gioarmani

Just tried calling, and they said he's not in today. They told me something about having to completely disassemble the movement in order to fix it. German, so the accent's really thick--sounded like something with a bad "train wheel" (?) and some other gear inside. Should I take it somewhere else, or does this not sound correct? I don't know of any other reputable smiths in the Tampa area that can fix a rep; if anybody else does, please let me know. I'm trying to weigh my options as to the best solution--repair of the existing watch, or another replacement.

Bump! Alright, I was a little busy when the smith called to tell me which gears had gone askew, but the long & short of it is $130, and 3-4 weeks. Since this movement is so complicated & such a pain in the ass to work on, should I simply buy another or repair this one? Opinions?

Does anyone know if the AR coat is double-sided on the gen?

The nativity scene was permanently yanked from the White House lawn a few years back, and even Christmas trees are being pulled from publicly funded museums this year. I agree with you on the Ten Commandments--and that this is not the appropriate thread for that argument--but I think the presence of the sculpture was more symbolic (in the sense of simply being one of the--supposedly--first recorded set of "laws") in a courtroom, rather than literal. Other than obvious religious preference I don't think, speaking symbolically, it would have made a difference if they did the Folgers switch with Hammurabi's Code. Of course, you always have the non-thinking ultra-conservative types trying to misinterpret it as being fundamentally correct.

It's absolutely not offensive. I'm an agnostic and consider myself to be quite liberal and open-minded & can't stand the preachy, in-your-face, my-way-or-the-hell-way types, but even if some find it offensive, I say tough [censored]. It's freedom of expression, and regardless of geography, it's your human right. It bewilders me in America, for instance, that neo-Nazi mouthbreathers and the KKK are allowed to march & shout because of their "freedom of speech" but the same people that allow them to do this are the same people that will yank down a simple nativity scene, or sculpture of the ten commandments. Amazing. I say you should feel free to post what you like.

http://www.bostonwatchexchange.com/servlet/StoreFront

Ignore EMS tracking #'s. They never work. By the time the Chinese put your # in the system, you'll have already gotten it.

Nice!!!

That's always a possibility...

Both her Datejusts make her happy--especially the salmon dial on SS. Not to be too generalizing, but most women--even those that follow fashion--know little about watches. But any woman can spot a Datejust from across the room.

New gen Sea Pro. Blurry pic--haven't figured out the new phone just yet.

Does anybody know what the weight in ozs, lbs, or grams is on the rep? This gen feels like it weighs almost a pound!

Thanks!

