freddy333

Try a penetrating oil like WD40 (available at most hardware stores or online). Spray a liberal dose onto the sections of the bracelet with stuck screws, let it sit for 5-10 minutes & then be sure you are using as large a screwdriver as will fit into the slot to loosen the screw. The screws used to assemble bracelets on reps are almost always poor quality (regardless of what you paid for the rep). The threads may get cross-threaded or the threads may just not have been properly cut originally. Also, I see alot of screws that get stuck because of all the soap, sweat & odd ball cleaners that accumulates inside the bracelet over time. Unless you have an ultrasonic or do a final rinse with denatured alcohol (assuming you used soap or detergent to clean it), some of the cleaning agent gets stuck inside the links & screws. Over time, this stuff becomes like glue. Sometimes, a good ultrasonic cleaning will free stuck screws, but if that does not work, WD40 is the best way to get them unstuck that I have found.

Assuming you know what to look for (the vast majority of gen Rolex owners KNOW NOTHING about their watches beyond the name on the dial), there is no way to hide the lack of AR on the underside of the cyclops. The gen GMTIIC has a very unique appearance because it is the only watch that I am aware of that was designed like this. But, again, few gen owners know that their GMTIIC contains AR or how to detect it from a non-AR watch.

Of course, the 'engraving' quality of the rep is not the same as the gen, but the overall appearance & function is remarkably close

CHS GMTIIC Saturday

From what I see, it all looks pretty normal to me. All packages get 'delivered' to customs for 1-3 days prior to being released for delivery to the recipient. Unfortunately, your eager phone call may have caused the shipper to become suspicious, which caused customs to double-check a shipment that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Because EMS is slow in updating their tracking info, it is always best to wait at least a week after customs receives your shipment before you start worrying or making phone calls. You may even still get lucky & receive your package. But if you do not receive the shipment or a letter from customs in about a week, it is probably a goner.

Do you mean the GMT hand remains at the same spot on the dial for 24 hours or that it is always in the same position relative to the hour hand? Also, which movement do you have - chs, ihs Swiss or ihs Asian, and did you add your report to the Poll? My chs is still running trouble-free

Yes, get it properly serviced. In most cases, brushed steel can be polished using a dremel & green rouge. You can probably also do it with a Cape Cod cloth (search google), but it would take quite a bit longer. The Masterpiece is not a model that I am very familiar with (I try to keep my distance from that much blatant bling), so I know nothing about the end links on the gen or the rep. Maybe someone else can help you there.

Mysterious lights in the sky

What's a PM?

Not sure I get the point of the picture, Tak, but that is 1 hell of a nice collection of IWCs you got there. On my way out to watch the fire in the sky with a little Mystery Have a safe Friday night.

Sorry to hear that. Based on the number of packages I have received over the past year that have been opened/resealed by US Customs, it is pretty clear that customs officials in the UK & US are finally (7 years after 9/11) starting to take their work seriously. And I guess having packages seized from time to time is the new reality until things return to normal. I would inform the seller that the package was seized & request he send a replacement. However, I would find a friend who is willing to accept the package for you as Customs will probably be closely scrutinizing the next few packages you receive from outside the UK. In the unlikely event that you receive a certified letter from Customs, you may have to deal with them at some point. But, more likely, the watch will just be destroyed (or end up on the wrist of another Customs agent) & that will be that.

A Double Holiday for POTR. Enjoy your day.

Great post, Daytona. Also, alot of beginners do not realize that for every picture posted the photographer may have had to shoot many shots just to get that 1 right shot. Sometimes you need to shoot multiple shots to get the composition correct (though you can modify the composition somewhat by cropping the original in a photo editor) or you may not like the lighting or shadows or you may need to change the perspective or focus or whatever. The point is that very few people are able to snap pictures like By-Tor or Pugwash in a single take with a point-and-shoot camera set on Auto. On the other hand, you do not need a super camera to take super pictures. A good photographer can produce much more compelling pictures with a cheap 3-4 Megapixel point-and-shoot (set on Manual) than a bad picture taker can with the world's most sophisticated professional camera. Anyone looking for a good, inexpensive lighting system might check out the Lowel ego (click the pic to go to the site) Or you can make a basic light box out of a white translucent plastic kitchen trash container. Lay the container on its side & place 50 watt lights in inch or two away from each exposed side pointing directly at the container. Place the watch or object inside the container & set your camera tripod up right outside the opening & shoot. Cheap & very effective.

