Desuetude

Guys,

For those of you who have removed your AP clasps, how did you go about it? I tried the screw located near where the bar connecting the clasp with the strap is, but both of them only unscrew a limited amount, and I still can't remove the little bar. I even tried soaking one of them in WD40 (since I just pulled it out of the rubber; doing this on my new one on leather will be a little bit tough). I need to be able to swap clasps. Any help or insight you guys can offer in helping me change this thing would be highly appreciated!

Sweet combo, what's done to the 1655?

Actually, if you think of what investment yield is over the years, it's not terribly great. Not trying to be a killjoy, just saying.

Words cannot express the contempt I have for that high school dropout. I will be happy when he chokes on his food, he'll stop hogging our air.

Yes, the divorce rate is up, but that's because there is greater freedom than before to choose how your life partner (and BTW, it's up in the West, but mostly in North America. Americans always had the "fame" in the UK for being many times divorced. I need not mention Mrs. Simpson...).

I should mention that the divorce rate statistics are often skewed. Actually, the divorce rate is DOWN. The over 50% statistic is one employed by sensationalist news programs. They simply divide the number of marriages by the number of divorces for a given year. Sociologists universally scoff at this blatant manipulation of facts. The number of divorces across the board have dropped nationwide. However, the number of marriages have dropped even more so. Since most people aren't divorced in the first year of marriage, the over 50% statistic is totally flawed, and the number of divorces reflects a pool of couples married in times where marriage was more commonplace, versus today. If you divide the number of divorces in a given year by the total number of married couples, the percentage is tiny, and it is dropping. Not to mention the fact that the number isn't that different from what it was in the '70s. I should also mention that the divorce rate among female college graduates has plummeted to less than half of what it was in the '70s.

Then, people love to lament the dropping marriage rate in this country as a sign that our society is going down the tubes. Meanwhile, the increase in cohabitation is inversely proportional to the drop in marriage rates. Therefore, there is no decrease in the number of couples in this country, it is merely a decrease in the number of people who make the decision to get married. Not to mention the fact that the separation rate of cohabitation is lower than the divorce rate among married couples. Sure, marriage is an institution, but for children, and for all intensive purposes of society, the basic family unit still exists, and in regards to cohabitation, is arguably more stable than it has been since the cultural revolution of the '60s.

Unfortunately, men read that and think of the famous "But she's got a great personality" slur, usually meaning she's not pretty.

And men like pretty girls above all else, right? It's their number one criteria in dating, if perhaps not marrying.

Ah, but see, she must be pretty too. And down to earth, laid back, dynamic, and rational. Alas, my standards are rather high.

Oh- have any pictures of that Chopard?

I do not, but I'm going to the safe on Friday, so I'll pull it out for some quick pics.

On such a special occasion as your wedding, please, no sports watches. It ruins the elegance of a tuxedo.

It's time (no pun) to dress up, and your watch should be something sleek & elegant, and understatedly luxurious.

My suggestion - Cartier, Patek, some of the JLCs.

Congrats to you and your fiance.

Agree completely, but I'll add one more bit to that. Only straps. Metal bands simply do not belong with any sort of formal wear. Nothing remotely sporty...sorry V, a RO, even on a strap, simply does not belong, IMO. I know that nowadays it has become acceptable to wear Subs with suits. In fact, I'm often an offender in regards to that, especially given my recent vintage military diver and vintage sport watch binge. However, traditionally, the accepted "rule" was that one should wear a black faced, time only watch with roman numerals or stick markers when wearing a tux. The metal should match that of the cufflinks and studs you're wearing. However, a gilt or enamel dial were never considered faux pas. Personally, I stick to tradition in regards to tux attire, and wear the Chopard my grandfather gave me, which, of course, is 18K WG, time only, black face, with WG stick markers, on a shiny black croc strap.

I demurred in buying the MM, because as you well pointed out once regarding another watch, it's too big for my wrists. Also, I heard that rotor sounds like an old Gypsy Moth aeroplane kicking in.

Well...the GMT, IIRC, is 42mm, it's the GTXL that's the bigger one, and that's only 45mm. I have a B4B 6.75, and having had a GTXL, let me tell you, not only is the B4B actually bigger...it looks significantly larger than other watches that are technically the same size as it. Mine is even more exaggerated, since it has a white face, which really accentuates the overall size of the beast, although I do wear mine on a gen blue croc (what a combo, btw!). Needless to say, a GTXL would not be too big for your wrists, miss fiddy and B4B wearer! And yes, it's the 21J version that has the loud rotor noise, but it didn't really bother me that much.

PS...I'd take GCS on Thanksgiving over GCS on the days leading up to christmas and new year's...I do have to go there pretty much every day. I'm pretty sure that's when the highest incidence of lost children occurs.

BTW, just to clarify for those who will undoubtedly see the similarities between Deseteude's beautiful Sinn, and the Breitling Navitimer. There was a period of time when Breitling was not doing very well, and the assets of the company were sold. At one point these assets were aquired by Sinn, and they actually used the Breitling inventory of parts to produce their own Navitimer. So the Sinn pictured above is not technically a rip-off of the Navi, but more of an evolution from this...