Allow me to repost...myself: First (slightly off track but still relevant) I'd like to say--in the long-run--it's probably wisest to stay away from Asian movements, if you can. Good luck getting non-swiss parts and better luck getting it fixed correctly. I know a lot of people like Asian movements and might disagree with me, but you'll do best to stick with ETA (Swiss movements). They last longer, are a snap to find parts for, and are more reliable over the long-term. Now that we've segued into the ETAs, it's a bit easier to narrow your search from here. I've ordered from almost every dealer on the boards, and then some (including watches from dealers I did not do business with directly, but instead purchased from other board members), and this is what I've come to find. Please do bear in mind I would never play favorites and I certainly wouldn't allow any relationship--business or personal--interfere with my judgement, so I'll try to be unbiased towards any particular dealer, by attempting to speak only from the fact I've personally encountered from my purchases, and the purchases I've made on behalf and/or at the request of other people. http://www.trustytime88.com/index.php?main...products_id=256 In an over-all view, I believe Andrew's "relaunched" version of the Submariner (above) to be the best on the current market. This is, of course, a bit generalized but taking into account the aesthetic pros & cons of all the Subs out there, I think this one tilts the scale to it's favor. Now, the ETA Subs from both Josh & Andrew are much better than the past generations and have better bands, crisper dial prints, and closely perfected crowns & crown-guards. EL's is also a spectacular watch, seeing as it's the same body & band that Andrew sold before replacing it with the "relaunch". You also have the choice between vintage and non-vintage models. The vintage would probably be more fun to mod. A vintage Sub fresh from the dealers without mods tends to look so new (without, of course, said modifications) that no one will believe it's real, for its "age". And the believability factor is a heavily weighing option (if not the primary reason) for purchasing a Rolex rep; don't believe those who say they don't care about the brand, they just "like the way it looks", as opposed to simply buying the $30 Timex that looks the exact same. So stick with the new design of Sub, if you don't plan on doing much of anything to it, other than wearing it to have the Rolex name on your wrist. Now similar to almost every other mass-manufactured good on the planet, these Swiss movements are assembled in China. The parts are manufactured in Switzerland, but simply put together elsewhere to absorb a great portion of the labor cost. Eta has their movements assembled in China for most all their buyers: Cartier, Tiffany's, Oris, Baume & Mercier, Tag Heuer, etc. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of Swiss movements come oiled--they don't all come dry. If they did, they'd all be dead in a matter of weeks. You most likely won't/shouldn't need to have it serviced (disassembled & oiled) for about 2-3 years of average wear. Most Swiss watch makers suggest a five-year service & cleaning. Also contrary to general consensus, these watches are more waterproof than the credit they're generally given; the sports models, mind you, not the more refined banker's watches like Vacheron Constantin, Patek, etc. It's worth the extra $20, or whatever your area watch-smiths currently charge, to have it pressure tested. I've yet to have one (of my own, or one I've tested for somebody else) that failed waterproofing, and I swim & shower in all of mine. I'd have to say, depending on which model you're looking for--especially in the Rolex category--Andrew or Josh are your best bet for the best models (go with Davidsen for your Panerai). In true fairness to all the others, the dealers on here are all trustworthy & credible; otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to continue to ply their trade on the board. I've purchased a slew of reps over the past few months, for myself and other people (Subs, GMTs, Datejusts, Daydates, Daytonas, Omegas, Panerai, Cartier, Bulgari, mens & womens, etc...), and I've found these two gentlemen to be the most courteous, the most efficient, and to have the most consistency in their service, their expedited shipping, and their product. http://perfect-clones.com/ http://www.trustytime.com/ If I had to pick a runner up (in the Rolex category), it would definitely be EL (Eddie Lee). http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e186/300thomas/ He's got a great case with almost perfect CGs, and the best dial print out there. I've reason to believe it's the same one Andrew uses in his "relaunch", and the one TTK has in his Asian model as well. If you don't want to pay the $90 to have your Sub serviced in the next 3 years, or the $20 to pressure-test it, but do wish to swim in your Submariner, then the "perfect" Subs are a good choice for you. I have come to find however, that the "perfect" subs are either utilizing different parts (primarily the cases) that seem to possess slight irregularity's in shape that stray not only from the regular ETA Sub reps, but also the shape of the gens as well. The pearls on the bezel insert tend to be a little flat, rather than having a proper dome shape to them, and the serrated edge on the crowns tend to have more rounded edges, rather than coming to a "point" like they do on the regular Subs. Compared to my gen, the "perfects" also have a date-mag that's a bit too big. A lot of people have the notion that the date window (the white portion of the datewheel that shows through the opening in the dial, directly underneath the cyclops eye) is supposed to almost completely fill the viewing area of the entire cyclops. It's not. In fact, if you take a trip to an AD, you'll see they only fill about 3/4 of the cyclops. From my own personal experience, I think it's more cost-effective to purchase a regular Sub (the models around $200), and if you wish, pay your smith the extra $90 to have it serviced/oiled (but definitely get it pressure-tested!). This works out much cheaper than the "perfect" Subs, and I feel you'll actually wind up with a better looking watch. I hope this was helpful. (edited for the correct link)

Merry Christams to me. Omega Seamaster Professional. I can't wait to get my rep to see how close it is. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. I've tried to take some detailed pics, so if anyone with a good Sea Pro rep can point out the major flaws, please do so. And please feel free to add your own rep pics to see how close they are, with no fear of thread hijacking. Enjoy! Not too much glare, but no tint to the AR (if any). Double sided AR coating, I'm guessing? The only "rep-like" flaws I can find are the fact that the bezel-inserts 3 o'clock hour marker doesn't line up exactly and the datewheel appears to sit a little on the highside in the window. I swore after my Submariner, I'd never buy anther gen, but this one was hard not to fall in love with. I wonder how long I'll keep this one...

