freddy333

All vintage gen Daytonas (prior to the 16520 release in the late 1980s) were powered by the Valjoux 72 base movement. The pushers on these movements were spaced unevenly (asymmetrically) from the centered crown. This picture illustrates the difference

Actually, all things considered, it was the best (of 3) watch GTG I have attended. Even though we both arrived a bit late & this particular bar/restaurant was not the best environment in which to talk (or be heard) & see watches, we were fortunate to have been able to get a nice table with plenty of room to spread out, even if most of the room went unused since it was only the two of us. It would have helped had the GTG notice been able to be posted here earlier, as I had only been made aware of the pending GTG a couple days prior to the event & after having already made previous plans. Otherwise, I would have arrived earlier & better equipped. As it was, I only had time to grab a couple watches. The mall where the GTG was staged is probably a good place for a future GTG since it is very accessible, has a good variety of nice restaurants (any of which would be great meeting places), plenty of free parking & tends not to be very busy (even during a pre-Xmas weekend, the mall was only sparsely inhabited with holiday shoppers). One correction I would make to DuDro's otherwise excellent meeting recollective is that the Newman I brought along was a model 6241, not 6262 (watch on right) And as I mentioned elsewhere, the GTG is good for allowing collectors (I mean those who collect as opposed to those who sell) to actually handle & see watches that you might not ordinarily consider adding to your own collection. Such was the case with DuDro's brilliant MBK/MBW Patek Nautilus (someone already posted a good picture of the same model above, but it looks even better in person). While my collection is already represented by Patek, I tend to gravitate towards that brand's more stealthy models like the 5107 on the right Like DuDro said, it was too bad neither of us brought a camera, which is a definite must for the next GTG -- though I would limit photos to the watches only (I do not think it is a good idea to post members' faces on a website that deals in contraband goods).

Diesel -- Looks outstanding & I agree with Jetsons - 1000% improvement. NOW it's starting to look the way a gen vintage Rolex is supposed to look. I would also agree that you would do well to toss that rep rivet bracelet out & replace it with a gen folded or hollow link Oyster (I think the additional money spent here pays off) or hollow link rep Oyster with gen 93150 clasp or just a good rep hollow-link Oyster.

Just returned from the joint RWG/Dark Side GTG in DC that wasn't (Dudro and I were the only 2 in attendance, but the watches were outstanding) wearing this (the watch, not the book) And on my way out the door to attend a friend's 40th wearing 1 of these (Sorry about the odd color cast (the dials are actually silver) - forgot to set the white balance (again))

Yes & thank you.

I think it is just part of the team or pack mentality. Everyone wants to show how they are part of the gen team by proving how much more sanguine they can appear to be when something bad happens to reps or the people that deal in them. And the first time I heard anything in the media about a terrorism connection with reps was a year or so after 9/11. However, for the previous 20 or so years (since I have been buying them), I have seen plenty of newspaper articles & tv news features about organized crime's involvement.

Nearly all of the profits coming from the manufacture & (wholesale) sale of reps have always gone to the guys at the top of the food chain. The workers, for the most part, tend to be used & abused. If they were not working on reps, they would probably be making the same bare-subsistence wages growing rice, making tofu or sewing replica LV handbags. Then again, I would wager a guess that paychecks from rep factory bosses, such as they are, are probably alot more consistent than paychecks from other sweat shop-based industries because business is so good.

Picked it up yesterday. Have every issue since 2001 or 2002 (I forget). For the newbies, this annually-published paperback contains a good sampling of pictures, stats & retail watch prices from almost every commercial watch brand, as well as industry news & general watch info. Get a copy.

After going to the mall for a day of shopping, now I may go postal

Organized crime, probably (they are into just about everything). But terrorists? All I can say is that if the government has convinced you that Marijuana is physically addictive, there were WMDs in Iraq in 2003 & God made little green apples, then you can help save the free world from terrorism by not buying reps.

They are air blowers, used to clean dust off delicate parts.

You gota problem with my rehaut, buddy? Well, do ya? TGIF

This question has been asked many times. The 1st problem is that you are trying to manufacture (or have manufactured) an aftermarket (unauthorized) item that is trademarked, which is illegal in most countries. China or Viet Nam tend to be the most lenient when it comes to enforcement of trademark laws, which is why so many reps & rep parts come from (or are funneled through) those 2 countries. If you can make the appropriate business contacts, you could probably have one of the factories there make dials to order. But that brings up the second and more difficult problem -- getting the factory to produce exactly what you want. I have twice attempted to get a dial vendor to correct some of the mistakes on their existing dials (which were good, but not quite good enough to satisfy a WIS), but after many email exchanges with very detailed pictures & clear, simple instructions, the pattern always seems to be 2 steps forward & 1 step backward - 2 things fixed (to varying degrees), 1 thing broken. Now things might be different if you were designing a dial from scratch or you could physically visit the factory to direct the design & manufacturing process. But the people who make these dials are either purposely missing the mark (which opens up a whole other kettle of fish speculation) or are just not interested in (or capable of, for whatever reason) producing high quality rep parts for serious watch collectors.

