Richard Tracy

Thanks for posting Nanuq, quick question, I once located a dealer of gen bond dials,..hands ect.. are you saying they would fit into the silix trs case ?

Gorgeous ! How long until it reps ? I also wonder why no 41mm ?

Fantastic,....Have photos ?

Hi, I thought some of you may find this article interesting, especially those that have an instinctual dislike of Quartz Watches. Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, Known as "the father of the chronograph" His House, boasts a famous and oft-repeated slogan: "Since 1735, there has never been a quartz Blancpain watch. And there never will be." This bold statement, however, is more than just a slogan; it is a guiding principle of this unique company…a sincere dedication to excellence, which has earned Blancpain numerous accolades over the years. In 1971 the world was being flooded with cheap quartz watches from Asia which just about killed the mechanical watch. Many specialists were predicting the death of the mechanical due to the arrival of quartz. The traditional watchmaker’s art and know-how was rapidly falling into decline. Then At a moment when the Swiss watch industry was betting everything on quartz and beginning to destroy its production equipment and, in part, the culture of the mechanical watch, Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, who agreed that traditional mechanical watches still possessed a surprising and indeed highly promising lease on life, combined forces on January 9, 1983, to revive the Blancpain Company two and a half centuries after its foundation. Close scrutiny of all available records confirmed to Jean-Claude Biver that there never had been such a thing as a Blancpain quartz watch. And none will exist in the future. Jacques Piguet, the son of Frédéric Piguet, the reputed maker of rough movements, or blanks, stood ready to contribute his very considerable expertise. Vital watchmaking information and secrets were saved just in time, treasures from the past that had not yet been destroyed or set aside. At Frédéric Piguet’s in the Vallée de Joux, a large number of old movements were found for which there were no plans at all. After studying them individually, plans were created for each of these movements. By turning to the past to relive the beginnings of watchmaking as it existed among the isolated farms of the Jura, Blancpain was able to allow the culture of mechanical watchmaking to endure, as well as the traditional watchmaker’s art of the region and of an entire country. Biver's strategy was a success: today, the Blancpain workshop and headquarters retains the charm of a tranquil farm house, yet within this unassuming factory are created some of the world's most complicated, desired and expensive watches. Graduates from the finest Swiss watchmaking schools are recruited into the ranks of the House following their apprenticeship to a Master Watchmaker. In keeping with tradition, watchmakers employed by Blancpain do not work in assembly line fashion; rather, each watchmaker will personally build "their" watch from beginning to end. Production is extremely limited, with fewer than 10,000 watches per year being produced. Needless to say, each watch is individually numbered and recorded in the company's archives. Boxes, straps and buckles are of the highest possible quality, in keeping with the company's strict emphasis on quality. As for the movements, they are designed and crafted completely in-house, and based exclusively on high-quality ebauches that are provided by their sister company, Frederic Piguet. Since Piguet and Blancpain share the same building, it might be said that a Blancpain watch features an in-house movement. Where the company distinguishes itself the most, however, is in its adamant devotion to the mechanical wristwatch. Since the company's rebirth, only mechanical watches, in round watch cases, are produced. These are not "trendy" watches, but rather, classical in their styling and timeless in their elegance. Among the company's most recognizable products are Ref. 1106, a manual wind wristwatch with 100 hour winding reserve; the Fifty Fathoms, a contemporary version of the company's classic diving watch; an 18K "Half Hunter" wristwatch featuring a hinged sapphire crystal back; and the "1735" which combines the six complications offered by the company into one watch. The "1735" is an automatic chronograph with split-second chronograph, tourbillon, perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and minute repeater -- a masterpiece that took more than six years to design and build. It is also a fitting tribute to the company's founder, and an equally appropriate symbol of the company's ongoing mission - to create the very finest timepieces for discriminating collectors. $~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is an outdated view, newer Asian movement are rivaling eta. Most eta movements for Swiss companies are assembled in China and I would bet that there are so called Swiss companies, in order to save even more money go for Chinese made parts, after all, if the mold and metal are the same, what is the difference ? Lastly the newer 7750b1 are an excellent engine, and are a bargain when compared to the genuine article, and much more versatile than eta 2 series so an excellent choice for us when needs arise, balancing reliability with price. Besides if one were to start modifying eta movements, they would no longer be eta and more prone to breakdown, as the rule goes.. the more modifications the more potential problems.