They don't exist. Stick with what's in the dealer section if you don't want to get screwed.

Hell, I still have trouble with socks first, then shoes.

Jeweler & watchmaker standard is GS Hypo-cement. I've never used anything less on my mods: http://www.jewelerssupplies.com/product70.html

Very nice. Lol--bump.

Which dealer has the best looking Omega Seamaster (chrono), and what makes you think so? Pics are greatly, definitely appreciated--but personal experience pics--no dealer/stock pics. Dealers more than welcome to chime in as well.

You're more than welcome. (just posted another Christamas present on the board somewhere--if you were offended by my avatar, don't bother looking for it )

If I can throw in my two-cents without sounding like some boring professor giving a lecture, I am ABSOLUTELY MANIACAL over the quality of my home-theatre and have spent way too much money & years researching, investing & upgrading it. Throughout the house, we have the new 46" Sony HD LCD flat-panel, a Sony XBR 34" widescreen HDTV flat-screen(CRT), a 27" Phillips HD plasma flat-panel, & a little 17" sharp HD LCD flat-panel. So here's the homework lesson: Basically speaking, LCDs will give you sharper edges than plasma and almost as much contrast as plasma (although nothing is as crisp, sharp, clear, or colorful as a true CRT, glass televsion) without the issue of burn-in & clarity fade that all plasmas acquire upon aging. LCD's are said to experience some modicum form of artifacts or interpolation while viewing an extremely fast moving picture (jerky camera movements, fast action editing, etc), but not so much any more, and not as bad that the picture becomes intolerable & is still well worth it. Because of their basic structure & composition, the entire screen (as a whole) on a plasma will burn out simultaneously, rather than expire a pixel at a time, like an LCD or DLP will. I prefer the LCD, as the human eye can't spot individual pixels from 6 or more feet away, and from personal experience when the plasma image begins to fade, it fades fast and the whole screen goes at the same time. I plugged my 2 year old Samsung plasma in next to this years same Samsung model and the store & the noticeable fade in clarity was shocking to say the least, considering how much I paid for it and how young it was (needless to say, it was immediately sold). You don't notice it disappearing for the same reason you can't see the age progression on a daily basis in humans, cars, watches, etc; there's no common frame of reference to an unaged product to compare it to and the progression is to slow to visibly notice. DLP's have fantastic picture quality but are rear-projection units, and like all other rear-projection TV's, the short comings are quickly noticeable upon movement & placement. The only way to get the best viewable picture from a rear-projection unit is to be sitting directly in front of it in the dead center of the screen; not to the side, and not up or down any from the center of the screen--the more you move one way or the other, the brightness, contrast & general picture-quality fade dramatically. not to mention the projection bulbs are upwards of $500 a piece to replace, and with average TV viewing time, need to be done every 5+ years. According to Consumer Reports, CNET, & other electronics rating services, the CRT is still the best picture money can buy when everything from contrast, to sharpness, to color-richness is taken into effect. Of course, CRTs weigh an absolute ton and have obvious size limitations because of it. The Sony XBR 34 inch is still rated one of the best pictures of any TV in the world. But because it's 200 pounds & because of it's limited screen size (which is measured diagonally on all TVs, from bottom corner to the opposite top corner, in case you didn't know) a lot of people opt to go for the flat-panels. I think the LCD is the smartest compromise between them all. I am still amazed--even after 2 years--at the XBR's picture quality & the way the colors absolutely "pop" like on no other plasma or LCD on the market, and am quite satisfied with the screen size, as the couch in that room is only 8 ft away from the screen. Which by the way, as a rule of thumb, for optimal viewing experience, your seating area should be a minimum of twice the screen measurement, if your TV is over 32 inches (e.g. if you have a 50" screen, for the clearest picture, your couch needs to be a minimum of 100" from the screen, and so on). As for your input source, there is no need to have a Blue-Ray or HD DVD player any time in the next 5 years. The only way to get the best picture out of either one is to have a TV whose resolution is 1080p, which 95% of current TVs on the market cannot produce. Normal picture--VCR, non-progressive scan DVD, or non-HD broadcast television--is 480i (interlaced). One step up from