mhinagoya

I first met TTK in the UK over a fine dinner. We spent the evening laughing and having one of the most enjoyable conversations I have ever experienced. On a couple of other business trips, I spent several days with him in Thailand knocking around. I was privileged to meet his lady, be invited to his home, and in general, had a wonderful time. My wife found him to be "Delightful", and "Elegant". The Neil/TTK that everyone knew on the boards bears no resemblance to the real man and it pains me that his illness has cost him a leg. I believe I know where to find him and the next time I am in the UK, I will again enjoy the company of an old friend. If someone didn't get what they paid for, you may rest assured that it wasn't because he didn't ship it. Neil is an honest man. He played with watches for entertainment, he didn't need the money. I even met some of his suppliers in Thailand. By the way, he speaks pretty good Thai. He could be caustic when seated at a keyboard. The vast majority of it was dry humor. It just took a bit of insight to realize it. For those of you fortunate enough to have spoken to Neil (or will speak to Neil), you have met a true gentleman and a rare/outstanding character. Bill.

TTK Be careful my dear friend. You may find yourself becoming philosophically Buddhist in your dotage. Bill.

It's been a few years, but unless the formula for super glue has changed, this should work. I have 'dissolved' super glue, just by putting it in the presence of ammonia. You don't have to soak it in ammonia or even get it wet, just put it in a closed container (Glass jar) with some household ammonia and let it sit. The super glue will just fall apart. Usually overnight will do the trick. Ammonia is a gas. Household ammonia is that gas dissolved in water, usually with some detergent added. If left to sit, household ammonia will 'offgas' and that is where the delightful smell comes from. I wouldn't try using this trick to get super glue off your skin. Ammonia is pretty hard on skin. Bill.

Two options that I know of: Option 1 (easy and cheap). Stop by a local dive shop and pick up a small container of silicone grease. Use that. Option 2 (more difficult and way more expensive). Search online for Crystolube 111. This is a halon based lubricant that contains molecular teflon. The silicone grease will work well, but will have to be re-done periodically, as it can be washed away eventually. Temperature sensitive (will melt pretty easy). The Crystolube 111 is fantastic and is not affected by soap, water, or petroleum based products. Get it on your fingers and you will have to wipe it away. It is oxygen safe. Not temperature sensitive. Either of these two products are as good as it gets for lubricating "O" rings and sub bezels. I use Crystolube. Bill.

I have the watch winder that is shown in the amazon URL. I bought it while I was in Taiwan. It has shredded one of the drive belts, but that is no big deal, as they are just "O" rings. When I get around to it, I will pick up another one and it will be good as new. Obviously, this winder does not like extremely heavy watches. They have plastic drive gears and are noisy, but after I greased the gears, it was amazingly quiet. They are screwed together and easy to work on. If you can work a screw driver, are willing to 'grease the transmission' and can drive to the local hardware store, then you can address about any issues you may have with one of these. Watches the size of a sub will be no problem. By the way, I paid about $65 USD in Taiwan. The current sale price on Amazon is a steal. Bill.

I grew up in the retail business, so I will start out by admitting that my post is biased. In my opinion; As to the manufacturing cost of a particular item, it is none of the consumer's business. It is up to the consumer to look at the product, assess the value, then determine for themselves if the price is fair and/or warranted. Luxury items, by definition, are 'worth' whatever the market will bear. What the market will bear has nothing whatsoever to do with manufacturing and distribution costs, nor does it have anything to do with risk. It has to do with perceived value and desirability. If you do not believe this, then you are more than welcome to go ask some of the luxury watch manufacturers about it. The sellers on this board have no responsibility to sell anything to anyone. They don't even have a responsibility to be here. The consumers here have the right to complain about price and the sellers have the right to ignore them or to make concessions. The consumers here do not have a right to commit character assassination because they

I don't post much, but I can't leave this one alone. Sorry guys. I enjoy watches because they are stunning examples of precision mechanical contrivances. As such, I think enough of them to have them serviced on a reasonable schedule. It is a matter of my appreciation for the mechanism, not the money involved. A watch isn

Gentlemen. Watches are toys, just like bass boats and motorcycles. People pour money on toys because it makes them smile. No further justification is necessary or warranted. Life would be unbearably austere if we only had what we truly needed. By the way: As has been noted, toys do not qualify as investments. The fact that they are toys is reason and justification enough for their existence. JMO Bill.

Well Gentlemen; Pugwash blew the whistle. TTK offered a remedy. Pugwash has taken a bit of a pasting here and there for blowing the whistle (he didn't deserve it). TTK's remedy (good as it may be) has been largely ignored. Admins are watching this thread, as it is the only way they have of assessing the sense of 'right' that the membership holds. This is establishing a facet of 'morality' or 'acceptible behavior' within this community. You are setting the standards here and you are doing it right now. Be plain and keep it simple. Send the message to the Admins that you want them to get. Is yelling "Shame on you" enough? Do you want to establish a three strike rule? Do you wish this would just blow over and be forgotten? Do you want these sellers run out of town on a rail? Do you simply not care one way or the other? Be plain and of few words. It will make life simpler for everyone. Bill.

