jkerouac

I totally agree with the other points people have made. I got the Lello date wheel for my Ingy and it made a huge difference.

What really sets the Ingy and Overseas apart from many other watches is the wonderful texture of the dials.

Ditto on the dial of the Royal Oak Jumbo. My Ingy has a black dial (is there any other choice here?), the Overseas has a white dial, and my Jumbo has a dark blue dial.

(pause to compare the three)

Of the three, the Jumbo has the most stunning dial, then the Overseas, then the Ingy.

(more pause to consider the differences)

I think I just talked myself into an AR treatment for the Ingy.

I have both an Overseas and an Ingy, and enjoy them both.

The Overseas is a more elegant watch, and is more appropriate for dressy occasions. Until I recently got a Royal Oak Jumbo, the Overseas (white dial) was my primary watch for dressy occasions.

I love the look of the faceted Overseas bracelet, as well as the watch's slim lines. And when you polish the case, bezel, and bracelet the contrast between brushed and polished surfaces is fantastic.

But that's a rub (pun intended) for me. To polish all of the nooks and facets of this watch takes more effort than on any other watch in my collection.

The Ingy is a a beefier and heavier watch, similar to a UPO. And while the design is quite distinctive, it doesn't scream for attention the way a lot of other watches do.

Some people had problems with the clasp on the Ingy bracelet, myself included. A weak weld resulted in a broken clasp and I ended up buying a replacement from a dealer.

On the other hand, IWC bracelets are the simplest to resize and feel buttery smooth. The Overseas bracelet, as someone else noted, can have problems with soft screws, so understand the pluses and negatives of each.

In the end, if I could only keep one it would be the Ingy.

Perfect Clones/Joshua are/is a reliable vendor. You can read plenty of transaction feedback in the Dealer Rreviews section. Based in China.

Happy hunting.

Awesome combination. I'm tempted to add a joke about asking the lady in the red dress to go diving..... but I'm too refined for that sort of humor.

My thought exactly when I saw this article. But then, the opening ceremony had a huge element of magic and illusion to begin with.

Still, in an age when performance-enhancing drugs are shaking the foundations of many sports, shouldn't the event organizers themselves set an example of total honesty in their presentation? Perhaps at a future Olympics they can spray the audience with a mist that will convince every single person there that they, too, can fly!

I have three GMTs, one Asian, one 7750, and one 2836-2.

In my experience the 2836-2 is the best, most reliable of the bunch, a Seamaster GMT that I've had for ab. 2.5 years. It's also my GMT of choice when I travel, so I've reset the GMT more than on any of the others.

I would not blink at buying another GMT with the 2836-2.

Actually he seems a bit conservative to be wearing a watch like an AP. Sure, he has money coming out the kazoo, but I see him wearing a Date-Just or similar. If he really wanted to be stylish, a Master Compressor would be an appropriate stylish, yet no nonsense choice.

On page 1 somebody made a comment about the high cost of service on top of the cost of the rep as being a factor. Although I agree that many new reps are too expensive (at least for my blood), I firmly believe that the cost of maintaining your most valued reps is money well spent, that is if the work is done well.

As for rep costs, this hobby is all about affordability.... being able to purchase and wear a beautiful facsimile of a genuine watch at a fraction of the cost. When the cost exceeds a certain threshhold, then it makes sense to stop buying ... unless of course we are lemmings rather than truly savvy shoppers.

Where that tipping point occurs (where one stops buying) has many factors. The primary might include how many reps you already own, how much disposable (what I refer to as "what the f**k") you have, and your genuine passion for a particular model.

And the added cost of service for long-term reliability is something I would factor into any major purchase.

One of my very favorite performers for many years. Catch her live if you ever have the chance.

Peace, Love & BBQ

I suggest we merge this thread with Andy's other thread:

So how do you pronounce Ingeneur while under water?

Or

how do you pronounce Ingeneur while under water in a Geman pool?

vs.

how do you pronounce Ingeneur while under water in a French pool?

