jkerouac

When my wife is late for an appointment or simply behind schedule, she often asks "How did it get to be so late?" My stock response is to say "tick, tick, tick....."

Remember the RWGI serial novel that played out last year? Gunnar, perhaps you could start one and see what happens.

The overall Panerai look is relatively unique in the watch world. In general it may take a bit more knowledge to know the difference between an Omega and a Rollie (although the Rolex name for most people has a bling reputation). But when you see a Pam you know you are looking at a different breed of cat altogether. It is a very distinctive, relatively clean, bold, down to earth look. Unlike some of our RWG friends I tend to glaze over at all the different Panerai models. For the most part, I think they tend to look the same. I have one, a 192, but haven't been able to bring myself to buy a second. But the 192 is a terrific watch, and it helped me appreciate the allure of the brand compared to other brands.

My avatar is still my favorite sundial. Perhaps one of our dealers could rep this beauty: "Pocket Sundial" Belgium, early 19th Century 10cm closed Brass, silver chasing As Europe became increasingly caught up in commerce and trade there was a growing need for accurate timepieces. Since miniature mechanical clockworks were frustratingly unreliable, watchmakers fell back on an older method of timekeeping, and suddenly pocket and wrist sundials were all the rage. The "Railroad" model shown here had no moving parts other than the flip-up gnomon and was consequently quite durable as well as extremely accurate. The Swiss company Time Rex marketed them under the slogan: "Takes a stunning and keeps on sunning." Later improvements allowed the use of these clever devices even at night, with a streetlight, gas lamp or even a patent cigar lighter as a source of illumination. Models were available for both gentlemen and ladies, although the gnomons on the latter were so small that the sundials were regarded more as jewelry items than timepieces, especially when liberally studded with precious stones. Time Rex?????? "Takes a stunning and keeps on sunning." !!!!!!!!! Actually this is from a parody Web site: Gladys Dwindlebimmers Ralston Gallery of the Unidentifiable Some great treasures, though.

Congrats and welcome, Jason. Now that your first two are on the way, try to relax and just enjoy the neighborhood.

1G for your wife is probably the right size. But there are lots of good players besides the iPod, usually for much better prices. Ipods are cool, but people seem brainwashed into thinking its the only cool mp3 player. Check cnet.com or similar for information and reviews of the latest models. As for hard drive-based models, I've had my 30G Creative for 2.5 years and it is still going strong. Swappable rechargeable battery lasts about eight hours. My main gripe is that after about a year I maxed out the space, so I fave to regularly delete things in order to add new music. Next time around I want a 40-60G.

If I recall, his last posts were from vacationland in Hawaii. Perhaps he extended the concept of vacation to separation from Internet sites .... even (as hard as it may be to comprehend) this one. Being an optimist I feel certain that he is OK.

I would definitely add that Memovox from Gran's list to mine.

The problem is, that there are a lot very interesting choices, just in the Royal Oak line: Royal Oak Club

Are you asking for top five reps, or top five watches, even if reps are not -- or never will be -- available? I assume the latter. I don't even know what my top 5 might be, because I haven't studied barely enough. But I suspect that a Ulysses Nardin and an AP Royal Oak would be on the list.

DT, I have tremendous respect for your efforts toward improving our discount with select dealers. Believe me, I am an admirer, not a skeptic. But as you yourself pointed out, we have a very healthy cadre of respected dealers -- any one of whom can deliver a desirable model when someone else can not. The IWC stainless, whether in white, which I have, or in black, is awesome. I prefer either to the titanium. So don't deny yourself. Expand your horizons by dealing with someone else this time. If option A or B don't pan out, by all means try C, D, or E. Regards, and enjoyable hunting.

I agree totally. If purspeed has trouble getting a response, perhaps someone can forward the message and let Joe decide how to handle it. If I were Joe that's how I would prefer that my friends handle a request such as this.

