Sharkbait

For me, the reason is a little more practical. I have spent a lot of money on gens over the past five years. I see a watch and think that I will "love" it. After wearing it for a couple of months, I find that it really didn't "do it for me". So I sell it in the secondary market and lose a few hundred dollars. Then I discovered the world of reps. Now I can buy a rep of something I think I will like. Wear it for a couple of months and if I do in fact like it, then buy the gen. If I am not happy with the watch, I only lose the $200 or so that the rep cost. In the long run I am better off. Until I discovered what rep collecting was all about, I was one of those with their nose in the air regarding gens. I couldn't understand why anyone would spend the money on a rep. Now that I have come to the realization that there are several reasons to own reps, I look at the whole rep market in a different way. Of course there are those who buy the reps to deceive others, but there are many more people who own the reps for some very good reasons. I want to openly thank the members of RWG for opening my eyes to some of those reasons.

1. SeaDweller 2. Sean at ETA Swiss 3. Yes/Yes

That is useful information. I make several purchases from Amazon each year. Certainly no problem to access via RWG and allow a pass through credit. Any other sites where you have a similar arrangement?

These are the Rolex prices, the price increase in US effective yesterday, 1 Oct.

114270 Explorer $4,250 16570 Explorer II $5,000 116713 GMT Master II $8,925 116718 GMT Master II $22,750 16710 GMT Master II $5,075 14060M Submariner $4,525 16610 Submariner Date $5,175 16610V Submariner Date (anniversary edition) $5,525 16613 Submariner Date (steel/18k) $7,825 16613 Submariner Date (Serti Dial) $9,975 16618 Submariner Date (18k) $23,100 16600 Sea Dweller $5,375 16622 Yacht Master 40mm (steel/plat) $8,325 16623 Yacht Master 40mm (steel/18k) $8,675 168622 Yacht Master 35mm (steel/plat) $7,800 168623 Yacht Master 35mm (steel/18k) $8,000-mens, $7,900-ladies 169622 Yacht Master 29mm (steel/plat) $6,900 169623 Yacht Master 29mm (steel/18k) $7,100 116520 Cosmograph Daytona $7,900 116523 Cosmograph Daytona (steel/18k) $12,675

It's possible than one is measured in the standard way, 8:00-2:00, across the case. The other has been measured to include the crown/pushers. Other than that, I have no idea why there would be a difference.

That watch's bracelet came with the fold over end links. The bracelet for the SeaDweller of the same period came with soldi end links.

Not a racing style, but does have the orange accents. http://www.globalwatchband.com/items.php?group=56 Drop down to the second offering. Price is reasonable. Match it with a deployment clasp and you would have a great band, IMHO. J

Ken: In the US it is marketed as NEATSFOOT OIL. I used it for years on my baseball gloves. It is also used on horse's tack and such. As it comes from the hoves of cattle, you should be able to buy it in Australia. Be advised, however, it does tend to darken tan and brown leather.

I notice that the egos over on TimeZone's Rolex Forum decided your comparison wasn't worthy of their forum. Too bad. I found it to be very informative and well thought out.

I use the Bergeron 5444 satin finish polish block. Works well on my gen Rolex Oyster Bracelets.

I was told, by a fellow who did this type of mod, that he put the dial and hands in a tank (A fish tank?) and then some incense sticks. He let the smoke from the incense darken the dial/hands. I have never tried to do this and am just repeating what he told me.

The problem, as I see it, is that the reduced Speedy and the SMP are not what you were looking for to begin with. The next problem, again as I see it, is you need to decide exactly what it is you want. You have a Breitling Seawolf and a Speedy Pro on your wish list. Both great watches, but designed for two different uses. If it were my decision to make, and obviously it is not, I would be looking at the Speedmaster Pro and put the dive watch on the back burner for a while. Inexpensive dive watches are very easy to find. Quality chronographs are another story. Emphasis on QUALITY. In the end, you will wind up doing what is best for you. Good luck in your search and your decision.

IF I were a dealer, I would be very concerned that this guy would be one would filed a PayPal complaint over the late delivery of something purchased. Anyone too cheap to pay $5.00 to sell a group of watches is someone I would not want to deal with, if I were a seller.

