freddy333

First, the admission price to Oysterquartz today would likely start at $20k & go up from there. Second, you lose exclusivity by diluting product lines with too many (or too affordable) "entry-level" offerings. Third, I think there are MANY wonderful watches, albeit mostly quartz-powered, out there for the truly astute watch collector. A case in point - Swatch has made some truly beautiful watches, some of which are now quite collectible. "The Swatch Sistem White Automatic SUTW400 Automatic Unisex Watch is an inexpensive, fun watch that fits the bill with budget watch lovers as much as it earns appreciation from veteran, mechanical watch connoisseurs." Swatch Originals Sistem White Automatic SUTW400 Unisex Watch: Luxury with a touch of fun The old standard applies - always buy what you like. That way, regardless of how history treats your watch's value, you are happy.

Since I am working at home all day, I decided to decouple the current beater from my wrist (Pingo) & give the Sub a little wrist time --

Considering the shared "imperfections" both inside & outside the case, it appears to be the same franken watch.

Citizen diver here, too.

I am not a Rolex box expert, but the box in your pictures looks legit to me.

Unfortunately, most shipping companies will only accept a complaint from the shipper (not the recipient). However, assuming "oboy" is ebay & assuming you purchased THROUGH the ebay portal (i.e., not offline), they generally guarantee delivery in whatever condition the item was originally described as (e.g., good, working condition means good, working condition). Over the years, I have had a handful of items delivered damaged (always shipping company's fault). The procedure that has always gotten me a full refund is this -- take, good clear photos of the damage to the item AND its packaging, highlighting where on the package the impact/damage occurred. Also, get a photo of the mailing label showing your full name/address &, if available, the shipper's name/address. Before complaining to ebay, contact the seller & BRIEFLY explain the damage (keep it simple/short!) and be factual, not emotional, and include 2 or 3 photos that illustrate the damage. Give the seller one week to work something out. If they either fail to respond or are unwilling to refund your purchase, then register a complaint with ebay. It helps if you are a long-time ebay member &/or an "ebay Concierge Member", which gets you priority and a greater degree of believability. But as long as the damage is clear & significant (i.e., clear from the photos), they should cancel the sale & refund the full price. Good luck.

Wearing my systemic WHITE suprema.....er, I mean Swatch today while whipping-up a quick cappa'.

Wearing the Pingo today

Assuming the movement is an ETA, ETA clone or some other common mechanical movement, this would be a simple, straight-forward stem replacement for any local watchmaker. This should not require anyone special. Why not google watchmakers in your area? I would phone them before taking it in to be sure they are willing to work on reps. But, these days, as long as the watchmaker is not working for an official Rolex Service Center (RSC), most do.

I would love some closer-ups, but looks good from relatively afar.

And, today, a "Posting Machine" badge. I guess it's true what they say, everything old is new again.

Chiming in --

Just received my "One year in award". My, how 15-ish years flies when you are doing something else.

That is a HAPPY watch. I'm not sure whether it is the textured white dial or the overall compilation, but it just makes me smile.

That really sucks. My best friend was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer eight years ago. After a year of treatment, he was 100% cancer-free. With a bit of luck, in five years, your biggest worry will (still) be your lack of space. Hang in there, fraggle!

Ditto the others positive comments. Nicely done!

Some very hot metal in the wristies, gentlemen. My humble contribution for your viewing enjoyment --

I can't touch your natural scenery, Nanuq, but 1 uber cool watch deserves another

Aw, shucks. When I pop in, there is little to do & none of the old faces. It looks like I missed the big reunion on the 14th. Picking up on By-Tor's comments (good to cross paths again!), I think most of the old-timers have been in the game long enough to have gotten most, if not all, of what they wanted. I think most are now enjoying the spoils of long-time searching, learning & collecting. With a couple of notable exceptions, that goes for me, too. Because my collection is more or less complete, I am more often left with confusion (about which to wear) rather than simple, daily style coordinating. But, one day, I may finally pull the trigger on a Grand Seiko Soko Special Edition or an original Doxa Black Lung (I wish I had grabbed the one Nanuq alerted me to all those many years ago now -- it is true what they say: you snooze & you lose). Actually, I do have 1 remaining unfinished project -- I am still trying to locate a suitable simple steel case (with display caseback) for my gen Patek 23-300 caliber, hands, crown & dial --

15 years ago, when many of us were called crazy for paying the (then) outrageous prices being asked for vintage Rolex parts, I used to tell people that, based on recent history, a year from now the price is likely to be (at least) 20% higher, making today's outrageous price will look like a bargain. But even I never expected the current Vintage Rolex-Mania we are now experiencing. And the mania shows no signs of dissipating any time soon. Things have gotten so crazy that, to paraphrase automatico, most of my collection (some composed of NOS Rolex parts) would be financially and literally unobtainium for me today. But the same rule applies: no matter how crazy Rolex prices are today, if you can afford it, buy it. Because it may be out of reach -- if available at all -- this time next year.

I have 2 & to answer my previous question -- the black 6542 contains a modified (to add GMT functions) ETA slow-beat, and excepting the insert (from JoeyB) & the dial (repainted by Kirk Rich--Rolex's official US dial refinisher) the white 6542 is all gen (mostly NOS as of when I assembled the parts). There are numerous threads detailing the stories of these watches that you should be able to find via the search.

My experience has been exactly the opposite, assuming you know what you want & are able to articulate it, MQ generally follows through. Remember, also, that English is not the 1st language for these guys. So you need to thread the needle between detail--getting your point across & confusion--not overwhelming them with too much info that can lead to misunderstandings. Further, Ziggy used to send me (& post publicly) pics of the nightmarish mess he often found inside most of Phong's expensive 'new' builds.