By-Tor, I never cease to be amazed at your wrist shots. Each 1 looks better than the 1 before it. Beater today (Thursday) 6263 tonight

If you receive a certified letter from Rolex or their attorneys in the next 7 business days, then I would begin to worry. If not, I would hold the PDF for 30 days & then confidently toss it out with yesterday's news.

Until the last few years, 1 of the biggest complaints owners of Rolex watches have always had is with the cheap, light & noisy bracelets the watches come with. It does not matter whether the bracelet is a rivet, folded link or Oyster. Now if you want to be specific as to which watch model you are referring to & which collector you purchased it from, someone might be able to provide a more specific answer.

A beauty (I think -- hard to tell from the webcam pic). But I trust that your enthusiasm is not mistaken. You might actually be able to get a better pic with your webcam if you move the watch a bit further away from the camera. Most webcams do not do very good at close range (or long range, for that matter). But, in the meantime, congrads on the new SSD. They are beautiful watches.

I would hazard a guess that the setting lever got bent or popped out of position (in the blue box). This is the part that gets depressed when you insert a screwdriver into the stem release on an ETA You need to remove the hands & dial & check it. If the lever just popped out of position, it is easy to reset it. But if it is bent, you may need to order a replacement from julesborel.com or another parts house (unless you have a spare donor movement lying around).

I have mixed emotions about Rolex's recent design trends. But I disagree with Logan's supposition that Rolex is now re-designing their line for the Asian/Eastern European market. Yes, those markets are growing fast, but the US market is & will likely continue (for the foreseeable future, short of a major US economic depression) to be their largest market. And, if nothing else, Rolex is run by people who are well-versed in marketing & the retail luxury business. In fact, they are probably the best in the world at it. So I have to assume that their market research (and Rolex does ALOT of market research -- I was a participant in 2 of their market research groups) is telling them that bigger & glitzier is what their buyers want. And judging by the types of watches that are popular both here & on TZ, I cannot really disagree. But as far as their new designs go, I like some & hate some. Oddly, although I do not like either yellow gold or YM watches, I find myself quite drawn to the YMII. At 1st, I went into severe panic attacks at the merest thought of that 3-ring circus-like dial. But the more I read about the technology involved & the more macro shots I saw of the watch's superb finish, the more I warmed up to it. Do not get me wrong. I would never be caught dead wearing 1 of those silly looking buggers, but I have a spot in the back of 1 of my watch cases (next to the spot I have reserved for the new Deep Sea) that would be a perfect place for it to gather dust in. I also quite like the denim-colored WG Sub. Call me crazy, but as some on TZ have quite rightly said, it would go great with jeans. And that works for me.

Was the letter Certified & did you have to sign for it?

Vintage Rolex watches have hollow link bracelets, which are light & noisy.

If Rolex contacts you & requests money, it will be alot more than $350. Generally, they demand the current face value of the gens. So I am assuming this is a joke. In case it is not a joke, what are they accusing you of? Selling, buying, transporting......what is their claim & how did they locate you? Can you post a copy of the letter with your personal info redacted (or PM me a copy)?

True, so I suggested contacting the seller if unsure. But I have learned to offer both options as some newbies know far more than I do. You just never know.

I think the hands were just installed at the wrong place. Any watchmaker (who works on replica watches) can remove & reinstall them correctly. Or, if you know how to remove the movement from the case (remove the caseback, remove the 2 movement clamps/screws, press the stem release & remove the stem), reinstall the stem & set the hands to 12:00 (where the date is supposed to change). Then remove all of the hands from the movement & then s-l-o-w-l-y turn the crown until the date changes over. Reinstall the hands at 12:00 & reassemble. If you have never done this, I would contact the seller for instructions.

I have the 3000 & find it an invaluable diagnostic tool for making repairs. But you do not need a timing machine to regulate a watch since the watch must be fine-tuned to produce accurate time based on your particular wrist movements & lifestyle. I guess if you just want to regulate your watch, the 500 would not be overkill. But I think you would be better off if you spent the money on TZ's 2-part Watch Course. The money spent on that course will serve you far better than the money spent for an expensive piece of equipment that produces information you neither know how to interpret nor have the ability to act on. It is kind of like asking whether you should buy a Stradivarius before you know how to play a violin. Your money would be better spent on violin lessons. Of course, if cost is not an object or if you expect to get into repairing watches in the future, go with the 3000.