Ending the workweek with a beater

If I can make it, will you be booking a table at D&B with a particular name or where will the group be?

timeman.net

You might also consider a Chanel. I doubt you could go wrong by presenting your wife with a box containing anything Chanel. Once, for my sister's birthday, I gathered together a bunch of watch pictures from magazines and polled 6 female friends on what they thought she would like best. The responses were not at all what I expected. Based on a generalization of their collective choices & reasoning, their primary preference was for a watch with bling, the technology was mostly irrelevant to all of them (and, as I later found out, to my sister as well). They all said that a watch has to be 'pretty' & should carry a name they like & were familiar with. All preferred battery-operated quartz watches (over automatic/mechanicals) for their ease of use and simplicity. None of the women liked any of the Rolexes (men's or women's models), which was the biggest shock. I assumed at least 1 or 2 would have appreciated the Rolex mystique (which they were all keenly aware of), but none would bite. The most popular models were those that were shiny, feminine & had either mother of pearl or gemstones on them. The old, established perfume & clothing brands were high on all of their lists. Although it was by no means a scientifically valid test & there are always exceptions to every rule (yes, Victoria, I would include you in that group of exceptions), my little poll seems to have stood up well over time as most of the women I know well still have the same preferences in watches.

All I know is that whenever I see that picture of Avitt's beauties, all I can do is weep & cry. Oh, and the watches they inspired

Compare Rolex's history to Panerai's. Panerai is the new kid on the block, especially from the general watch-buying public's point of view. If the wearing of pocket watches on the wrist are still in vogue 10 years from now, things may change.

Hard to tell, but the seller looks genuine & the watch is beautiful. He/they have a good, albeit somewhat limited history of selling high end watches. The current bid, $59,950, is definitely on the high side, but not beyond reason for a 6265 with paperwork & in that condition. I would, however, require clear pictures of the movement prior to transferring payment, or an agreement by the seller to have the watch authenticated (or allow the buyer to have it authenticated) by Rolex prior to final sale if pictures are unavailable.

Strange. My original MBW hour hand was convex and it looked wrong as soon as I received the watch. Both of the gen 1665s I have handled as well every gen I have seen on TZ over the years (I have several gigs worth of TZ pictures archived on my hard drive) has flat Mercedes hands. This was one of the main reasons I swapped the MBW hands out for the Clarks. I am looking through Dowling's book now and, while I do see a couple of red Subs that might (based on the light reflections) be curved, all of the Seadwellers (1665s) appear to have very flat hands. Nanaq - You have a gen Double Red. What say you?

I have never seen a rep folded link bracelet for sale. Mine are all gens. I bought 1 on the bay earlier this year for $125, but I got lucky (there were no other bidders) & it needed a bit of TLC (grinding/bending/polishing/buffing). But, in the end, it turned out pretty nice. All the others came from Andy (timeman.net) and ranged from $250 (well worn) to $330 (for near mint). The 1st 3 DWs (top left) in this picture all have 19mm folded link 7835 bracelets with 357 end links that came from Andy. Folded links are all I use with my modded vintage pieces (the 2 6238s in the picture are stock reps with their original cheesy-looking riveted bracelets, which will definitely get changed out for gen folded links if/when I ever mod them).

My 1665 has a set of Clark's hands, which has more accurate minute & hour hands. But the second hand is a bit too long. I noticed this when I was fitting the hands. I think the original MBW second hand was the correct length, but there was something about Clark's that I liked better, so I decided to live with the mm extra length (and slightly shorter tail) (Picture taken on a slow flatbed scanner, which is why the second hand appears bent) By the way, that 1665 from doubleredseadweller that you used to compare second hands is one of the watches I used as a model for my watch.

The gen crown/tube should fit, but you will probably have to tap the hole to fit the gen tube (since the threads often differ between the rep & gen tubes) To make the task easier, you might also pick up a Rolex tube tool (this fits into the splines inside the Rolex tube & makes installation a very simple process, but rep tubes usually do not have any inner splines, so I usually use a small 3-sided jeweler's file wedged into the original rep tube to remove it) I would use a small dab of GC Hypo cement on the tube threads to add some additional sealing between the case & tube Install the tube snugly, but NOT tight or it will break/snap off in the case. This is one of those things that is impossible to explain. If you have never installed a tube before, I would try to locate a scrap case and an extra aftermarket tube from ofrei.com (they are not that expensive) & practice on that before risking damage to your rep. Experience is the only way I know of to learn the difference between properly snug & too tight.