Skins, now that is interesting.. As for flavors.. maybe you have a point, however I see this. There are a few hundred active members to go around, but four boards splits us all up, creates a situation that make every board sparse & thus all a bit boring. However, The important differences are in the Admin, plus a few die hards that feel a certain loyalty to a board or two. If I take a closer view of the admins of each board, and gage experience, past views, posts, behaviour, and most importantly scope of managing a diverse world community, the web, and last but not least the law,.. I put my money on admin and the cream of the old RWG that has come 2gether to make this one. Why do I view it in such terms ? Your time is your life.. many of the posts that we invested in old rwg will be wasted, formatted away along with hundreds of thousands of man hours. Think it can't happen again ? Experience say's otherwise, so if you view your time as an investment, the choices are logical, or emotional,... I choose logic.

Yes, Three Cheers for RWGroup !

Ethan we have the same T4020, though I opted for a lesser version without bluetooth. The screen on this thing is a joy to design on, perfect ! And jsph,.. sorry, but I there are some wires crossed there.. I had a Military sub, but never did any work on it,.. or even know how.. Sorry. For those that don't think tablet pcs are the latest greatest... I agree however I also agree with Ethan that touch screens will become the norm as pcs get smaller, more portable and keyboards give way to voice and pens.

That's the key to this whole puzzle.. just needs a bit of organizing.. we already have the watchsmiths and modders...

Well whatever happens, I'm stocking up on the latest greatest while the going is good. then deal with what weather occurs at that time, though I feel that there will always be a way as long as there is a wallet,...I mean will. Prices could go up however as risks rise.

Look for 7750b1 in the advertisements or lack there of, inquire with the dealer. Seems many of the new releases contain the b1 but not all so be sure to ask.

Wow,.. I kind of feel like a just got out of a movie theatre where the movie was all previews ! Just kidding.... Darkside is different, though dark, hard on the eyes thus a bit depressing. However I still am having a difficult time figuring out the need for another forum. Ever notice that whenever a certain board is empty, you will find the missing members on the other forum ? Hey where is everybody ? Oh there they are ! Before it used to be two,.. One was down, the other was full. Wt came along to fill a market void, so necessary. Now Darkside ? It seems that it's all being spread out too thin, same members, same dealers,.just more clicking, loading and a substantial factor, of more information on TRC & RWGroup. P.S. I wasn't counting old rwg, it has a case of the terminals, so any posts done there are just a chalk board that will soon be wiped clean and isn't this about storing rep information ?

I was noticing that there are splinter groups popping up around the neighborhood. Good or bad..? I know some bounce from board to board.. I do it from time to time but three main is my tops for now. I did notice a certain flavor of the latest version... birds of a feather shall I say...? Though some surprised me... and don't ask me why. Icebergs going their own directions never to meet again ?

According to technology analysts, the tablet pc is supposed to be riding the crest of next huge wave of personal computing. I don't think so, though I own one, my need was prompted by design needs and a preference of writing by hand over keyboard. Has anyone else invested in one ? I have a fujitsu T 4000 series...

Flaws distribute the risk. I don't see any dealer coming up with 100% accuracy, no matter the price or numbers. I'm sure they remember the street rollers.\ Besides, we enjoy an accuracy way above the outside world, at prices that we should be thankful for.. as even if you decide to get fixes.. or mods.. your pricing is still much below others are getting ripped for.

I can see that ! Looks great ! Also Cartier or Hermes makes very feminine watches..