I'm not sure I agree with your logic, DT. My first two purchases happened to be from Paul -- before the Crazy Sale fiasco -- and with the change to Aspire I'm not even convinced it's the same guy any more. So I wasn't trying to promote him, just to suggest that there are alternatives for the IWCs that you desire. But competition enhances pricing more than exclusive discounts. For example: I can promise you a 15% discount as long as I know that I can charge 50% over my cost (or even cost + 15%) for a product. You feel good... and I feel even better. On the other hand, if competition forces me to keep my margin to, say 12%, then I might have to come to you and say "sorry DT, but I can't give you a 15% discount any more. You'll have to pay the same price as anyone else." Now, I have never been a retailer, and my math skills are not uncontestable, so somebody may say the percentages used in my example are not real world. But even if that is the case, I would wager that scenario B leads to a better price than scenario A. Sure, the people of RWG do think along common lines. That's why we are here and share insights and reviews about different watches and dealers. But if we decided that we will all purchase only from Jay, King, and perhaps EL, then I don't think we'd be better off.

This is great stuff. Thanks. I just received a few more tools, and I have a couple of dead or "very cheap" reps that I can play with. Unfortunately my eyesight is not that great, so I have problems with really small parts, so I don't think I will be advancing to anything much beyond the basics -- but I do see well enough to play with "[censored] bits."

And Paul? IWC White

Did you ask River, Joshua, Andrew, etc. whether they could source a stainless for you? I can't imagine that they stopped making them already. And I purchased one from Joshua within the last couple of months.

Amen to that . The corollary is to resist the temptation to buy a new model when it first comes out. I bit on a first generation Planet Ocean (one of my "wtf" moments), and overall I am happy with it. But I would have been even happier for the long term with a more recent, higher quality version.

First, ask yourself if you could only have one watch, which would it be? I'd consider lifestyle and appropriateness to a wide variety of occasions. Planning to buy more than one? Sort them by style. If several are scuba style, which is the best/favorite scuba? Same for dress watches, chronos, etc. Then you can decide which niche in your collection you want to fill first, second, and so on. Your favorites by style, and your purchase priorities will probably change, but it's worthwhile to at least establish priorities. Eval the movements and the dealers who offer that watches you are interested in. You have to decide how important accuracy to the real watch is to you. How much are you willing/able to pay? Nobody can answer that but you. For myself, I have watches that I consider part of a longer-term purchase strategy, and others that are "what the f**k" impulse purchases. I try to stick to the former, but have been tempted more than a few times by the latter. You are correct to ask the questions you raised. Take your time studying pictures and reading reviews -- and even browsing watch shops before you purchase. Better to purchase thoughtfully than to purchase fast. Cheers.

Funny the resemblance. To some people, wearing a Panerai is kind of like strapping a bagel to your wrist. (Written while wearing my bagel -- er, Pan -- 192)

I think it comes down to whether you lean toward a classic "divers" watch or are more swayed by the eye-catching orange bezel and more modern PO design. I respect the fact that many of our members consider the submariner to be their "definitive" watch. I myself am not into diver watches per se--nor Rolexes in general--but I do find the PO to be a very sporty and eye-catching watch to wear.

Unfortunately people in the US pay much more for health care than people in other countries -- and don't get better health care for our troubles. So we'll probably pay at least twice as much for fukitol -- even if our HMO insists on a generic alternative to fukitol rather than genuine fukitol.

192 in all its brilliance.

Sorry to hear about your problems, Slay. Good luck in getting them resolved. I suspect that quality control issues will always be with us because we want the "best" looking reps, often with complications, and at the lowest possible price. Our dealers and forums do a good job of improving the quality of our purhcases -- but that is not a guarantee. Many people don't fully appreciate that buying a watch is like buying a car or house -- the initial cost is rarely the final cost. If you have five watches, you need to accept the possibility or likelihood that you will incur five times the maintenance costs. If you have 10 watches, that can be 10 times the maintenance cost. In some cases that will happen in the first year, in other cases it may happen two or three years down the line. Of course many people can do some parts of maintenance themselves. I admire those who the skills and aptitude to do these things for themselves. But sometimes we try to do more than they we are able. Unfortunately it doesn't take long before I reach the limits of my skills. So I would head to a watchmaker sooner rather than later -- as I would to an auto mechanic or electrician. It gets expensive.

One indispensible tool not mentioned previously. A good jewelry polishing cloth such as a Cape Cod. Opening the postal package with your new prize rep will bring a smile to your face. Give it a good, thorough cleaning and polish and your smile will turn into an enthusiastic ear to ear grin.

I understand what you are saying about the quality of good organ recordings, and sound reproduction. But great organ recordings have a lot of texture, as well as depth. And my point was just that all too often today that texture is sacrificed for the sake of deep, earth-shaking thumping bass.