ubiquitous

...But Longines is part of the Swatch Group, so no surprise that they have access to them...

Maybe you should read some of my earlier postings on this thread. That's already been covered. If the 'inaccuracies' bother you that much, don't bother buying one.

And it rains. Never fails...

Forget the 2894's, or the rep big date 7750's and the secs@6:00 movements... How about repping a Piguet 1185? They can copy the 7750's, the Venus calibers and build fully functional tourbillons, so why not? An FP 1185 clone would open the door to many, many more possibilities...

Have had both of my MBK's tested to 150m and wear both while swimming, showering, etc. regularly; no problems whatsoever. Not bad in my opinion, considering that the Nautilus doesn't even have a screwdown crown...

My sentiments exactly...

Gran- Is this the story? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070626/ap_on_...11GxdXSOu7MWM0F I have no idea who these wrestlers are... But your post prompted me to have a look around. I must say that the story surrounding this is quite disturbing... Who would kill their own son? Absolutely sickening...

Nice!

Gelena Shitinerand

Well, one thing is for sure... For a mechanical repeater, the Nivrel delivers a lot for relatively very little. The next best bargain I can think of is the Chronoswiss Repetition a Quarts... A beauty in it's own right

Hmmmm... The DD repeater module is a very nice feature, though I'd think they could come up with a better erotic theme than a solitary cack that makes phallic thrusts once the chime is activated. I've seen some 'interesting' erotic automations from Svend Anderson... Quite honestly, I've never quite understood why such 'complications' were added to a wristwatch (other than for simple amusement). The UN Jaquemarts, however, are pretty neat, especially to see in person!

Hmmmm... Maybe not quite. There are a significant number of watches within the upper haute that don't retain good value. Some Pateks, AP's, VC's... J:D, Breguet, JLC, etc. lose 30% to 60% (depending) of new list/retail, sometimes despite being worn or not. However... If one were to have a hot, hot haute, say a 5960, 5980, a TA, RBII (any metal) etc. then that individual is in pretty good shape for resale/flipping, as these are in demand pieces (however, getting one's hands on one of these at a price that yields a decent margin is probably very unlikely, unless you're on a list with an AD who will sell at 0 mark up/prem, or you have some other inside track to procurring one). It's all about what the market deems as in demand... Namely the collectors, who may be speculating on the next LE, or short production run piece. However... Once the focus shifts to the next 'hot' watch, demand for that JPM or whatever will cool off, and prices may not sustain their inflated rate. Sometimes the demand never cools off (i.e. the AP EOD)... It all kinda depends. T'is a fickle market... On a somewhat different note... I still find the Antiquorum-Timezone relationship to be a little... Interesting, to say the least. Here we have an auction site that feeds into a fora of collectors. It's an interesting dynamic...

Indeed... At first (and sometimes 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th, etc) glance, the watch does appear to be a little odd in styling. But, it's a very distinct style, and one that provokes interest; sometimes interest enough to appreciate it's unique qualities. It's not a watch for everyone... But those that understand it can quickly become consumed by it's beauty. Yup. Mine fits perfect on my 6.75" wrist... I can still remove two more links. This watch measures 42mm across w/o crown, which is correct for a 3700. The 5711 is the new Jumbo, which measures 43mm as the hinges are curved outward adding an extra .5mm on each side.

Gran- Personally, I think your Crazy Hours is the one I prefer It's quite nice! I'm also intrigued by that jump hour mech... It's a very interesting piece!

Let me clarify on my prior post... I don't typically see the rep Crazy Hours in the straight edged rectangular case... ...though I can't say that I look at FM reps very often....

Interesting watch, gran. I don't typically see the Crazy Hours in the straight edged rectangular case- It's usually the curvex case. This must be one of the earlier versions?

I'm with Stephane... Today is a FlikFlak day! Okay... Really, nothing new here... Alternating between these two for the next few days... With a splash of this... And maybe a little of these for good measure (though I have to go get them from the bank's vault first)...

Just happened to wear mine into the office today Without a doubt, one of my favorites in my collection!

Looks great, T! Quite the amazing duo!! Your hard work and effort really speaks for itself in the finished result. Well done!

