freddy333

I think LPs and classic cars (I was trained by British Leyland on Triumphs (and Jags), but I digress) are a different story because LPs still outperform digital in many ways and classic (points-based) cars can be repaired without computers & may be the only game in town after an EMP/CME. Mechanical watches, in contrast, are really only superior to their quartz counterparts in being able to run without batteries & being more aesthetically pleasing to aficionados of the genre. Also, although aftermarket parts may appear for many mechanical brands, Rolex is not likely to make it any less difficult for the aftermarkeers in the future than they have done for the past several decades. I am not at all hopeful that vintage Rolex watches will be maintainable for those of us who are not uber wealthy, powerful & well connected (to Rolex).

Looks OK (genuine) to me. Nice watch.

Between that & the recent inflation of demand for Rolex-anything (in great part) due to the sudden/huge ingress of millennials (smartly) converting their (increasingly worth-less) currencies into (increasingly valuable) collectible watches -- having finally begun to see how goofy computer watches look -- have made me increasingly gun-shy to perform the types of routine servicing of vintage Rolex movements I did just a few years ago. Not sure what we are going to do when (not if) the already sparse pool of vintage Rolex components dries up. That is also why I have recently become more acceptable of some quartz watches, especially those that display the time in an analog format. If I can frame my thinking into a more quartz-accepting view, once the cut-off occurs, the loss will feel (a bit) less painful & the transition more normal. Life in the air age.

I think you are wrong. Dial looks good to me & seller is generally reliable. As for the price, well, the usual vintage Rolex qualifier applies to vintage Tudor as well - today's crazy price will seem like a bargain this time next year. & with so many financial types having seen the inflation writing on the wall for the past year, demand for good, vintage Tudor pieces has outstripped supply. Appropriate accordingly.

I completely agree with Nanuq (surprise, surprise). The radiological luminescence on these dials decayed years ago & a glow is a good indication of recent/Asian manufacture (a trait you do not want on a vintage Rolex) & 1 of the 1st things that scream "fake Rolex". Your SD looks wonderful as-is. If it ain't broke, anything you do to fix it may likely break it. Having said that, if you have the will & bank account to justify replacing the dial, hands & movement with the correct gen components, that would be a significant step-up. But, mostly, for your own peace of mind since only about 1% of the public &/or a watchmaker (who opened your watch's case) would appreciate the difference.

You all might find this article interesting -- Millennials’ Aspirations Drive Modern Luxury Watch Growth

I would separate Rolex from all other brands, because Rolex has been playing pricing games due to the aspirational mystique they maintain for decades. As for the rest of the watch market's recent pricing, I think it is due in part to simple supply & demand & the increasing popularity of (mainly) vintage Rolex among celebrities. As more & more millennials tire of geek-style (computer watches) & edge into the adult world, they are flooding the mechanical watch markets as new buyers. & because mechanical watches, especially the popular brands, cannot be pumped-out like Apple watches, the demand greatly outstrips the relatively fixed supply.

Assuming the part was within spec when installed & the movement did not suffer an impact, a bridge may have been overstressed (overtightened) or installed incorrectly. No offense intended, but having it occur multiple times to the same component sounds like pilot (watchmaker) error. Make sure all parts installed adjacent to or after the part in question are both in good condition & installed correctly. If you are able to post good, clear macros of the assembled movement with the part in question in clear view, that might be helpful in spotting the problem. Another thought - can you remove the cap jewels above & below the third wheel to see if the complete wheel train still moves freely with a VERY light push? Also, watch the third wheel while spinning the train to see if its pinions or teeth are binding with anything around it. If the third wheel's bottom pinion keeps breaking, it must be either under too much pressure or installed in a way that is causing uneven lateral pressure on it. I am also assuming all parts are CLEAN before reassembly. If not, perhaps there is a shard of metal on 1 of the jewels that is acting like a saw & cutting into the side of the pinion, causing it to eventually break.

Sad, but true. To many RWG old-timers, this bit of reason may seem hackneyed & trite, but remains true - No matter how crazy Rolex prices are today, they will seem like a bargain 1 year from now.

Mike, to purchase, simply peruse the dealer listings on the main page. But it sounds like you are unsure as to which Sub model you want. That being the case, you will save yourself alot of frustration &, perhaps, buyer remorse, by researching the model you actually want before hitting any buy buttons. I would recommend either spending some time on timezone.com or 1 of the various Rolex forums to narrow down your target Sub. Or, better still, visit a local Rolex dealer & spend some wrist time getting accustomed to the various models. You may find that 1 stands above all others. Or, you may even find yourself fast-forwarding to purchasing the real thing (as many here end up doing). Good luck & happy hunting.

