lhooq

Excellent, burnz! Finally, we know it can be done!

I know... it's hard to imagine! Not only is it my token Panerai, but it's one of just three 'modern' watches in my collection, with the others being an IWC GST and an Asian Steelfish. Now, I would like to call on two from Texas to show their wares: jmb and alligoat, COME ON DOWN!!!

Chi, we don't get to see that 6538 often enough. Beautiful! OK, here we go. Unfortunately, the light didn't cooperate today, so all photos are old ones, reheated. In reverse order: 5. Hanhart Fliegerchronograph by Poljot One of my first dream watches was a TAG-Heuer Targa Florio that I saw through a shop window. This notorious Poljot quenched my thirst for a 1930s-style dual-register pilot chrono, especially after a Goin relume, and the replacement of its flat glass with an acrylic dome. It draws the occasional "Nazis are bad!" comment, so I'm still on the lookout for a Lemania monopusher. 4. DSN 082 My first and still my only Panerai, despite the constant temptation from you lot. It probably gets the most "Is it a gen?" comments out of all my watches, despite zero mods. (Unless searching for a branded titanium thumbnail buckle for months counts as a mod.) The Gunny strap gives it a great presence on the weekends. 3. Omega Seamaster 300 Franken A lot of luck fell my way when I happened upon the auction of this "Vietnam fake" with hours to go, and I managed to pick it up for a great price. A few hundred dollars of Omega parts later, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I may still be taking this project to its logical conclusion and "going legit", so to speak. 2. DW 6263 Never have I had a rep as difficult as this one. It took a month before I could get a decent dial (but what a dial!) and another three months before it was running reliably enough for me to travel with it. But it was worth the time and sweat, because it is a stunner. I also lucked out in the way this 6263 meshed with my fascination with vintage Tropic rubber straps to create a very distinctive look. 1. 1016 Space-Dweller Franken The highlight of my rep "career", the culmination of an obsession, and a wonderful collaborative project with ChiMan12 and jmb. I'll give you this watch when you take it from my cold, dead wrist. Or I sell it for $40,000 on a bogus eBay auction!

After several 1016 projects, I thought I would be able to tell instantly whether an old Explorer were legit or not, but sometimes it's not that easy. Auction #280564471458 The watch itself seems legitimate in the pictures, which are taken from a distance and not particularly clear. The seller claims it to be an heirloom, purchased by his father in Casablanca (with accompanying brochure and original box), then recently serviced by Rolex, who kept all the old parts. Seller also says the watch was featured in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (false) and that the dial has luminous round markers (round, stick, whatever), but these are minor things. From the pictures alone we should be suspicious, but here's where it starts to unravel. Check the seller's recent feedback as a buyer and you'll see that he bought a vintage Rolex box just last month. And wouldn't you know it... it's the exact same one that he says his father bought in 1965. What a search that must have been! If he's willing to lie about the box, you have to wonder what else is wrong with the package. Unfortunately, the only other recent purchase that may be relevant is a private transaction with a vintage watch seller. At best, he bought an actual 1016. More likely, he bought the brochure. Besides, why keep a brochure from 1965, but not the manual and other papers? Which brings us back to the watch itself. In light of the above, we need to look at it much more critically. The dial looks good, the hands look good, but I'm less convinced by the shape of the midcase. Look at final shot in the series: The lugs seem blunt, and the holes too far from the edges, which leads me to suspect the case comes from a Datejust. That's not a whole lot of evidence, but that's all I've got in the absence of better photos. And it's the lack of good photos and other sketchy details that lead me to doubt this watch. I'm not 100% sure that it's fake, but I would have enough doubts to walk away. (Or hit CTRL+W.) Bid with trepidation.

Gorilladame, DW's 6263 parts, including A7750, should not cost more than $200. If you're including the cost of a gen crystal, crown &c., I believe Spinmaster can provide those, but at an additional cost on top of his $600-650. A lot of money can be saved by buying direct, but avoiding the assembly headaches and weeks (or months) of subsequent reliability issues is worth the premium for many people.

I'm much more interested in vintage than modern Rolex, but I prefer the current mix of both. More subforums usually leads to empty subforums, in my experience.

I once asked my sister to see about getting me a deployant from the Omega Service Center in Singapore--I figured it might be cheaper there. She went through security similar to an airport's, before entering a featureless room where she was made to wait for fifteen minutes. Nothing on display, and just one representative behind the counter. Once they had located the clasp, they put the old sales pressure on her, mentioning how rare these were, how it was the only one they had, and that it could be gone the next time she visited. Oh, and it was selling for considerably more than it lists for in Ofrei! She telephoned me for my final decision, and I told her to get out of there. My experiences at the local SC have been much better, though I'm only able to get prices from them if I have the exact parts ref. handy. There was no way to browse, or ask, say, what kinds of curved-end, 20/18 deployant straps they had available or could order! I did get behind the counter to see that they had online access to the full Omega parts list, with prices. (If anyone knows a, er, legitimate way of getting into the Omega website's "Authorized Dealer" section to see this list, please send me a PM!) Unfortunately, prices were again higher than at Ofrei or CousinsUK. There was a time when the Omega dealer was cheaper, but no longer.

I looked into this some months ago when talk about DW's Monte Carlo first began. 7734 prices were starting to climb, and I thought a 3133 would work just fine. But then I read this great comparison written last year. One of the last pictures is a two-shot of the datewheels. Not only are the teeth profiled differently, but they turn in different directions, too!

Unfortunately, there's practically zero parts commonality between the 3133 and the 7734. All they share is a strong resemblance.

I didn't even know this thread existed until now! I'm honored to get called up, Ubi, but I'm displaced from my main PC and tapping away at a tiny Eee. Picks and pictures tomorrow! Don't worry... It's not going to be five Explorers!

Somehow I guessed you weren't going to use that movement for a Lip Mach 2000 franken. Which case will you be using? DW, or one of the more expensive options?

Pace Andy, this is definitely my cup of tea, and the albino dial is some crumpet! And here I thought we'd be teased by a build over the next few weeks. What a beauty!

donerix: Jeez, talk about your dramatic photos! That 24A looks like it's about to find the bastards and make them pay! Lost in Space:

Turn-O-Graph, Bright Eyes! Can't wait to see the other side...

Speaking of fake Blancpains, there's a listing for a Fifty Fathoms (#140455836081) that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Precista PRS-50. If that isn't sufficiently suspicious, there's also the infamous "MW7705" caseback engraving, which is akin to the "A/254/67" commonly found on fake RN Seamasters. Interesting story in the description, though, about why everything looks so new!

Very nice read, rolexaddict. I liked this part: So the old advertising claim that "it takes a year to make a Rolex" is true! Sort of...

Mm... Siffert Autavia.

Looking very good, C!

Ooh... Panorama-rama!

What a pair! But you definitely need to spend on a couple of vintage Tropic straps...

Spee... er, 3570.50.00 today:

There are some pretty amazing people in this community, and I can only echo what the others have said about karma. Big, big thumbs up to w0lf!

Holey! Omega makes a very nice, black, curved-end rally strap for the 18mm deployant (OME-98000024). At $151 on Ofrei, it's way more expensive than Hirsch, but it's a relative bargain as far as OEM Omega straps go.

Ah, the Holy Trinity! All you need is a Super Compressor to make a Divers' Fab Four!