freddy333

That is the right way to do it. However, I achieve similar results using a pair of smooth-jawed pliers & a set of broaches. Perhaps not quite as elegant, but it generally gets the job done.

PM sent.

Thanks, but the 'dirt' is actually oil that was applied by the factory to retard rust. I was going to clean it off, but I decided I would rather have to wash my hands than to have the set rust.

I use a 4-5 year old Canon PowerShot A80 (4 megapixel) & Paint Shop Pro 10 (or Photoshop CS) for cropping & contrast adjustments.

Thanks all.

I am far from being a professional & a number of other members have more skill/experience than I will ever have, but I think there are 3 components to taking great pictures -- (camera) stability, good (diffuse) lighting & compelling composition (as I was taught, you should learn the 'Rule of Thirds' & then learn how & when to break the rule). The camera's megapixel rating relates to how large the photos can be sized before they begin to visibly pixelate (loose sharpness & edge clarity). For online work, I think 4mp is probably an acceptable minimum (for 1024x768 or smaller image sizes (measured in pixels or picture elements)). Beyond this, it is important to learn your camera's functions & as others have said practice, practice, practice & take lots of pictures. Most photographers will take dozens or hundreds of pictures to get that one shot that works. No matter how steady you are, you will never be able to match the sharpness & focus of pictures taken with a (motionless) camera mounted on a stable surface or tripod, and under optimal lighting conditions (note that optimal is a variable). Finally, you can hide alot of technical sins with provocative & compelling image compositions. This is more art than science & where talent comes into play. Some people are just able to compose objects within a rectangular space and/or mate them with other objects/colors/textures that seem to compliment & produce a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. Using my own pictures as an example, I think this is a respectable picture of a watch But I think this picture of the same watch is considerably more compelling than the 1st one, even though the quality is not as good (of course the pictures were intended to relay different information) (Both pics taken with the same point-and-shoot camera)

Congratulations & looking forward to your next (and next and next......).

Display & presentation -- all part of marketing.

Sure. As long as you use the same quality rhodium as used on the gen & completely cover the underlying steel, the two should then look similar. But unless you refinish the underlying steel (before plating it), it will not reflect light the same way the gen does. Take the bracelet from a Daytona 1165xx into any AD and compare the finish of the polished center sections to the same area on the gen bracelet (it is the same for all rep watches, but I used the Daytona as an example because I am much more familiar with the issue as it relates to this particular model). You will immediately see what I am talking about. Some people have commented that my 116520 looks too chrome-like But it looks that way because I have polished the bezel (dremel with green rouge) to remove most of the surface imperfections (small pits & waviness in the metal) that exist in rep watches (this is one of the differences between the metal used to make a $250 rep & the higher quality metal & finish used for an $8,000 gen). After polishing, the bezel more closely matches the bezel on the gen watch. But it will never look exactly the same because the metals are of differing qualities (316L stainless steel (at best) for the rep & 904L, which contains less nickel, in current gens). I have yet to do the center portions of the bracelet (maybe this weekend).

No. I have found this same movement in 2 secs at 6 Daytonas. Both were the '3rd version' of this model (which has the pointed 'A' DAYTONA font & thicker case that most current secs at 6 Daytona reps come with) that I mentioned in several previous posts. The overall construction quality & feel of these movements differs from the other 2 7750s (1 of these has the 'Daytona' signed/vented rotor & the other has a plain rotor) I have found in secs at 6 Daytonas. That is, I have seen 3 different 7750 movements in secs at 6 Daytonas, so be sure of what you are getting (and read Ziggy's 7750 reviews) before you click the Buy button.

The lighting in most ADs makes watches in the store sparkle And while this type of lighting makes all watches generally more attractive & eye-catching, it will not make the generally low luster metals used on most rep watches glimmer & sparkle like the finely polished finishes found on most gen watches. And no matter of lighting can make stainless steel (used on rep watches in place of precious metal) reflect light the same way that white gold does.

What to buy is easy -- I buy what I like. I have 3 requirements for reps that I wear keeps good time fits my style of dress (classic & understated) looks/functions like the gen when viewed from this distance (about an arm's length)

Repaustria is correct. The gen datewheels may not have been laser-printer sharp (they did not have the equipment to do that type of printing in the 1970s), but they also do not look like they were printed on a 9-pin dot-matrix printer, which is how both of the Watchmeister overlays I had looked when viewed through a loupe (or cyclops). But some of the graininess may have been due to the material the overlays were printed on, which is another reason to paint/print them onto a metal substrate instead of vinyl or paper.

Asian Seiko, but most watches (that can be regulated like this) look very similar.

Work's over & on my way out to begin the weekend with this Enjoy your weekend.

I only made it part way through (not enough patience to read the entire thread with all the duplications), but I thought it was similar to the countless threads I have read on TZ when someone purchases a new watch & then asks the $64k question: 'Is my watch fake?' The responses always run along the lines in this thread. Bottom line, for me, is the poster that said the only way to know for sure is to have it appraised by Rolex or a Rolex-trained watchmaker. Short of that, the watch looks totally legit to me & I doubt the owner has anything to worry about (other than tempting fate by posting these types of questions onto a public board).

Sounds like it IS a monster truck show........

That is possible, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. Loose bits of anything floating around inside a mechanical watch can do alot of costly damage.

Having things flopping around inside a watch case is not a good thing. You should have it looked at asap.

This is the easiest way to grease your case seals (click the image) Every watch supply house (ofrei.com, cas-ker.com, cousinsuk.com, etc.) sell them. Click here to check Ofrei

By-Tor -- Actually, the page loading time seems the same (or possibly slower) & it is definitely taking hours, not minutes, for page updates from what I see here. But thanks for the explanation.

I see the reply counter is working now (at least for this thread), but the page counter remains at 0 even though at least 3 of us have viewed the thread since it was posted.

I was wondering if it might be the (delayed) effects of my New Years celebrating........

Since New Year I have noticed that the new replies & page view counters no longer seem to be updating in real time like they used to (but NEW posts do appear). Prior to the 1st, when I posted a reply or viewed a page, the index/contents page for that forum would reflect my recent view or reply immediately. Now the stats seem to jump several numbers some hours later. It looks like they are now timed to update every few hours and add all changes that occurred since the last update all at once. It may not be happening with all of the forums, but I have noticed it in some of them (Rolex, Photographs, General Discussion, etc.). It is not a browser issue since I have Opera, IE & Firefox (with cleared caches) & the same thing happens with each, and only since about the 1st.

Moving tab A away from tab B will make the watch run faster (moving A closer to B will slow it down) Note that movements of about 1/2 mm will result in big changes in the timing & it should only take a slight adjustment to counter the 3-4 minutes/day you are currently running slow. Be careful that you do not touch the hairspring or move tab B (which will throw off the movement's beat). This is not a difficult thing to adjust, but it is VERY easy to misadjust (or cause damage). If you are unsure or lack the correct materials/tools to open or seal the case, best to let a watchmaker adjust it for you. You have been warned.