gioarmani

Ok, stop...now I'm going to be stretching out time counting down seconds like a newb for the next few weeks...

Damn, those look nice! @hackR, I've seen his relume work and it is astonishing; I certainly wouldn't attempt that kind of intricacy... @ lani--those have been relumed, I imagine? I love how thick & raised it looks!

Thanks all. Since it hasn't shipped, I may ask them to split the packages in two or so. The girl in my avy & sigs is always my gf, to those who were asking. I shoot them all myself.

I've just placed my largest watch order yet: 1 Royal Oak Offshore Ruben Barrichello II (in blue) 1 TAG SLR for Mercedez-Benz SS (in black) 1 IWC Aquatimer "Cousteau Divers" 9the '06 version) 1 AP ROO Survivor (with the pusher-guards) 3 Hublot Big Bangs (can't remember which, but all ceramic, some brown, some black, some gray) Hopefully this will slip through customs no sweat. And, of course, I plan to do some very thorough reviews on each upon arrival (hopefully a week or so before Christmas). So to all who've commented over the years they wished I would review something other than Rolex, stay tuned...

Yes, a break from the Rolex world... shocked as some of you might be, I am purchasing my first IWC; the '06 Cousteau. My question is, does the rep come with an AR'ed crystal, and if so is it true-to-gen (i.e. single-sided or double). I'm going off the reservation here with an IWC, a Tag, and a couple of Hublots. All will be thoroughly reviewed in detail, of course.

Yes; anything with that moronic bicth Celine Dion does have permanent mal-effects on a person's mental stability.

The more points of entry you guys have on a case, the more possibility for leaks; it doesn't make sense from a risk-management standpoint to not seal it off. Yes, mine tested solid to 10 ATMs, and yes, I've had most of my reps down to 100 ft or more, but if you're not a saturation diver who's working at thousands of feet below the surface, an HEV--functional or not--has about as much use as a veggie burger at Ted Nuggent's house. If that watch ever touches salt-water and happens to leak, it's over. Unless you're planning on going down to 3,000 feet, do yourself a favor and seal it. Even the gens occasionally fail.

NEVER use Cape Cod on a polished surface. Ever. Regardless of what else you will hear, they do leave scratches on polished materials. Read the polish guide in my signature.

You're more than welcome. Happy holidays! It's gonna be a good one this year.

The AR will have little effect on the distortion on the crystal, but that distortion is only present on the first release of the V5. It doesn't appear as if the newest ones have that--probably using the same crystal as the V3 & V4. The gen has slightly more distortion than the V3 but not much, and the reason why the V5 looks so off was because of the shape of the crystal. Gens & V3, etc. were flat on the bottom, domed on top. The first V5s were domed on both the top & the bottom of the crystal, thus producing the refraction/distortion you're seeing. The gens aren't AR and an AR'ed DSSD will scream "fake", rep or not. Instead of AR'ing, I'd recommend finding a different crystal or selling & upgrading to one of the newer ones.

I hate to say it, but I actually like the Omega clock a lot better than the Rolex ones...

Quite possibly the best review I've seen on this piece yet. Nicely done! Still waiting on mine...

Follow the first link in my signature.

Awesome--it's done right.

Movement replacement is the only viable option.

Same to you. More than welcome all!

You're welcome.

Thanks guys!

A free Omega? Haha--no. Most might not even have their trees yet, but this will make a fun present to pull out & play when putting up the decorations--or a nice mix to avoid those that get too much radio play. This is a zip-file of my favorite and lesser played holiday mp3's that I put together after purchasing a few years ago, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I have. Some tracks change a bit or get added on with each passing Christmas, but the list basically stay the same. I've tried to incorporate some lesser-known pieces that haven't been played to death over the air-waves, a few that aren't technically Christmas tunes but for personal reasons still feel as such, and perhaps a few proverbial songs, but hopefully performed in a slightly differently arrangement than what you're used to. I certainly hope this will put one in the Christmas spirit, if you aren't getting there already. I've put them in MP3 format & uploaded it using Sharebeee, so simply click the link below, then choose which site you wish to download it from, then wait for the countdown and save it to your hard-drive; you can simply add them to iTunes or burn them to CD. 17 tracks in all: http://sharebee.com/d172a21d The "Christmas spirit", the "Season of giving", or "Holiday joy"--whatever you prefer to call it--I hope this Holiday season will be an exceptionally good one for you all. A sense of happiness & contentment tends to make one feel a bit less selfish, and I hope that others will enjoy themselves, reveling in the same; to take part in a little more caring, a little more giving, and hopefully a little more understanding. Perhaps it's merely habitual for us to only concentrate on selflessness and sharing around this particular time of year, but I truly think it is a noble thing to do, perhaps even virtuous: to always reflect on the trials and tribulations that many have faced this year (including some of our very own members), and hopefully come out a bit more compassionate and wiser for it in the end. So here's a little something in hopes of kicking off that wonderful feeling, and hopes that 2010 will see a brighter & better year for all of us; the world over. Take care; I hope you guys & gals enjoy, and have a very, merry Christmas!! 1) Good Morning Blues--Ella Fitzgerald 2) (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag--Kay Starr 3) I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm--Billie Holiday 4) Christmas Time Is Here--Diana Krall 5) Boogie Woogie Santa Claus--Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra 6) Dig That Crazy Santa Claus--Ralph Marterie 7) Hey Santa--Chris Isaak 8 ) Baby, It's Cold Outside--Louis Jordan & Ella Fitzgerald 9) The Christmas Blues--Dean Martin 10) La Valse D'Amelie (Orchestra Version)--Yann Tiersen 11) Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy--Tchaikovsky 12) Carol of the Bells--Harlem Boys Choir 13) I Saw Three Ships--Nat King Cole 14) Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!--Frank Sinatra 15) Silent Night--Nat King Cole 16) Ave Maria--Luciano Pavarotti 17) The Christmas Song--Nat King Cole & Frank Sinatra

The look is a very good match to the real thing, but the weight doesn't even come close. Solid gold (as opposed to plated) is extremely heavy.

Thanks Neo, but I'm not sure that's the best remedy for this one. Actually, that bezel-insert/sanding mod you posted really only applies to metal inserts, not the ceramic ones. Cerachrom (high-tech ceramic) inserts don't respond well to sanding because they're meant to be tough as hell, and break extremely easily if too much pressure is applied. From V3-V5 the inserts should all be interchangeable.

http://perfect-hour.com/ or http://trustywatchguy.com/

Very nice. If I may ask, is this your own, personal piece?

Nice.