The problem with recommendations from us, is you get suggestions based on what WE like. Go to a dealer and try on all three. See which one moves you the most. Which one will fit your lifestyle? Based on the prices you posted, my guess is the Sub and DJ are NIB and the SD is slightly used. Are you comfortable with a used watch? No reason not to be, but some people don't like to go that way. Do these watches come with the boxset and papers? While not important on the surface, could be very important to you, money wise, when or if you decide to sell down the road. That said, all things equal, papers, boxsets, etc. If the decision were mine to make, I would go with the SD. I am not a fan of the cyclops. Also, if at all possible, sell your 15000 outright rather than trade it in. You will, more than likely, receive more money for it that way. Watch dealers are like car dealers. They want to make money on both ends, new and used. They are not there to do you any favors. Hope this helps your decision.

I think that buying a rep is a great way to transition to a larger sized watch. I find it difficult to determine if a larger sized watch is going to be comfortable for me by the five or ten minutes I have it on in a dealer's shop. This is especially true when thinking about moving from a gen 40mm watch to something like a 44mm Pam or 45mm P.O. The $200 or so that I spend on a rep is a drop in the bucket compared to buying a watch that you wind up selling in a month, all because you don't really like it. In another vein, I would love to collect, as reps, the vintage Rolex. Say the Milgauss, Paul Newman dialed Daytona, Red Sub, Orange Explorer II, etc. I would then put them in a display case as examples of what has been done in the past. Most of the vintage Rolex that are popular now where not popular when they were the current models. There are several reasons for someone to collect reps, none of which have to do with trying to "fool" someone else. I have long maintained that buying a rep is not the "crime". Turning around and selling it to someone else, as the real thing, now that is a criminal act. Just my opinion.

"Ripped off" would presume that no watch would be shipped in exchange for your funds. Overpriced for sure. But then there are a lot of overpriced gens out there, for sale in the secondary market. I would not presume to call the sellers prices ripoff. Something is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay. At least to that person.

Give a thought to a Hirsch Carbon Fiber strap as well. I used one on a gen SeaDweller that I used to own. Felt and looked great.

Pretty much standard practice, even with the Swiss VJ 7750. I don't know why the VJ and ETA movements are so sensitive to date change, but they recommend not changing the date within the 4 hour window of midnight. I am happy to see this thread. I have been reading the posts panning the asian 7750 and then reading the posts mentioning the modified versions. I think there are too many " I have heard from...." posts regarding failures of this movement, without actually experiencing the failure.

Look for a good condition watch, with matte dial, that is on a strap. You can always pick up a bracelet at some point in the future. Matte dial models are more desireable than the glossy dials. Rolex discontinued the matte style dial somewhere around 1983.

This is a good idea. I hope that it promotes more interest in the forum. Hopefully there will not be a rash of senseless posts to pad the dollar account.

I don't know anything about E-Gold, but I am certainly willing to learn. I think dealers should use the payment system that best serves them. pp seems to think it can do business anyway they choose, as they believe that they are the only game in town. As long as I have an option for payment, in your case I can probably use Western Union, in the event E-Gold doesn't work for me, I am willing to go with the flow.

If I am dealing with a person I trust, and that includes a lot of the dealers on this forum, I have no problem with using Western Union or some other type of payment method. pp is only advantageous to me when dealing with an unknown dealer. The dealers on this forum have shown a willingness to adjust their pricing to accomodate the charges the buyers incure with WU. I do, however, have a slight problem with giving my banking information out to another online payment company. My thinking is the more that have that information, the larger the chances of compromise are.

Another thing for pp users to think about. If you accept credit cards through pp, you will also be subject to the 2.9% (3.9% for int'l transactions) even if you are paid via debit from checking account or pp balance. My solution is to maintain two pp accounts. It requires two bank accounts and separate verified addresses and credit cards. But over time it is worth it. Just a matter of asking the buyer which method he is using as payment. Bank debit, pp balance or credit card. Then give him the pp ID that matches the payment method.