TJGladeRaider

Clear case back . . . is there such a gen? In any event, this is most certainly a scammer. Bill

That's a beautiful piece . . . you take very nice pics. This is how it starts, before you know it, you'll have a dozen, then two dozen, then . . . Lord help you if the vintage bug ever bites ya. Bill

Happy Birthday to the Ubiquitious "R," Being as it is your birthday, and considering all the wonderful help you have been to me over the years, and knowing how the group holds you in such high esteem, I wanted to give you something special. So I thought about, I thought really hard about it, and it occured to me that nothing would do quite like a stripper. But in a world where half the avatars will mesmerize ya Your Birthday obviously warranted something special So here we go, just for you Well, it's the thought that counts, right? Bill

The more I look at this, the more I am inclined to say, "screw it." I have several brand new, very nice looking, thin case vintage GMT reps - but they are the ones with the wire spring in the bezel. They look fine, the rivet bracelets are exceptionally nice for Chinese reps, but they are not the sort of thing I like, and no amount of mods will ever make them what they are not. Thanks for all the input. Bill

Thanks for the note. Maybe the Yuki cases will be made properly. I'll try and use the guts from this junk to make some decent watches. I also have some of those thin versions of the GMTs that Josh and Andrew used to carry. Several of them that aren't even unwrapped yet from a couple of years ago. If I can get decent cases, Ziggy can probably make something work. Bill

Not arguing with you BT, but if that watch has the 1680 style bezel system, there were two versions. That watch looks EXACTLY like both the vintage GMTs I got from MBW. Both leaked so bad that you couldn't wash your hands or wear them in the rain. I pulled them apart in an effort to fix the problem and discovered that there is no bezel/friction ring/retaining ring in either of mine. My bezel simply pops off with NOTHING removable under it. The crystal presses into the case, rather this fitting down over the case. It almost looks like this is the intermediate step between plastic and sapphire crystals. I know my pictures suck, but you gotta admit, this is no 1680 MBW case. Bill

If the ones I bought used the 1680 case/crystal, I'd have been happy with it - or, should I say, happier than I was with the crap I got. I am quite sure that the 1675's I got did not have 1680 cases. Lord knows, I have enough MBW 1680/1665 to know. In the 1675's I got, the bezel snapped on like the cheap chinese vintage versions,and there was NOTHING holding the crystals in. Instead of pressing down over a flange, and then being sandwiched by a press fit retaining ring, the crystals pressed down into a flange, and then the chinese style bezels snapped on. They did have the small crowns/tubes though. I realized it was all screwed up when it fogged up in the rain. Does this Yuki case look right? http://www.yukiwatch.com/catalog/item/6924997/6964737.htm What I do not know is, having never seen a 1675, SHOULD it have the bezel assembly similar to 1680/1665 that I was expecting? If so, and this Yuki case is configured that way, maybe Ziggy can make me a couple of nice 1675's using them with the dials and movements that I've got. On the other hand, if these are the same crap I got from MBW, I sure don't want them. Your thoughts? Bill

I bought a couple of the MBW 1675's - I was very disappointed. I was expecting them to have crystal/bezel assemblies like the other vintage watches. They were nothing like that, and so that is my first question. Should they be? I know that what I got could not have been correct because you couldn't wear them out in the rain. Next question. I see that yuki has a 1675 case. Does anyone know if they are made like the 1680/1665 with the three piece bezel assembly. If so, maybe I could get a couple of them and use the dials and guts from the MBWs?? I am assuming that the Yuki cases will accept ETA movements? I wrote to Yuki watch, but I thought someone on here might have some first hand info/experience. Bill

It has been a lot of fun hasn't it. For every knucklehead, you got to know some of the real gems on here. How many times have you known of guys to take some part somebody needed, ship it and pay shipping, just to help out? Some of these guys spend hours and hours sharing what they know and learn. I suppose it's nuts to spend so much time and money on a hobby like this, but I have enjoyed it, and I guess that's what a hobby is supposed to be all about. If I ever figured out what I've spent on watches and mods, I bet I could buy a bunch of gens. On the other hand, who has gen vintage DRSD, SRSD, Great White, Red Sub, White Sub, Comex, Milgauss . . . let alone a couple of each! LOLLLLLLL Bill

I have sent him a half dozen MBW's with nary a glitch. Don't send it as a watch -- send it as a timepiece to be repaired. I'd damn sure rather risk customs than risk having shoddy work done. Bill