Ahhh... It was I who digressed (sorry Corgi...)... As far as price increases... Yeah, those are to be expected from time to time, I suppose. Adjustment of currency exchange, rising rates of manufacturing, shipping/handling charges etc.

Just to stop for a moment and discuss a topic of speculation, which I know is also a big subject of focus on some of the gen forums... My personal perspective- The watch market (gens) is fickle; there are but a few brands and models subset that are demonstrating any real gains in value, though I believe the majority of those increases to be more or less artifically inflated (in my opinion). Examples off the top of my head- Certain Patek models, i.e. the 5960, 5980, 5712, etc. etc. are selling for up and over double their retail prices- These are current production pieces! Vintage Rolex Sports models... 1665 DR, 1655, 6263, 6265, 6239, 6240, COMEX, etc... All selling for 2x - 5x + more than they were even a year ago. Even the early variant 16520's (dropped COSMOGRAPH, 4 line dials, inverted 6 dials, so-called Patrizzi's, etc) are selling in the $30k to higher $40k ranges, depending on which dial is in question. Now... These watches mentioned above are quite rare in their own right- Limited in quantity because of restrained production, or simply because time has left only very few in collector acceptable condition, or in any existance at all for that matter. It is my opinion that a lot of the market is inflated simply because secondary dealers, grey marketeers, etc. are able to get their hands on some of these models, and drive the market prices higher by charging an exorbitant premium, shilling, or perhaps influencing key collectors in the hobby to channel more demand (via discussion forums, or other venues) on a certain model or brand, variation, etc. True that the market will bear what people are willing to pay, but I have a feeling that some day, down the road, the bubble might burst on some of these pieces (maybe not all) and folks may have loaded large amounts of cash into a watch that's more or less of little actual value (especially intrinsic value- Steel, some white gold bits on the indicies and hands... Not much else to hold of actual value, unless you have a solid 18k piece as then it's worth the gold content at least). It's happened before with the bubblebacks... Some people have lost some major money (and homes, personal possessions, etc) by making 'investments'. So... I personally get a chuckle when I see someone on the gen boards stating 'watches are a better investment than stocks'. Well... Perhaps... In the short term. You may be able to flip a popular in-demand watch for a reasonable profit. But, you have to know what's hot at the moment, buy cheap and flip it fast; if the demand is already there, then buying cheap might not be feasible. Personally I wouldn't put any money into a watch merely for investment strategy. Especially considering that most watches depreciate in value in a similar parallel to a new car. And, this is the gen market that I'm speaking on. So, where does that leave reps? Well... Obviously, a rep has the value of whatever someone would be willing to pay for it- Perhaps it might even be more than what was paid initially when new (whatever the market will bear, right?). To me, I collect reps because they are a fun novelty for me (as a genuine would be as well), but also because most of the occupants in my collection are watches that I've built, hence I have more sentimental attachment to them. But, remember- At the end of the day... They are replications of genuines which are more than likely depreciating as it is anyways. And as replications, they will inherently not have the same level of value as their genuine counterpart. So, in my long winded way of saying... Buy what you want because it's something you want/lust/desire... Not because of the speculative value it could have someday down the road. This goes for gens and reps. You'll enjoy the hobby much more for what it is... /rant

Investment? Definitely not... Watches in general are not good investments, and shouldn't be considered as such... A rep watch wouldn't (and shouldn't) be considered an investment at all...

Wow... This thread took a rather nasty turn. For the record... A person's race, religion or sexual orientation makes no difference to me. Life is short. Too short to worry or concern myself about what so-and-so's personal preferences are. If someone chooses to live life in a certain manner that happens to differ from mine, so be it. If it makes them happy and doesn't bother or impact me, what does it matter? We are all here for a common interest. And, perhaps along the way we can make new friends with the same interests who can help broaden our lives and perspectives on things.

Just a few more...

I oft times get PMs and emails from curious individuals wanting to know where or how to start a frankenwatch project This is usually where I find myself at the start of a project... Typically with just a dial... After that, things start to fall into place, as collecting the other parts becomes pretty well defined Though, not all turn out as expected, or even see fruition... Anyways... Just wanted to share how a good number of my watches get started for those interested. Perhaps some other builders and modders can weigh in on their experiences on starting projects as well Always interesting to see how these frankens start in their process...