lhooq

This was from a few months ago, on VRF. Not sure if the seller still has it:

It's about time you rolled your own, J, and I'm glad you were able to put that dial to good use. Besides, I always thought Tiffany was cuter than Debbie Gibson (circa 1988, that is).

Like a Sigma, maybe? If you're willing to spend USD 3000 right now, it isn't hard to find a genuine 6263 dial (or even a 6239) in good shape. The tricky part is spending less than that. It's often shocking what people will bid for a dial that looks like it was fished out of a septic tank! As wiesn089 says, the print quality of most gen dials is very fine and detailed. I say "most" because there are some black Daytona dials -6239s, mostly- that have indistinct, milky print. (This is not uncommon for certain matte dials from the 60s and 70s.) Another tell is the Singer coronet, which has never been replicated properly. It's always possible that someone transplanted a coronet from a cheaper gen dial, so don't use the coronet as a litmus test. The subdials are another tell, as I don't think any aftermarket dial has gotten both the profile and the texture right.

Okey-dokey: "L.H.O.O.Q.", as the Wikipedia entry goes, is a "work of art" (quotes are mine) by Marcel Duchamp, who took a Mona Lisa postcard and drew a goatee on it. Voila--instant art! I figured blatant, unapologetic copying made sense in our little rep world, and "Lichtenstein" was too long and too on-the-nose. I was ready to use a crop of the actual LHOOQ as my avatar, but decided I didn't want people to imagine me as a bearded lady. (Not my scene, man.) Instead, I went with the face of Paul Freeman as the similarly-lettered Rene Belloq, evil French archeologist, and arch-nemesis of Indiana Jones. "Look at this. It's worthless - ten dollars from a vendor in the street. But I take it, I bury it in the sand for a thousand years, it becomes priceless. Like the Ark." Also, like WM9s!

J: About time! It's looking very good, but haven't you darkened the hands a bit much? For Tuesday, it's my Orange (minute) Hand:

Moon on the 4th of July:

Hanhart for Sunday:

It does not. Despite a similar appearance, the dimensions of the 3133 are very different from the 7734's. Please see this comparison on WUS. However, I do remember someone making a Poljot-powered Monte Carlo using a deeper Tudor Big Block case. I wish I could find the relevant post.

Love that weekend Speedmaster, B. For Saturday, I've got a couple of orange triangles:

Quite right! Protégera nos foyers et nos droits and all that to my beloved Canada.

Very subtle dial, but stunning once you "get" it! I love how the indices reflect the light around the dial. Terrific build, ubi, and congratulations to the new owner!

All beautiful, RA! I really need to add a Pepsi to my collection one of these days.

Thanks, B! Yes, it is. My tiny Panerai collection has grown three-fold in the last six months i.e. I bought this and the 288K. The out-of-the-box quality of these new reps is staggering! Now I have to resist the call of the Black Seal...

Ronin, that 1675 of yours is making me feel all tingly in the bad place. Beautiful! Destro Friday:

Tease, tease, tease! Very interesting that you went with the 3/6/9 dial (I'm guessing about the 9, of course), but this should look very nice. Congratulations on sticking with the project until the end!

Could you introduce me to Michael Vick? I like his style!

More Daytona love this Thursday:

Thanks for putting this post together. Aside from the original RO and the Diver, I'm really not much of an AP fan. But I think you're starting to change my mind!

What... No movement shot? Speedmaster on croc today:

I've also got some shots of my 6239 dial, though the lighting is much harsher than ubi's. (Desk lamp was all I had on hand.) Note that the 6239 had a different dial design compared to the 6263, and this is a refinished dial. However, the subdial appearance corresponds with what I've seen on gens. Definitely matte.

This thread is A-OK without pics.

Is there anything Rodico can't do? It does all that, and it tastes great, too!* (*THIS IS A JOKE. DO NOT EAT YOUR RODICO.)

E: I can't believe I missed this one. Just spectacular!

Can you imagine this lineup without the Explorer? I can't! Spectacular shot, though I can't help but see the ghosts of frankens past hovering in the background...