Reps have allowed me to wear stylish watches that I would never have allowed myself if they were gens. $2000 or more for a watch?? I would have said it was a waste. But double that amount (or more) for 10 or 20 really nice watches, spread over a period of a few years, that I can live with.

My taste has evolved ... a lot ... since I bought my first rep. Who in this hobby can say that their taste has not been changed, and generally for the better.?

Everybody needs at least one hobby, so this is one of mine. It's not the least expensive hobby I could have picked up, but it certainly isn't the most expensive either.

My biggest regret is that I don't have the perfect collection. As I said, my taste has evolved over time, and if I started out now my collection would probably not include a number of watches I have now, or I would have the same watch but with a different dial. But I've only been able to bring myself to sell a very small number of watches that really did not fit my taste.

The problem, as I see it, is that buying too many watches (or anything else, for that matter) too quickly doesn't allow you to fully appreciate your purchases. If anything, you have to move them out of the way to get to the next purchase, and on and on. So for now I am content with all the watches that I currently own. I may buy one or two more watches this year... or perhaps not. Beyond that, I can't even say.

Another vote for the Navitimer. With the larger size, you really don't need the extra bling -- plus I prefer GMT over day complications. I mean, do we really need a watch to remind us what day of the week it is?

Or follow what ought to be the motto of RWG: "Can't decide between two watches? Then get both!"

I'd second Gran's suggestion -- IWC is a great way to start, either with a GST or Ingeneur. Both are terrific everyday watches and would show your great taste and independence from the Rolex hypnosis.

Hopefully, if we can agree on a fair percentage, the dealers can look into this thread so they can more sensibly price a replica. More or less would be based on the quality and accuracy of the replica.

An interesting concept, though I doubt the dealers, let alone factories, think their prices are anything but sensible. "Sensible" is what a sufficient number of people are willing to pay. If you give a product away, it's not sensible; similarly, if you overprice and sell too few, the price is not sensible.

Some people take gen pricing into account, but I think it varies from rep to rep. Some reps of $10K gens you probably couldn't give away. Other reps of gens in the $2K-3K range sell for decent prices because the design is extremely attractive and the rep is of good quality.

Also, many people fail to take service into account. If I buy a $250 or $300 rep with an Asian 7750 and I really, truly want that watch to stick around a long time, I will invest $200 or $300 for proper service, above and beyond the purchase price. It doesn't matter what the gen-rep ratio is if the watch dies.

I have the Seamaster, the Mille Miglia, and the 063. For out of box GMT purposes I'll take the Seamaster any day.

A few years ago the non-GMT Seamaster was one of the board grail watches, and in my book the GMT addition makes it even nicer. I have the ETA version, although many people swear by the Asian version as one of the stellar bargains anywhere.

Overall, I prefer the looks of the Chopard and wear it more than the Seamaster, but the GMT is a bit flaky to set, even after The Zigmeister serviced the movement. He attributed this to the challenge of bolting a GMT function onto the 7750 chrono functions. Once set, though, the GMT works fine. I just don't like to reset it very often, which would be a significant drawback if I travelled to different time zones a lot.

The Pam is quite nice, too, esp. with that huge second hand. But the GMT hand slips occasionally (Asian version), so it would benefit from a service as well as other upgrades (crown, cyclops, date wheel, lume) in order to match the other two in quality.

Note: You might also consider the Mont Blanc GMT.

No one ever talks about service. My dad's Rolex Date Just service last year cost a cool grand, and he still had to go back earlier this year for them to get it right.

If I had known what the Rolex service was going to cost him I would have set him up with a nice rep version, so if it broke down he could simply get a different one.... or have it serviced for a lot less than $1,000.

Actually, the retail price is 20 cents. Dunno where you buy your apples. The $799 is because I've bitten into it. Now it's special

I should mention that this Apple:

- Is the portable edition

- Contains no worms or viruses

- Runs an Apple core.

