ubiquitous

Indeed, Ziggy is. He is the only one I trust with servicing/overhauling my movements (and believe me, he can do it all)...

I've used small amounts of automotive exterior paint for mine. I had some left over- Sikkens toner black I believe, which was sitting in a small little metal container in my garage. I poured a very small amount into a styrofoam cup, dipped a rag into it and went over the numbers on my Daytona bezel very lightly (bezel was removed). Once applied, I used a clean rag to wipe off excess paint on the top surface. Being automotive paint, it should stand up to the elements. Logan- I think you are referring to a gun bluing pen?

I've sold off all but one of my gens... Sure, gens are nice. But these days, I get more satisfaction from putting something together.

Cool! Glad to see that everything looks good Standard Thursday fare...

For what one genuine 16520 Daytona would cost ($9k to $12k for a standard late model, and only available now on the secondary market), I can build 3 frankens with the same movements, genuine dials, hands, crowns, tubes, bezels, etc. My white dial Daytona is even complete with a genuine case. In the end... It's still not a genuine. No box and papers, but no ridiculous mark up either and essentially the same watch on my wrist, and with the option to go with a different dial color the next day Since I'm not interested in selling, the 'genuine' aspect doesn't mean much... At least to me.

Hmmmm... Yeah, I suppose you could say that I like the Daytona a little So, really, you have a couple of choices for a sapphire crystal (modern and neovintage) Daytona- Running seconds at 6:00 (the modified 7750 with seconds displaced to the 6:00 subsidiary) for the 116520/116509/116518/116519 etc. These are a bit touchy- The modification to the base movement to shift subdial output around requires 11 extra gears and much more strain on the movement having to push those extra gears (specifically the extra load required for the constantly running seconds subdial). Some watches have lasted over a year, while other last a few days. It's a bit of a game of chance. Aside form the movement issues, the case is quite thick to accommodate the modified movement - Bezel is taller, rehaut is deeper, caseback is deeper, and the position of the crown sits too far towards the caseback etc. A genuine 116520 for example is quite thin in relation at 12.4mm; so, this is a giveaway as to being a replica to anyone that knows Daytonas. For seconds at 9:00, these are the 16520/16523/16528 models that are replicating the function of the Zenith El Primero. No modification necessary for the watch's functions, as the running seconds should be at 9:00, however, the subdial placement on these is typically spread out too far from the trademark closely grouped positions of the El Primero's subdials. The cases on these are about the right size (diameter and thickness), though, again, the crown is positioned too far back towards the caseback. For reliability, this one is probably a safer bet. Now, personally, I did opt to build my own Zenith Daytona as Steve mentioned as the options out there just didn't satisfy. This was the solution that provided accuracy, function and longevity. The final product ends up costing a significant amount, but in the end, the results are about as close to a genuine 16520 as one can achieve without actually buying a genuine. The movement is the same base movement as what the genuine uses; genuine dials fit, as do hands with slight modification... Crowns, tubes, bezels, bracelets, rotors, bridges... To the eye, this one can truly be made 1:1. Anyways... Just my $0.02... Weigh your desire for a Daytona with the cost you are willing to pay. If you want a long term keeper that will last through the generations, there is only one way to go (in my opinion). Hope this helps R

I must admit- I don't find myself browsing dealer's folders as much as I used to... In fact, I don't think I've purchased an actual rep in over 8 months now and I find myself buying fewer and fewer parts these days as well. I still love watches... But I've been feeling less than motivated/interested these days. Maybe it's time to buy something new?

