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For me it has to be the 5512 4-line gilt, courtesy of NDTrading and a once-over by ChiMan: And ingod44's Space-Dweller dial was amazing out of the box: Lastly, I was convinced that this RCD was an honest-to-goodness, refinished 6239 dial. I've had to revise that opinion, but it's still a pretty damn terrific effort from an unknown source:

2003-2004 Targa Florio (not to be confused with Omega's also-pretty-nice "Targa Florio" Dynamic). I first saw one in Hong Kong, long before I was collecting watches, and thought it was a pipe dream that I'd ever own one. Well... A dozen years and many dozens of watches later, dreams do come true, Snow White! Aaaand cc33 posts his macros while I'm replying: Holy crap, those are beautiful!

I am honored to have known even the tiny sliver of his personality that shone through his posts. Rest in peace.

I'll-uh have-uh a bluuuuue Christmas with the 082:

I'm just eyeballing it, but these look like Submariner-sized bars. If you were to use these on a 1016, I'd recommend filing them so the tips don't protrude from the lugholes. Also, if you check my past threads (link below), I compared several aftermarket springbars with genuine 1016 bars.

So very, very nice!

Merry Christmas! May all your reps run reliably, and your QC pics be acceptable!

Very, very bland--at best. I'd rather buy something from the Orange Watch Company, and be entertained by Dan's rambling email updates.

Not as bad as yours, but there's someone trying to sell a vintage, AFTERMARKET 1016 crystal for $150.

Sabado gigante:

Inspected by... The Koon! If nothing else, it's got a much nicer box than ~85% of all Speedmaster Professionals!

Wow! That would've been a Fifty Fathoms price a few years ago!

Well spotted, but the interesting thing is that the datewheel is actually dark blue/gray--exactly the same shade as the bezel and registers. As far as I know, mine is the only Carrera with a datewheel of this color. However, I'm not sure if this was the original configuration. When I bought the watch, it had just been serviced by TAG Heuer in Japan, so it's possible that it's a recent modification.

Thanks! It's weird, but the number of Heuers available for sale have dried up in just the past couple of years. There used to be so many Autavias and Carreras to choose from, and now you're lucky to see more than a couple at any given time on eBay. As for reps, the closest you can get is the Jack Heuer Anniversary Edition, as shown in this thread: http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/171443-jack-heuer-80th-anniversary-carrera/ It's a quartz-powered rep that's based on the recent sorta-reissue. What the OP's photos fail to capture is the pretty nice silver sunburst dial, so try to find other shots out there. I know it's been in a couple of wrist-checks.

Very nice! My 082 continues to be a work-in-progress. I just received an H-Fac 061D yesterday to cannibalize for various parts, and I'm looking to resolve the mismatched lume of the handset with Rolli's dial, and replace my currently too-flat CG with a Sead unit. Oh, and I also need to order an engraved caseback from DSN. I have his old, laser-etched version, and I have no idea when the rumored super-accurate 'Amerigo Vespucci' is showing up.

Is "high 5" a euphemism for something?

Back to Narita for the second time this week, and the two-tone Master Master is in: One-word review: Ehh...

I like how the droptopman thinks:

Cheaper alternatives are 1. "Hong Kong" Tropic straps. These have the same basket-weave pattern as the Swiss straps, but the keepers look like two pairs of rubber bands. These often don't feel as nice. 2. Voguestrap Skin Diver. Also made in Hong Kong. Slightly different, more open pattern than Tropics, but otherwise very similar i.e. same location of diamond-shaped holes. Keepers are also textured. 3. SUB straps. Italian-made contemporary of the Tropic with a scaly texture. Suitably retro. 4. Modena "Tropic". Modern version, that bears a decent resemblance from afar. Softer rubber, more comfortable, less shiny. Unfortunately, not available in 19mm, so you'll have to pinch/trim a 20mm. A more expensive alternative would be JLC's leather Tropic homage strap, made for the Memovox Tribute to Polaris and used on subsequent reissues. Just remembered that these are 22mm wide, though...

Carve these onto stone slabs and bring them down from the mountain. I've learned an incredible amount from the prophet automatico in my time at RWG.

You're going to have to move to Guangzhou and set up a factory! Other than the between-lug engravings, these will be, by far, the best "replacement 1016 cases" available anywhere. People want these, so charge accordingly!

More photos from Tokyo, sans film! Not too thick! Can this really be an Omega in 2014? Also spotted: The blue Ti Speedmaster. I love that shade of blue, but the two-register Speedies still look wrong to me.