Both are serious business.

By the way, last year I got a mini-token generator at a trade fair and use it as added protection for my paypal account. I think the use of such devices and its successors will become common in the coming years.

I'm really surprised no one has suggested the DeWitt yet:

44mm diameter, 14 mm thick

Lots of bling without the diamonds -- and the gen goes for something in the range of $30K.

http://www.jpc8118.com/dw10013-academia-ch...800-p-4011.html

Most comfortable are the IWC 3717 or GST. I prefer the profile of the 3717, but the GST has the nicer bracelet.

For least comfortabe I have to join the chorus voting for the UPO. I love the watch, but after a few days of wear the raised profile of the watchback irritates my wrist.

Second least comfortable would be the Breitling Evolution on a bracelet. It's very comfortable on a leather strap, but the weight and fit of the bracelet lead me to wear that combination only when I really need a change of pace.

Overall straps are more comfortable than bracelets, but I still prefer bracelets-- with the exception of on Pams. There the feel of a great leather strap makes the entire wearing experience.

I have both. The Ingy has more of a high tech/industrial feel, chunky and solid. The VCO is more elegant and nautical in inspiration, with a thinner, less obtrusive profile.

For a while the VCO (white dial as pictured in a previous post) was the dressy watch in my collection, but has been largely replaced by a Royal Oak Jumbo (yet another Gerald Genta design) and Breitling Evo.

I sometimes cool toward the Ingy's unconventional look when it sits in my watch box, but then fall in love all over again when I put it on my wrist.

Both are great watches, but it depends on what you are looking for. As much as I appreciate it, my VCO has become one of my least worn watches and I may end up selling it.

I have to vote for the Ingy.

Jennifer has earned a special place in the RWG cosmos. I hope she reads this thread. She has many, many good friends in this community, and I would like to think I am one of them.

I've had to wear glasses my entire life, and am at an age where last year I had to move to bifocals, so my eyesight is less than stellar. So even when I look at my watches through a decent magnifying glass I still don't see the level of detail I see in the work of our best photographers. They are amazing.

As for watches in AD showrooms, those are polished and lit to perfection. To really appreciate the beauty of their watches they need to be out of the showroom and worn for at least a week before the showroom aura wears off. One of the joys of repdom is that you can try different models for a few months before deciding what really works for you... or doesn't. At the AD that privilige will cost you thousands.

I tried on an Academia while in San Francisco earlier this year. Very striking, but not for me.

Even if I could afford it, it would only be a very, very rare occasion type of watch.

But I must say, Pho, you treat your (former) boss very, very well.

Welcome. I particularly like that Seamaster, but your entire collection is admirable,

Something that has always bothered me about the marketing of replica OEM watch boxes, tags, and replica warranties is the likelihood that some people use them to resell reps as gens.

Sure, there are always scammers out there, and buyers need to be aware, whether simply buying a watch on its own or when accompanied by the "original box and warranty." The only way to confirm authenticity then is to have it physically inspected by someone knowledgeable.

I do not believe any of the established members here would do this, and I love the photograps and impressive displays people create using the rep boxes and papers.

But it basically demonstrates that even the existance of a box and papers is not a guarantee of authenticity.

As for storing watches, I started by keeping mine in a dresser drawer, then eventually sprang for a nice multi-watch display box.

If I recall, free shipping over $75. When I bought from them a few months ago the order arrived in less than 24 hours.... even with free shipping.

They just introduced a periodic "blog bargain." I don't know how often they'll update, but worth checking out: http://www.thewatchprince.com/Blog-Bargain

Some great deals, but limited sizes. The current deal expires at 6 p.m. EST today.

Hmmmm... I assume you've noticed that we have a Breitling forum. If I recall correctly, there is a community summary that includes review comments on the most common models. Start there. Use search for any additional information you need.

Bastards.

Last Friday morning I woke up to discover one of my cars was stolen. It was parked in the driveway directly below my bedroom window where I was sleepng. It's not a great car, but a '94 Honda Accord with 110,000 miles on it. But here in the US they love to steal Accords because they're easy to break into and there is a high demand for parts. It's my beater that I use to schlep my bikes or supplies for the garden. But it's reliable and I'd like to pay off my newest car before buying a replacement for the Honda.

Fortunately the police found the car on Tuesday, and other than a smashed ignition it wasn't in too bad shape. Yesterday the ignition was replaced, and today the car is at the detailer to be steam cleaned (they left the windows partly open and rain got in), so we should have it back tomorrow.

One of the interesting things is that they left a lot of stuff in my car that they must have dumped from yet another stolen car. When I sorted through all this stuff I found several receipts with name and address information (alas not the thieves' contact info), so I've contacted the owner to return her belongings. I don't know if she, too, will get her car back, but at least she'll get her books, some clothing, and kids toys.

It's probably too much to ask, Slay, but I hope you get your things back as well.

Hate to break it to you, but you have a Rolex addiction as well. Stick to Rolexes and your addiction might run out of steam.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT start buying Pams or IWCs. Otherwise, I fear that you will get into really, really big trouble.

My parents both had nice watches, but were not collectors or avid about the technology or craftsmanship associated with fine time pieces.

On the other hand, my mother was born in Switzerland, so every time we visited the relatives I would fall in lust with the incredible variety of beautiful watches in Swiss jewelry store windows. That's why I call this hobby "my Swiss disease."

That's a beauty. Congratulations, and wear it well.

By the way, what is the size (diameter)?

My avatar (Pat Paulsen) would due a better job from the grave...

He had a great campaign slogan:

"We've upped our standards, now up yours!"

Paulsen had other great lines:

"If elected, I will win."

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself...and of course the boogieman."

"I am neither left wing nor right wing. I am middle-of-the-bird."

"If either the right wing or the left wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles."

"Marijuana should be licensed and kept out of the hands of teenagers. It's too good for them."

When asked if he believed in the Right to bear arms: "No, I believe in the right to arm bears."

And my favorite, when asked whether he ever tried marijuana, Paulsen responded in a Clinton-esque manner that he tried it, "but didn't exhale."

But seriously, I am extremely relieved that tomorrow is election day. Whoever wins, we are one day closer to kissing Bush & Co. good bye.