My wife has spent part of her life as a professional photographer and has even taught photography in college. She is currently shooting a Nikon D200. That being said, most of her shots are taken with a Sony 'purse' size camera. The learning curve with the high-end DSLR cameras is pretty steep. She is still struggling with hers and has had it nearly six months. Yes, the high-end stuff will do some fantastic things and with really good lenses, are nearly beyond belief. However, is it worth it? The wife takes 10 pictures with her 'point and shoot' for every one she takes with the D200. That little camera in her hands is pretty impressive. I am coming to believe that the person holding the camera has at least as much to do with success as the equipment. TTK recommended a certain camera, but when I tried to find one, there were none to be had. That is how we ended up with the Nikon. I bought her several lenses, but now, she only uses two. She uses an 18-200 Zoom with built in vibration reduction that has the focus motor in the lens. She also shoots a 60mm 'micro' lens (Nikon's name for a macro lens). Either is stunning but even with the 60mm, the outfit is heavy. She has tried to teach me how to use a camera and I am bereft of the talent needed to take a photograph. I take 'pictures'. I do use photography in my job (as a communication tool) and have become quite good at it, but that is after taking thousands of photographs and most of them worthless. I photograph inantimate objects under unusual conditions (angles, lighting, macro). I couldn't successfully photograph a child's birthday party at McDonalds. I don't know how. I have come to believe that taking stunning photographs is a talent that has been tempered by learned skills. TTK is a prime example of this. The man has talent and his skills are stunning. Hand him a $100 camera and he would make my pictures with a D200 look pitiful. I can only pass along what my wife has told me. "Buy a camera you like and can afford and shoot it a lot. Shoot everything under every condition you can imagine. Try to get one good picture out of 10." That is her way of telling me to buy tools that fit me and practice till I become proficient with them. Unless you have a lot of natural talent, you are likely to wear the camera out before you reach the limits of its design. Bill.

Attempting to be a bit charitable: If you took the Breitling name and logo off the dial, I doubt that anyone would suspect this watch was a replica. Honestly, it doesn't bear a passing resemblence to anything Breitling has ever made. It's a watch and hopefully, it will tell time. If it makes your friend happy, then he should wear it. I've seen these sold in street markets in Asia and I've watched people buy them. I have no idea why someone would do that, but I've seen it. If you want something really nice, then hang around here. If you just want a watch with a famous name on the dial, there are many to be had for little money but you should be looking elsewhere. These folks will spurn an otherwise excellent copy because the color of the lume is off. Check out the threads where the shade of blue on a TT Sub is discussed. Not whether or not it is blue but the shade of blue, or how much red paint is applied to a second hand and how far up the hand the red is applied. How about the shade of the red printing on a YM dial? Get the picture? Truth be known, perhaps one person out of a thousand would know the difference in most cases, but these folks take their hobby seriously. There are watches to be had that would pass a casual inspection by an authorized dealer. It is a matter of degree. Your friend's watch is at one end of the spectrum (Remember, I'm being kind here). The near perfect clones are at the other end. You decide where you want to fit in that spectrum and act accordingly. Bill.

Somewhere, TTK is sitting back chuckling to himself. I know the gentleman and he likes to go 'fishing'. Guys, I am unaware of a single instance where the manufacturing cost of anything has had any bearing on the market price of said object. The rep watch business is no exception. The watches cost what the dealers charge for them. "Why" doesn't matter. This is a HOBBY. As such, it is a money pit. My wife is in to rubber stamping and scrapbookking. The cost of her money pit is staggering. However, neither she nor I have any illusions about her hobbies. We both know that any money spent is gone with absolutely no hope for return. We both know that when she spends four or five dollars for a little bottle of ink, we are probably paying a 20:1 markup (at least). It doesn't matter. She wants that little bottle of ink and we can afford it. If you can afford what you want, then buy it. Consider the money gone and enjoy your purchase. If you can't afford what you want, then wait till you can or change your 'want'. All this speculation will accomplish nothing except to build resentments toward good people that are trying very hard to help you with your 'hobby' and make a little money in the bargain. Without them, your hobby wouldn't exist. You want a really cheap knockoff? Go buy a $3,000 airline ticket to China and pick it out for yourself (if you can even find what you want). Sorry to sound a bit brutal, but it's not like you can run down to the corner store and buy one of these watches. I lived in Taiwan and I can assure you that finding reps is anything but easy there. It isn't so tough in Mainland China, but it is an accomplishment in Taiwan. Kudos to River and Eddie for sourcing them. Have fun with the hobby and quit worrying about who is making how much on what. It doesn't matter, as without them, the hobby ceases to exist. Bill.

That person is absolutely nuts. I have lived 12 out of the last 15 months in Taiwan. I got home last Friday. The government takes a very dim view of knockoffs. I personally know a man that did two years in the federal pen for selling knockoff watches in Taiwan. Their justice system is blind and swift. No plea bargains, no judicial leniency, no appeals, no pardons, nada. There are signs along the freeways and in the airport at Taipei that state: Trafficking in drugs carries the death penalty. Through normal channels, arrest to firing squad is 30 days. I reiterate: The person selling knockoff watches on the Taiwan 'Bay' is crazy. By the way, I have seen some stunning watches in Taiwan, but they aren't cheap. I have seen some junk, too. Bill.

I don't believe your comparison is logical or realistic. I can buy a quartz watch at Wal Mart for $20. It will have a movement in it that costs less than $5 to manufacture. The case and strap will cost less than $1 to manufacture. If I buy an ETA sub from one of our dealers, it will have a solid 316 stainless case and bracelet, a sapphire crystal, and a 25 jewel Swiss movement. Go find a watch in a retail establishment that has the same 'attributes' as my ETA sub example, then compare the price of the retail to the rep. The difference in the two prices is called: "Fit, finish, water resistance, distribution, advertising, inventory taxation, sales tax, etc". If you make a 'level playing field' comparison, I believe you will discover (as most of us have) that the rep is a screaming bargain. You can buy the rep, then pay The Zigmeister to make it water tight and fix the fit and finish, and you will still have just a fraction of the cost of the original in your rep. As far as I know, the only marque that the quality/price ratio of the genuine even approaches the ratio of a rep is with Hamilton. Generally speaking, they are 'only' about twice the price of a compariable rep. The Hamiltons are nice watches though. I like my Khaki X-Wind. Bill.

Sorry, double post. B.C.