- Comes with a free naked chick called Eve.

You can keep the apple. But I'll take the naked chick, please.

Not familiar with the vendor .... or your girlfriend.

Neither watch would be on my list for style or value.

You can get classic and trendy and value from most any of the dealers listed on the board.

If you use search, there are plenty of threads that discuss watches for wives, girlfriends, SOs, etc.

Welcome to the board, and good luck.

This is tempting. Thanks for the shots and initial impressions.

A couple of questions:

You mention the weight. How does it compare to a UPO or Chopard GMT (the two heaviest watches in my collection)?

How is the PVD coating? I'm particularly wondering about the wear and deterioration potential on the PVD bracelet links.

Again, thanks and enjoy your new beauty.

Rolex actually seems kind of stody for a high schooler. It seems to me that any of a number of other brands, including Panerai, would have more cachet for a young person.

I got an Omega Geneve Dynamic for my high school graduation. Unfortunately the service costs and cost of custom straps became too much for me before I fully appreciated what a great watch it was, and I let it die from exposure to moisture about 15 years after graduation. Boy, do I wish I had that watch back.

On the plus side, my father had the same watch, though his was brushed SS while mine was brushed gold, and mine had a more unique dial. He recently gave his to me in part because he moved some years ago to a Date Just, plus he wasn't able to find the custom strap that this watch requires. Fortunately I was able to source a strap through Taikonaut, and I now have a watch that means almost as much to (because it was my father's) as the graduation watch.

Actually the make of watch that you receive for graduation shouldn't matter. It is, or should be, a symbol of transition from the world of kids to the world of adults. Granted, that transition can be rather blurry (I certainly didn't suddenly become mature the day I received that diploma). But it is a special occasion, and even cars, which are generally quite a bit more expensive than watches, are rather transitory. A watch, though, of any type, is a great graduation gift.

What picture??? Apparently I wasn't the only one who couldn't-- and still can't see your image.

Bill worked in a pickle factory. He had been employed there for a number of years when he came home one day to confess to his wife that he had a terrible compulsion. He had an urge to stick his penis into the pickle slicer.

His wife suggested that he should see a sex therapist to talk about it, but Bill said he would be too embarrassed.

He vowed to overcome the compulsion on his own.

One day a few weeks later, Bill came home and his wife could see at once that something was seriously wrong.

"What's wrong, Bill?" she asked.

"Do you remember that I told you how I had this tremendous urge to put my pen is into the pickle slicer?"

"Oh, Bill, you didn't" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I did." he replied.

"My God, Bill, what happened?"

"I got fired."

"No, Bill. I mean, what happened with the pickle slicer?"

"Oh...she got fired too."

I have had good success with both members and collectors... that is no problems with members, and where I have encountered problems with collectors, they promptly addressed the problem to my satisfaction.

Having said that, I have only purchased from members with good reputations. Some of the used offerings on the board seem either barely credible, overpriced, or both, so I've resisted making offers even when the watch being offered was something I might like.

Sure, collectors also overprice and sometimes overpromise. But at least with collectors there is the promise that they will be around tomorrow, and have a bit more to lose if the transaction is substandard.

I told my wife that the new gas prices make me feel as if I am on vacation in Europe..... but without the hassle of having to fly for nine hours, and without the benefit of the European culture. Of course I also realize that your prices have shot up just as US gas prices have.

I particularly feel for the millions of people who could barely afford to eat a decent meal before the prices shot up. Now the starvation threats are even more serious.

In all, we in the US and in Europe are still the lucky ones.

I told my wife that the new gas prices make me feel as if I am on vacation in Europe..... but without the hassle of having to fly for nine hours, and without the benefit of the European culture. Of course I also realize that your prices have shot up just as US gas prices have.

I particularly feel for the millions of people who could barely afford to eat a decent meal before the prices shot up. Now the starvation threats are even more serious.

In all, we in the US and in Europe are still the lucky ones.