Heh... Well, I must admit- I actually only own one of these Zenith Daytonas; the other belongs to my son, which he will receive when he is ready to take care of it. I built one of these watches specifically for him with the hopes that it will have more sentimental meaning and value as something his Dad made especially for him (and not simply purchased at the store). I wear both almost daily, and even at the tender age of 3, he knows that there is something special about this pair of Cosmographs. Regarding vintage... Have had a few vintage Daytonas- Mostly DWs... This PN was one of my favorites; fully serviced and overhauled by Ziggy, it was one of my few DW's that worked perfectly. I could not pull off a watch of this stature, but the new recipient that this one was passed to is more than capable of filling that criteria And another that I parted with... All very nice watches, but a tad bit persnickety in the mechanicals, which appear to be very old manual wind bi-compax movements in these DW's. I ended up swapping the movement in my black dial 6265 for a Valjoux 23 from an old Nivada (with much help from Ziggy). Now the watch works properly Daytonas have always been somewhat of an obsession for me; if I could have only one watch, these days, it would probably be a Zenith Daytona...

Looks great!! What's more.... I'll bet it runs even great! Congrats! One of the holy grail Daytonas, for sure!

The granite shots are repititious, and I know it I wanted to try something a little different, but I am realizing that it's not the backdrop that's getting repetitive, but rather the subject. So... That's something I need to work on (as well as my photography skills). Thanks much for the very kind words, Diesel Always appreciated! As for the car... My wife likes to rib me by calling me an old man I'm only her senior by 4 years! But she thinks that all MB's are old man cars by default, and that Rolex is also of the old man sterotype. Glad I didn't opt to get a W124 E500 or something like that... I'd never hear the end of it!

Thanks, Jeff. The Audi is my wife's- Just a very simple 1.8T A4 Avant Sport (but with 6spd... Yay). It's a fun little car- Lots of fun to drive, great performance and suits her well (and the suspension comes slammed from the factory). We tried a couple different models for her- 4.2L V8 A6 and a 2.7T All Road, but both were a little too big for her liking (she does better with smaller cars, as backing up is not her strong suit). Unfortunately for us, a month and a half after we purchased her Avant, the B6 S4's went on lease special for around $500 a month- That's the one she really wanted. Oh well... As for me... I drive an 'old man's car' as my better half puts it. I've been wanting to get into something new, but this one's paid off and the idea of a new car payment isn't very appealing

Tuesday wrist wear...

My favorie quote from the auction- "Gehäuse : Stahl verchromt wiegt ca. 220 g hat einen Durchmesser von 58mm und ist 21mm [censored] Zifferblatt : Angelus schwarz mit Phosphor leuchtenden zahlen, und Zeiger "

Very nice!! And very well done... Good stuff!

I was looking at a very nice 16520 Daytona that night... Uhhh, yeah... That's it.

Yeah... They don't bother me much. Besides... I'm too lazy (and I hate doing CG's).

I'm still trying to figure out how the watch was stolen... No real indication as to how the watch was lifted, but I'm assuming it was on the guy's wrist...

Article content... '$85,000 watch reported stolen from Crocs founder' BOULDER – Police are looking for an $85,000 watch reported stolen from the founder of Crocs. The watch was said to be stolen from 45-year-old George Boedecker while he was at Hapa Sushi Grill on Pearl Street. Officers say they were initially called to the location on a report there was a man harassing customers. Boedecker told police he believes the man he was harassing stole the watch. Police say the patron in the bar is not a suspect. The watch is described as a gold Roger Dubuis Reel Driver with platinum lining. Boedecker says it’s valued at $85,000. Story here...

The only MBW left in my collection... -MBW 1665 -Genuine crown -Genuine tube -Genuine Tropic 39 -Genuine bezel insert -Genuine 78360 bracelet -Genuine 93150 clasp -Genuine 580 ends -Genuine springbars -ETA 2846 -Watchmeister vintage font datewheel for ETA -Lugs drilled -Caseback paint removed

Sorry William... It's a bit late...

Fantastic pics of a great watch!

Nice wrist shots, Rima! Lookin' good!

MBW?

Monday...

Maybe just the angle? I see something odd with the symmetry @ the 6:00 marker/lume dot, but I think it's my eyes playing tricks on me...