Speaking of coffee --

It is. Ask me how I know --

In the US, it is illegal to operate an unlicensed (i.e., "pirate") AM or FM radio station. However, the FCC carved out an exemption for ultra low power transmitters (in part, due to the fact that many household appliances naturally emit radio waves) that is colloquially termed Part 15 broadcasting. Like all legal issues involving the government, broadcasting involves a complex set of laws with alot of legalese. So, if interested in getting involved in this hobby, I would recommend doing some research &/or speaking with a local lawyer specializing in broadcast communications. But, for the discussion here, it basically means that your transmitter must not interfere with any licensed broadcast stations (find an empty space on the FM band & set your broadcast frequency there) & that signals coming from each transmitting device do not go more than about 200 feet in any direction (for AM, I think the limit is 2 miles, but I have not researched that so do not quote me). If you live in a fairly populated location, you could potentially have a reasonable audience. In its most simple form, you need only a music/talk/sound source -- smart phone, cd player, microphone or 2 (for guests/interviewees), ipod, winamp, etc -- & a low power FM (or AM) transmitter & you are "ON AIR". There are a fairly wide range of these FCC Part 15 certified transmitters (to be legal, the transmitter must display a valid FCC certification on its case & be unmodified), starting at about $40 & running up to several hundred. Additionally, depending on how serious or professional you want your station to sound, you might add things like mixing consoles, faders, compressors, equalizers & other electronics to improve &/or tailor your broadcast sound to produce a more polished program. If you are interested, here are 2 (FCC Certified) transmitters -- 1 from each end of the price/quality spectrum -- that are capable of producing excellent quality sound that you might look into -- C.Crane FM Transmitter 2 Decade MS-100S You might also google "part 15 broadcasting", "micro broadcasting" & "pirate radio stations". Alternatively, you could set up an online radio station that "broadcasts" only on the web. It is worth noting that there are many companies selling (generally, Chinese made) FM transmitters that far exceed the permissible limits, but claim to be "FCC Certified", but are not. In fact, in my experience, the vast majority of microbroadcasters are actually operating beyond the law. That said, it is unlikely that the FCC will target you as long as your signal does not interfere with local, licensed broadcasts or cause the public to complain to the FCC that your broadcasts are either interfering with their TV reception (it would take quite alot of power to do that, so it is not generally a problem for microbroadcast transmitters), full of objectionable language or promoting illegal activity.

Recently, I decided to research/investigate how far one can go to upgrading an ancient (2003) 3rd gen iPod, which I have been using both for general portable listening but also as the music repository for my FM microbroadcast station. Several years ago, I upgraded the original 20gb hard drive (HDD) to a larger/faster 80gb HDD; & the original, no-longer-holding-a-full-charge 650mAh battery to a nearly double-capacity 1,100mAh battery. Both mods improved the iPod's function & usability, but they were more evolutionary than revolutionary since HDD technology is still somewhat slow & prone to vibrational effects & the extra battery capacity added only about an hour of additional running time. I also installed Rockbox, which, for those who do not know, trades run-time for modernization in the form of a wealth of new functions/features that help to bring the iPod into the 21st Century. But, still, the iPod's limited by its rudimentary technology. So I thought it was time to consider swapping-out the HDD for a solid-state drive (SSD) & see about more modern battery options. After a few days worth of googling, youtubing & alot of reading, I came to the conclusion that the quickest, most efficient storage upgrade would be a 128gb CF card & 1.8" IDE-to-CF adapter, which is a simple, drop-in replacement for the HDD. So I have ordered the parts & will report back once I have them. In the meantime, it seems that having to restore the Apple firmware & Rockbox software on the new storage medium has presented many problems for others. So my plan is to clone the existing HDD to an image file on my PC's hard drive using my Raspberry Pi's cloning program, Balenaetcher, which supports CF SSDs, so, in theory at least, I should be able to clone the existing system over to the SSD & boot-up without having to go through the restoring festivities. Additionally, I found that the 1st & 2nd gen iPods came with a much larger -- both in size & capacity (2200mAh) -- battery. Since the SSD drive is about half the height of the OEM HDD, I will have some extra space within the case that may fit a larger battery. After all, why waste space that could help to provide a longer run-time. So I purchased a 1,700mAh battery that is nearly the same dimensions as the original HDD, so, hopefully, it will fit sandwiched nicely between the top of the SSD & the iPod's cover. But shortly after finding the 1,700mAh battery, I began seeing similarly sized batteries (same 3.7V) but with far greater capacities (e.g., 7,200mAh), but I am hesitant to order any of these due to their dimensions being even larger than the 1,700mAh battery I now have -- but have not yet installed. So, to wrap up, if anyone else has experience upgrading old 3rd gen iPods, please add your $0.02. Or, if you have been considering your own upgrades but have questions, post them here. This might become an interesting thread for those of us who cannot keep from tinkering. Here is my iPod running the original Apple OS, the new battery & Rockbox'd screen & broadcasting hardware (transmitter & digital signal processor that handles compression, eq, etc.) that sends the iPod's music out over the (local) FM waves

Of course, there are a handful of ultra exotics that are worthy of day-dreams. But, in reality, my ultimate fantasy car is the -

I think you need a more correct handset, but that is a killer GMT. Well done. Makes me wish I had worn my '42 today, but I am messing around with soldering irons, small tools & my ipod's innards & do not want to risk scratching a rare crystal. So I am wearing my Swatch for a bit of color -

The non- works, but the standard cleaner is better. CRC makes both. The green can's non-chlorinated, but the red can is the good stuff - Brakleen red

Wearing the Sub this weekendd -

Combine this with the coming replacement of physical currency with DUSDs (digital US dollars) & 1984's Big Brother is no longer just your big brother, he is your parent, controlling what you can/cannot buy, do & say. At some point, I fear the people may be forced to remind mommy who the boss is & she will not be willing to give up power peacefully.

Acetone leaves a residue, which is why I would not use it on watch parts. I often use brake cleaner, which available from every auto parts store, when I run out of the appropriate watch cleaning solution. On non painted steel, it works great, leaves the part squeaky clean & leaves no residue.

A couple of thoughts - As long as the text between the lugs & inside the caseback are engraved/stamped (as opposed to laser etched or similar), I would not be able to conclusively say a case or caseback is gen. It has been 30+ years since the last time I saw a NOS gen case or dial for sale. Do the math.

Not genuine & I fixed your links.

Best way to find out is to email each of the TDs & ask. To avoid misunderstandings, I would either include a good, clear pic of the model you want &/or ask them to send you a good, clear pic of the model they have for sale. Happy hunting.