Like Pug, I think my next watch is going to be that DSSD. That watch with a super lume job would be a very nice piece. Bill

Once upon a time, my Pal Josh sold watches he called the TW Bests. They were exceptionally nice pieces that aren't available anymore. Then there was a guy called Lucky who was the source of the mysterious, but highly coveted MBW's. Some got lucky with him, but some did not. Then there was a real low key kinda guy I got to know. Upon hearing about my unlucky experience with Lucky,it turned out that he was able to get the MBW's I was looking for. He got me a few [ahem]. Then there was a time when Josh let me know that a few GMT's had been made with real GMT 2893 movements . . . I bought them. Then I got connected with Ziggy - one of those anal kind of guys who does art, when he says, how he says and the way he promises to do it. Off went a bunch of the MBWs, and what a fabulous set of them I have now. I know that there are those who like their vintage lume to look old, there are those who like their vintages to have character, and their are some characters out there like Nanuq who do unspeakable things to their vintages. I like mine to look new, and I wanna be able to hold up my arm in a movie theater front row, and let everyone see what time it is! You cannot believe the work that guy does. I haven't been active on here in quite some time, so perhaps the newer guys I don't know should get an idea what can happen to you here. I am Bill B., and I am a repaholic. Bill

The crowns have held up good, but they are the usual rep crowns, which is to say that once you get used to gen crowns, you won't like them, and I am not putting a Gen gold crown on a rep. I shouldn't complain, they look just fine, but I really like reps with gen crowns. All things considered, I usually go for the blue, but the black does seem a little more formal. Here's a few of mine. ; ) Bill

I have them in black and blue - the ones that Josh used to sell as his best versions a couple of years ago. They aren't for sale, but I wanted to let you know that they have held up perfectly - the claims re wrapped vs plating were legit. I generally wear one of my Ziggied vintage MBWs, but these two are beautiful watches so they have gotten a lot of wrist time. The wrap has held up nice, and they still look terrific. Good luck to you Bill

Pug, reading your post was like you were reading my mind. I've been gone so long it is as if I am brand new to the rep world, but then I walk in my bedroom where all the lovely old vintage MBW's, and TW Bests are on display, and I don't feel so bad! Looking at these recent offerings compared side-by-side with gens, I am amazed at the quality that they are cranking out. I remember when you guys would tear down everything that the rep mans were cranking out, with pictorials showing off obvious flaws. Still, I will always prefer to wear my Ziggied MBW vintages, COMEX, Single Red, Double Red, Great White . . . I'm sure glad I ogt a few of each before they were gone. Bill

How have things been with you? Any really fabulous new acquisitions? Life goes on, but biz has been pretty slow here. Bill

Yeah man . . . a very long time indeed! I had a long chat with Ubi today. Looks like there are some neat new offerings out there, but I am sure glad I bought up all those MBWs back in the day when I had money to burn and those great pieces were available. Those Yuki cases are sure intriguing! I am sure glad to hear that Ziggy is still around. I am wearing one of my Ziggy'd vintages as we speak. What an artist! I wish I had the jing to send my other MBWs over and have him do them all. Thanks for the note. Bill

Yep, Eddie was one of my best sources for a long time. He was always a real class act with me. Bill

Hi, I'm Bill and I'm a repaholic! You know how many MBW's I have . . . not to mention all the "Best" stuff I have bought. I have been on sabatical I suppose -- the wifey shot me but I lived. I cannot believe all the new stuff I am reading about. I'm looking forward to chatting with you about all this stuff. Bill

I should have mentioned that. There are programs specific to my work that are not available for Mac. If I could live in the Mac environment, I'd never spend another dime with Bill Gates. Bill

I do financial investigations for a living. LOTS of number crunching and database use. HUGE files -- the Discovery in the Wesley Snipes tax arrived on a Terabyte drive. I generally have a dozen files open and half a dozen programs running at once. I travel a lot - Geneva, Panama, Canada . . . I guess you get the picture. I have two computers. Both are MacBook Pro 17's, and both are set up to boot to Windows XP Pro and run it natively. I LOVE these things. Bill

OK, sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Lordy, Lordy . . . and natural too! I am sure going to hate being dead one day. Bill

I gotta say, I'd rather go anywhere than NYC . . . just too much city for me. On the other hand, I have a lot of friends that live there. The really fun part is to get some of you guys to come down here. Send ya on a ride with my baby! Bill

I got a couple I like pretty well, including a few of those 2893 GMTs we love so well! Those are kinda special! Bill