ubiquitous

And I am honoured, kind sir

An excellent choice, sir

Choosing a favorite is a difficult choice; having built the watches in my collection, each has it's own special meaning to me. So... Here are a few (that are probably of no surprise) of which I enjoy the most... Franken 16520's: Franken 9411: And one of the few unmodded favorites- My MBK Nautilus:

<--- Does more lurking than posting these days

Depends on the model, but if it's something as simple as a 9050, probably $450 - $800 depending on condition, metal type, etc.

Absolutely- Each Nautilus model uses a different caliber- 3700: 28 255C (hours/minutes/date) 3710: 330 SC IZR ((hours/minutes/seconds/date/PR) 3711: 315 SC (hours/minutes/seconds/date) 3712: 240 PS IRM (hours/minutes/seconds/date/PR/moonphase) 3800: 330 SC (hours/minutes/seconds/date) 5711: 315 SC (hours/minutes/seconds/date) 5712: 240 PS IRM C LU (hours/minutes/seconds/date/PR/moonphase) 5780: 28 520 C (hours/minutes/seconds/date/chronograph) All the best R

Agree with all said above. There's something to be said for doing the job right and taking pride in your work. We've all seen the results of the classic 'swish and dip' services that had been done and passed on; certainly not pretty. However, what's even worse is when unscrupulous folks charge unsuspecting customers the cost to do a full service job, yet only perform substandard work (we've seen this before as well). One of the reasons why I only trust Ziggy to service my watches...

Sorry, but that is incorrect information. The 3700's 28-255C is based on the JLC 920 is an hour/minutes movement only; no seconds. The 3711 used the 315SC, which IS a hour/minutes/seconds caliber... That said, the presence of a seconds hand is model based, and not something that a customer could simply specify within the 3700 series, per se.

3711/G is the 42mm Jumbo size, but with larger indicies/hands AND seconds hand. Case is also 18K WG. It's a nice mix between the old 3700 style case with 5711 characteristics/details. Oh, and there's no mistaking the WG case; looks much different that SS, especially in person

My only two in the collection... 1. All original 165.024 from 1967: 2. Franken-Skeleton Constellation (TW Best case and Swiss skeletonized ETA2892): Loved much, but infrequently worn

Nice watch, Lani! With the bracelet, that thing looks like it weighs in at more than a pound. Some heavy metal there...

....

Very nice! I like it!

I've not made a brand new gen purchase in a long, long time. Mostly because nothing new is really very appealing to me. I have, however purchased many a used gen; a few of those transactions have been online, though where possible, I like to have a face to face transactions so that I can inspect my potential purchase prior to exchanging cash. These days, I think I purchase more parts than anything...

Thanks for the insight gang! Very interesting and enlightening post. As always, I appreciate the insight! Cheers, R

I would have to agree. Looks just like mine!

Indeed. There are numerous variations- flat 4, pointed 4, UNITS PER HOUR differences, 200, 225, 240 UNIT tachy's, bold, thin etc. Far more than the initial 3 that were once known as the typical a few years back...

There's no doubt that the gen bezel on my black lumi dial 16520 is bolder than the gen on my white trit dial 16520. Is it correct? A and P serials most likely didn't come with that bolder bezel as new, though I am sure RSC's have used them as replacements. I've seen no less than 5 16520's with the same bezel. Personally, I prefer the bolder fonts...

For grins, here's the genuine bezel on my white dial 16520...

Quite possible! Though, there have been a number of 16520's I've seen with the same bezel. I do suspect that RSC's may replace with either/or as well. Probably depends on what they have at their disposal in the parts trays that particular day...

Typical attire for me: Lacoste Polos on warm days Cotton button downs on cooler days Seven for All Mankind, Diesel, or Rock and Republic jeans (every day) Usually have one of my El Primero Daytona frankens on. No one ever gives me, or my watch a second look Which is fine by me...

Well, it's interesting. The caseback pictured in my prior post is what's fitted to my 116520 rep case as it was rec'd. It's very much the same as my MBW 16520 EP400's caseback. Unfortunately, since I picked this case set up used, I have no idea where it was originally sourced from. A shame as I'd like to buy a couple of spares for my own inventory as well. As for the bezel... I replaced my old MBW 16520 bezel with a genuine bezel, so I was planning to either use that, or if I'm feeling splurgy I'll pick up another gen to use: MBW bezel: Genuine bezel: Physically, the bezels are the same size, shape, etc.

Uhhhh... TMI!

I've got this gorgeous, nearly new Dirk strap, which I've had in my collection for some time now (well over a year). I'm contemplating the idea of using this strap for my PAM project, however the old school Pre-V sewn in is PVD; my PAM project will be using a polished SS case. I hate to even consider the idea of removing the PVD on the buckle, however, I would also prefer to use this strap due to it's condition and I'd also like to have that old Pre-V logo buckle as well. Not to mention, this one's already in hand. Would I be crazy to even consider? Or perhaps I should just tuck this one away and search for a different strap altogether? And yes... I know... Half the fun with Panerai is having an assortment of straps to change with. Bare with me... It's going to take a bit before I start working on a strap collection... Anyways... Some old pics... Thoughts? Thanks and cheers! R

Do you mean.... THE job? The one that has been in the works for so long?