Ethan is correct, and in there lies the problem with making deals with any particular dealer. Now that I have really gotten to know the various dealers, I can really understand how one can feel a responsibility for a certain one or a few. They are really great people and all characters in their own right. When I first came here, however, I viewed the situation with in robotic eye with regards to price, service, time, pull with manufacturers {not so much with accuracy, but with quality control} and last but not least, those that had the buying strength to support the board financially. As I mentioned non of this was greeted with the kind of glee I had intended, due to the location of the server, which I was unawares and a whole lot of conflicting energy. Another fact which I had not yet touched me, was the family factor, {Connie just sent me the nicest letter and is going out of her way right now to over compensate me for couple of drop-shipper errors.} These kinds of extraordinary feats of service that each one of them has performed for so many of us is the glue that keeps us coming back. Not back then, I had not grown any attachments to any particular dealer in a personal sense. On the contrary, my first four deals were a shades of grey, which sparked my direction I would now say. Grey weather and raining pieces from different, and then newer, dealers, so the air was filled with falling bricks. Now however it seems that the pieces have settled and we can see that most every dealer has specialties which makes them unique in their own right, so we don't have to choose, do we ? If we can just discuss this, now that we are offshore.. we surely can come up with a way to organize our efforts towards less waste, permanent board support and perks for us all.

Yes, Prime is 10, Watch is 15, but it wasn't luck nor was personal discounts my goal. I almost got lynched at old rwg, from a combination of loyalty to the then established line of current dealers, and confusion over my intentions..which in retrospect I can understand. Some even spread rumors that I was Silix himself, using rwg as a place of free adversitment... That was just paranoia, as my main goal was to find a way to bring in steady support for our board, while at the same time obtaining for everyone, discounts. Ken was the only one that knew the truth, and spoke up,..and to him I am grateful ! Getting back to your point about particular models however I think we can find a way in which we can all order individually, our own model choice and still save..

Being on the other side of that fence, I know how you feel, size does matter here. I think you should feel lucky in a sense,.. We are living in the age of larger watches.. it favors you.... In regards to your question however,.. Bands have a lot to do with how a watch looks on a person.

I re-drew that post,.. Though I remember when I was bringing Jay closer into RWG and it was frowned upon ? I only did it, because I recognized how negotiable he was with regards to our suggestions on everything from special orders, going ETA, his new site construction, even down to his pricing,.. plus his customer service was to that point like no other..Now everyone knows about how fantastic he is.. Jay never forgot that, and always takes a 10% discount off my ever order.. Great Guy that Jay ! So take that away from $650 and you have it....$585.. but I could have sworn that the watch was less before... Funny thing is,..We could all get at least a 15% discount every time if we always act in unison. I see that others are starting group buys, and that is good, but it's only the tip of the iceberg of what is potentially possible, including steady support for our boards.

Maybe with Omega or other mid priced lines, or pre-owned, other than that, until watches become investments, or come down to 10% of their current pricing... I will enjoy the hell out of my reps.

So true,..Panerai represents a strong leap forward,.. and I recant my price point.. I just recalled the reasons behind the lower price I paid.

Well I'm no pam pro,.. jumped on the train in mid transit without a ticket, but having owned a 7750 196 and now the least, expensive advertised 7753, I can honestly say that even beyond the genuine engine, the aesthetics, which were beautiful on the previous version have been stepped up, so I personally don't see a reason to pay more.

Personally, I feel solid gold is too much for a rep. Kind of like putting $4000 worth of accessories on a $2000 car. TuTone 14k however for an ETA accurate piece can add the right touch of class...

Hey folks... For all those 44mm pam lovers without large wrists, that are considering the Fiddy or Militare, and want to see for yourselves the important difference in size, which is North and South, not as most would assume, east to west. Here is a photo that compares the 183 a 000 and the 127, {Fiddy} If you have a smaller wrist, like I do, I am formulating methods that will allow us to wear the Gold Hands,.. without the dreaded 'Lug Over-hang." More to follow.