that is progressive scan, which is 480p (progressive), then 720p (where High Definition actually begins), then 1080i ("true" High Definition). After that, the next step up from 1080i and is the newest technology on the market; you guessed it--1080p. So unless you bought a 1080p television, you wasted your money on a Blue-Ray & HD DVD player, as 720p or 1080i is the highest resolution your HDTV can possibly achieve. There also isn't really that much of a recognizable difference between an HDTV with an upconverting DVD player and an HDTV with a Blue-Ray. Also keep in mind there are less than 50 titles currently available on Blue-Ray or HD DVD format, so do you really feel like spending thousands more replacing your entire media collection? I know current DVDs can be played on HD DVD & Blue-Ray because they're backwards-compatable, but so is the up-converting one, so you can save your money all around. So the best solution is to buy an "up-converting" DVD player, which will turn your 480p progressive scan signal into either a 720p HD or 1080i HD signal (Note: your TV must be HD compatible to receive a progressive scan signal--non HDTV's will only get a fuzzy picture on a progressive scan). Sony currently manufactures the best up-converting DVD player on the market--some of the best color & sound processors money can buy. I have one hooked up to my 1080i TV, and the picture & sound are flawless. I've tried other brands of up-converting DVD players like the Samsung, and their sound quality is [censored]; avoid them like the plague. Also make sure you're feeding your DVD player's signal to the TV on an HDMI cable--it's the best quality for video on the planet; better than S-link, better than monster/component cables, better than AV, etc. If your TV doesn't go up to 1080i or 1080p, I highly suggest a Harman Kardon progressive scan DVD player--best color quality on the market and they even use Wolfson audio-processors...PHENOMENAL sound quality through your receiver. On the subject of receivers, Harman Kardon is the best way to go. Anything above the HK 630 is the best bang for your buck one can get. Believe it or not, HK has better sound processors & converters than Onkyo or Denon--both of which I tried and wasn't as satisfied with. I only have mine configured for 5.1 surround sound, but HK will allow you to go up to 6.1 or even 7.1 speakers! And make sure your audio feed from the DVD player into your receiver IS NOTHING BUT OPTICAL!!! You won't get better sound than fiber-optics. And try to make sure your speaker wire isn't more than 14 to 16 ft long per speaker, otherwise, your sound quality that's being fed to the speakers will start to diminish in the line. Also, please don't be seduced by the powers of hyped-up marketing. Steer clear from Bose products; they're still using the same tinny sounding direct-reflector speaker technology invented in the early 70's. Why do you think the Bose section is usually segregated from the other brands of speakers in the sound-demo section of the store? So you won't notice the overly EQ'ed treble quality and lack of true mid-range sound from their satellite speakers. Stay away. Harman Kardon, JBL, and Polk Audio make far superior speakers with a better range of sound quality for a hell of a lot less money. I've got the HK-TS 14's from Harman, and they are fantastic--I can't tell you how many friends have been watching movies at our place & said, "Ooh, that's weird, I've never heard that part before". Sorry to completely empty my brain upon you, but I hope this helps alleviate any worry as to what decision you make, so you don't feel screwed because some salesman either wasn't educated well enough, or conveniently left an important tid-bit out.

Not a problem; I appreciate your time. Well, I've taken it to my German guy, so we'll see what he has to say by Tuesday. He doesn't think it requires a complete rebuild. I certaintly hope not--the chronos are perfect & I've got the time regulation almost down to the second.

No big deal; it'll die down in a few weeks; it's Christmas. People are just trying to kill two birds with one stone. I've done a great deal of shopping on here this month for Xmas, and watches have actually been the least of it. It's nice having the choice, and a bit of fresh air in the conversation.

Get the irregular shaped pearls--the asymmetry in them is much better looking than the proverbial spheres. Also ask where they were cultivated--the shiny coating on the outside is called the "nacre". Obviously, the thinner the nacre, the faster they will wear & lose their luster, and it differs, depending on where they were raised. On Japanese (Ayoki pearls)--technically the worst because they're the thinnest--it's only about 1/2 mm thick. Then you have the Tahitian pearls at about 2mm thick. The best are the true South Sea pearls, at about 4mm thick.