freddy333

I think they would be quite striking with an aluminum, gold lemay or (fire retardant) plastic suit But not so much with casual wear.

I have been seeing the same thing that Ziggy described, albeit on a much smaller scale (I repair far fewer watches than Ziggy does). None of this comes as a surprise to me, at least not since ETA's parent company announced that they would be curtailing the free-flow of bare ETA movements next year. For this reason, I have been stockpiling slow-beat 2846s & moving away from reps & concentrating more on building frankens (mostly out of gen components). Yes, the build cost of a franken is considerably higher, but I know what to expect with gen parts & the growing threat of exposure/seizure of reps by postal inspectors is not an issue with gen components (though customs fees can sometimes be). This is not to say that reps are going the way of the dinosaur, at least not unless the global economy suffers are serious calamity that might force gen makers to start getting serious about battling counterfeiting of their trademarks & products. But I fear bumpy roads are ahead, at least for awhile.

Defintely, a rep. The telling point for me is that he was taking the bus instead of driving a luxury car, appeared to be a student & was wearing not just casual, but non-luxury brand casual. Not that everyone who can afford a gen Pan necessarily drives a luxury car everywhere they go or always wears 1-off designer threads. But, generally, people who own expensive watches tend to live the part. Taking the bus, wearing casual clothes & being, presumably, a 20-something student type, is not what I would call living the part of a financially successful gen luxury watch owner. I have seen my share of the uber-wealthy when they are 'slumming it', but there is always something about them that belies their true social status & wealth. Based on the original description, my Holmesian gut tells me that this chap was wearing an unexceptional rep that he purchased via a promotional spam email. Nothing more, nothing less.

Same for me (usually).

A beauty. What is the source of the dial & are you going to relume the hands to match the dial lume? Looks good either way. Another beater day for me

If it gets stuck at approximately the same time, then the hands may be coming into contact with each other, something on the dial or the crystal (if the hands are not installed far enough down onto the pinions). If this is the case, you can probably see what is sticking if you view the dial through a loupe. If everything is clear up top, then the movement may need another servicing (not all watchmakers do a proper service).

Fake Trade was BBC (UK) & this 1 is PBS (US).

If it was a gen, the case would be made out of a precious metal (not steel) & it would retail at closer to $40k+ than $3k.

Just placed another order.

@ 8pm EST tonight. Check your local PBS times.

Good luck & do not forget to post pics when the project is complete (or even before then).

The most expensive watches -- both new & used -- tend to be Pateks. I do not know the most expensive watch ever sold, but there are a wide range of Patek reps sold by most of the collectors here. Browse the listings at Antiquorum.com & then search the rep collectors' listings for a match.

Parts for a 2836 are relatively commonplace, but I have never seen that part in the red circle before. Have you tried contacting the seller you got the watch from? Maybe Ziggy or someone else will recognize it.

Offshore is exactly correct. Cleaning gold plated or tree lined or whatever marketing hype the seller uses to describe his wonderful 'gold' reps is always a bit tricky because anything abrasive or corrosive (like skin oil) will eventually wear away the gold. Safest way to clean it is with a clean, dry microfiber cloth made especially for cleaning gold. You can get these online or from many hardware or home stores. If you are careful, a very light spray of Windex (glass cleaner) & a soft terry cloth or VIVA paper towel should also work.

I have never seen that watch in any Tudor or Rolex catalog, which tends to make me think it is a fantasy or 'creative' replica. But you can never say never with Rolex.

Me likie. Likie better with a steel bracelet, but that would just be icing on the cake. Have you serviced the 1570? Well done & welcome to the forum.

I am not quite sure what that part in the red circle is? It looks almost like a stem extender that has been trimmed shorter or broken off. Whatever it is, the stem needs to be matched to the movement inside your watch, so you will need to open the case & post a good, clear close-up picture of the area below the balance wheel (the round gear with a tiny 'hairspring' attached to it that revolves back & forth). (If you are unable to open the caseback, I would take the watch to any local watchmaker that works on rep watches & he can easily replace the stem or at least tell you which movement is in your watch.) There is usually a model number or brand symbol on the base plate that will give an indication of which movement it is. We should be able to give you an idea what it is & where to purchase a replacement stem once we see what movement you have. The good news is that stems are inexpensive & unless your watch is fitted with a cheap Asian movement, there are a number of watch parts suppliers that can ship them to you within a few days.

I do not know how you guys always know what you will be wearing 2 days in advance. I have enough trouble editing the current day's wardrobe (without assistance). Anyway, I will likely be lugging the old beater around with me for the rest of the workweek. Come the weekend, anything goes. p.s. Glad to see you back, Ubi.

Use the Search feature to locate the scores of threads discussing the Asian 7750 chronographs -- both standard form & the modified secs at 6 versions. If you upgrade your membership to Supporter, then you will be able to access Ziggy's area which contains the last word, technically speaking, on them. The standard Asian 7750 is a pretty reliable movement after it has been properly serviced (they rarely come from the rep factory properly serviced), but, because of their complex nature & their relatively higher cost of repairs, I would consider something else to use for your daily beater.

The crystal lift is for watches that have non-removable backs, so you remove the movement through the front of the watch case.

Try this ebay item 310026366945

here

No.

Unless you remove your watch & hand it to a stranger for close inspection, most viewing is done from this angle I think it is highly unlikely that anyone will be able to ID your watch under normal operating conditions

The dies that came with the levered press are actually quite good, so I use those (with a screw-down press) most of the time. I also got a separate set of Bergeon dies that come in handy on occasions. Pugwash's dies look pretty good, too. By the way, if you want to save some money & have a good bench or hobby vice laying around, you can use that, too. These caseback/crystal presses are really just vertical vices. If you fit the vice jaws with rubber sleeves (available at Sears & most hardware stores) & are careful, you can fit a pair of dies between them & do a very credible job of fitting casebacks & crystals. I have had to resort to this approach with a couple of thick watch cases. Works like a charm. Just be aware of the amount of pressure you are applying so you do not crush your watch.