Ronin

Awful pictures at TT's site.  Color can't be right in those photos.  He needs to do the Video and better photos.

My wife calls my 1016 "The Don Draper" after the fact it was his ~Season 4 watch.

Some of the best dials around

Amazing.  Are those cracks in the Acrylic? 

Good point on the hands.  Where does one procure TC hands these days?

WoW!  That looks amazing.  Surprised how well the WSO endlinks worked.

How I view things:

• Homage - Looks like a well know brand/watch, but without infringing logos.  (i.e. Sterile, Invicata Submariner, etc.) 0% genuine parts of actual brand
• Replica - Looks like a well known brand/watch, WITH brand logos.  Will fool the uninformed, but probably not a WIS/us.  0% genuine parts of actual brand.
• SuperReplica - Looks like a well known brand/watch, WITH brand logos. (e.g. 1:1) Will fool most people, but probably not 1 in 500,000 or actual watch maker/AD.  0% genuine parts of actual brand.
• Modified SuperReplica - See above, but with easily swapped genuine parts added to supplement.  (Crystal, Bezel, Strap/Band) - 25%+ genuine parts
• Frankenstein - at lest 60% genuine parts, making it indistinguishable (externally) from a gen.  Able to fool a watch maker/AD on cursory inspection (not opening it, operating it). > = 60% Gen
• Swap-Job/Conversion - Converting say a 1601 into a 1016, gen movement, with perhaps a non-essential aftermarket part or 2 (tube, crystal, hands, bezel) - 85%-100% Genuine Parts.
• Johnny Cash - "One Piece at a Time" (song reference) - 100% Genuine, scavenging parts as you find them, and building an actual genuine watch. NOT "Numbers matching"  (Technically, the ultimate Frankenstein)

gilt is good

I have a Seiko SPRING DRIVE GMT SNR015 and absolutely LOVE IT!  (Basically a GS, targeted for US Market before they officially brought the GS to the USA in 2012.)

My vintage Seiko's are on-par, as a tool watch, with my Rolex's (Gen).

Great brand.  My 20yr old Seiko Diver is my daily beater.  Serviced once in 20yrs by Zigmeister.

Images of what I have (harvested from the net):

Gotta love the 72 hour power reserve & SMOOTH sweep.

Here is my 1016 from a 1601 from a few years ago:

http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/151625-1016-wip-almost-fin/

http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/151625-1016-wip-almost-fin/ - for more build photos.

 

Find an indepenent shop.  It should be about 1/2 that price.  Omega parts are not like Rolex parts, and the non-AD watchmaker should be able to accomodate you and your special request to keep the vintage hands. 

"Office" Setup (small room 10'x12')

Marantz PM6005 (previously Marantz 2270)

B&W 686 Speakers

NuForce u192s DAC (192/24 from Macbook via Optical to Marantz DAC 192-to-192 capable.  (HDTracks))

Technics 1210M5G Turntable (Highly Customized 'audiophiled' 'KAB'  with Ortofon BLACK and sometimes Denon-DL110 cartridge.)

Beyerdynamics DT770 PRO 250ohm Headphones

There is not a watch on that kickstarter that can't basically be had for <$69.00 on eBay in some Chinese homage form or another.

Might as open a P O L E X kickstarter.  There is a sucker born every minute.

Got one for $88 and one for $99.  Spares.

Rush - Hemispheres

Good point on the 4:1 1:4 observation.  I was speaking to an economist friend about the watch, and "she" pointed out that the Luxury goods market is going through the roof.  With the stock market gains being insane in the past few years--- the wealthiest among us are doing very very well.  Rolex probably has it right, much to WIS's world wide chagrin.  Consider this proof of an economic recovery-- for upper crust, and proof of a diminishing middle class.  The $5000 Rolex SS watches of yesteryear were obtainable for middle/upper-middle class.  Not anymore.  No more "Dominos Pizza Rolex" corporate award watches for middle management.

In short, Rolex is a "Luxury Goods Brand" and no longer just a "Watch Company" as we would like to think.  A Luxo brand that just so happens to make watches.

White Gold NOT required. ;-)

I wonder if you can buy a black/blue SS and swap out for Pepsi insert? I am sure they won't be easy to source but not impossible.

Just like the Smurf can be "frankened" with a black or green ceramic sub with a new dial and insert!

You will also need to source a RED 24hr hand.  :-(

This is so disheartening.  I am seeing pricing now starting closer to $40,000.  ($36,900).  At that level, might as well shop for a 6542 where it all began.

If it was SS they would actually come closer to selling 3:1 IMHO.

(I came over to being more of a GEN guy in recent years.  This has reinvorgorated my REP side.  A nicely polished SS REP will shine. REP IT!!!! Fsck Rolex.  Hell, I would even rock a less than perfect REP here to make a statement.)

Clearly, Tudor has the better designers than parent Rolex these days.

Sign me up for a Blue Gen and Red Rep!

Once again "Modern Day Rolex Corp" missing the boat.  This will retail somewhere in the $20,000 neighborhood because of the White Gold.

Even the current versions are still overpriced at $8500 & $9500 is SS.  But still. If they wanted more sales a SS version would sell 2:1.

The reps (previous fantasy models) are out there, but their process & red color will be hard to rep.  This will look more Bakelite.

I have totally given up on (modern) Rolex as a brand, especially when I see the designs coming out of Omega these days.