Helmut Sinn didn't just use Breitling's parts inventory...he bought the rights to the original 806/809/cosmo designs. That's why they say that if someone wants a modern watch whose aesthetics and heritage are authentic to the original 809, you go and buy yourself a Sinn 903, not a Breitling. As currently sold by Watchbuys:

This is a very busy dial, but for a very necessary reason. One of my favourite Breitlings..........

The Navitimer World

Totally with you on that one...man do I miss her. *sigh*

the lovely Megan Fox

She would be really lovely, too bad she's tatooed up like the woman on Miami Ink.

During the week, this is what my fuel costs. Well that, and Nanuq's form of food. And let's not forget the cost of wear and tear on footwear!

You just described me EXACTLY. And I'm a good girl.

Who knew that to some men being outspoken, being intelligent and being well-read meant being a bad girl. Fascinating.

Quite so.

It means that one is a competent, interesting, engaging and fun girl. God forbid there are more of those in this world! If only, if only.

Oh boy. Thanksgiving holiday sucks! Oh wait, no, I love it.

Poor Desuetude. Hope that 3.83 isn't what you HAVE to pay though. Maybe 3.80...

If I'm buying gas in town, at least at a place that isn't TOTALLY out of the way...yeah, i'm pretty much limited to about 3.78-3.83, at least based on what I've seen in the past 3 weeks. That said, I'm in NJ once every week and a half-2 weeks. I will take whatever car of mine is most empty (or whichever one needs the largest amount of fuel to be full) when I go there; I save about 60-70 cents/gallon there!

Fortunately, everyone drives to my area for thanksgiving...I have a whopping 10 minute drive to my thanksgiving destination!

Busy enough for you?

I like it, but no two ways around the fact that it is about as busy as it gets!

I'm truly surprised. I had always heard Miami was amongst the priciest US cities for gas/petrol.

So far, U$3.30 per gallon for premium (which my car SHOULD really use, but I cheat, bad) is about what I see down here.

BTW, my TF advisor long ago invested in blue chip stocks for me. Oil companies being big amongst them, obviously. I don't know what kinds of dividends I shall see at the end of year, but you can bet I'll be paying huge capital gains taxes when I sell them too. So it's not all good, when you invest in oil...

Highest price for gas today in Miami: 3.66/gallon (premium)

Highest price in my area for gas today: 3.83/gallon.

You lose! Oh wait, hold on...I lose .

New England Gas Prices

Reg $305

Prem $320

Super Prem $330

My V8 Touareg is gulping close to $105 p/week

I'd kill to get 93 for $3.30 a gallon...I paid $3.75 the other day while filling up the Z8...and the way I drive that car, I can watch the needle drop . The 750 cost almost 80 bucks to fill up the other day. When I get my M6 back, I'm going to go back to my original plan of buying Methanol in 55 gallon drums and running full time Meth injection on a race map, instead of mixing race gas for race map days.

Shot an hour ago...needed some air.

The movements in the asian autos are SO cheap anyway...if it breaks, just slap in a new one. IIRC they're literally 6-10 bucks or so.

Some suit shots, some style shots:

I miss ya, baby! (stolen 04/09/07)

Odd combo done just for the FS ad, but I like the shirt:

New strap for the old piece of junk.

Ahhh...Lady V....wants none of me.....she hit the button...marked...."cannot see".....as for me.....I'm off fer a pee...!

Are you also going to be announcing a new career as a rapper?

Restore it. It's worth the money. People are paying good money for American muscle nowadays, parts are still cheap and available...and the costs aren't going to drop anytime soon. It's more than worth it to bring it back to some serious, serious glory. Back in high school when I proposed the idea of restoring a 911E to my grandfather...it seemed silly at the time, but parts were available, and not insanely expensive. Investment was worth way more than the car was at the time. Needless to say, the car is now worth multiples of the investment. Old P-cars, BMWs, specific Mercs (280SLs are the new hot Merc), and of course, American muscle...all are red hot right now. Do it...you won't regret the decision.

'69 Boss 'Jet FTW. '67-'68 fastbacks FTW as well. I always had a dream of doing a G-machine with one...however, I would probably end up going with a challenger or a cuda, since they are my first muscle car loves.

Maybe there was residual lubricant on it, and they thought that it would effectively lubricate the watch.

Hah! Take that!

1) Bait victim with feigned interest in an IDF

2) Victim spends his kids' inheritance on IDF, leaving him broke

3) Switch focus to TRUE object of desire... SM300

Checkmate!

LOL...plus, I can't pull any fast ones like I did last time. That said, the KonTiki had personal significance for me, having a great uncle who was a tank commander in the 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, who fought in the 6 day war. Regardless...the flood gates have been opened. Get some good pics when you score it!

Ah Nanuq, you saved me with that bit about the hands not matching the dial. I was about to plunge even deeper into the vintage abyss, which I recently took another huge plunge into.

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content...p;mini_id=54986

See here. The 2nd and 3rd videos are the way to go. I love the part in the 3rd video where, after getting "stabbed" about 30 times, Gil says to Bill, "breathe, relax, we're gonna teach you guys, 'cause you don't know s***"...these are accomplished MMA guys, and they don't know jack about survival. Makes a strong case for KM...