freddy333

I imagine it is a switch going from wide angle to macro shooting, but not bad at all.

Vintage Rolex was often signed 'Swiss'.

Welcome, zmankillian. I hope you do not mind my offering some friendly advice regarding your rep purchases, but I have to second Corgi's comments to you. It takes a very special person to wear gems on a watch (the type of person who drives a high-end luxury car, wears expensive (or very flashy) clothes & generally lives life large), and, even then, most people will assume such a watch is fake. And that assumes the gemstones are genuine and they have that unmistakable sparkle that only genuinely precious stones have. Wearing a rep containing or encrusted with CZs or other non-genuine jewels is tantamount to shouting LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!! I AM WEARING A FAKE BLING-BLING!!!!!!!!!! (FOLLOW ME TO WAL-MART!!!!!!) Now, some people want that kind of attention and if that is you, then please accept my apology for wasting your time, ignore the rest of this post & do not let anyone talk you out of whatever breeze gets your kite airborne. But if your goal is to be taken seriously, I would try to fly under the radar, so to speak. Avoid reps with gems (they never look real) and, if you plan to be able to wear your rep over the long haul, stick with stainless steel whenever possible (plated/flashed/wrapped/laser-clad gold always wears off leaving you with a spotted door stop). And let me say again that my comments are offered as friendly & constructive advice (based on experience) and are not meant or intended, in any way, to be a put down.

Try julesborel.com

Your tube is probably stripped -- a common problem on rep watches. You can check with the seller to see if they will sell you another tube (it will probably also fail soon after replacement). If not, your options are to replace the tube & crown with a matching set of genuine Rolex parts, which is a popular mod for Sub reps (the Rolex parts can usually be found on ebay & the pair should cost around $80-$100), or replace the watch.

I forget to check out the Photography area for a few days and then, behind my back, Delta posts something worth checking in for. I do not know what magic the Zigmeister weaved over it, but nice touch with the 571s. Whatever you do, do not make the same mistake that TT did. And fer chrissakes, do not wear it to chop kindling wood like certain Alaskan types might do.

I have not seen that before, but I have come across RWG members' photos (like mine) posted on ebay & other sites. Because of this, I have begun watermarking most of the pictures I post.

Sorry, but the 'refinished' dial is s-h-i-t-e (just look at the chiseled crown), the seller's previous sales are mostly model cars (no significant history with collectible watches that I can see), he accepts only money order or cashier's check & I am not even sure the pushers are asymmetrically situated in the 'gold replacement' case. This one spells trouble from the get-go.

Yes. Matching of accessories is generally only relevant for items in close proximity to each other. It is far more important to match your metals. Not a good idea to wear a steel watch with a yellow gold wedding band, belt buckle or cufflinks.

You & a star-studded cast of thousands.

As much as I would like to help you, I always find these 'What should I buy....' posts a waste of time because I have absolutely no idea what you like. Your best bet would be to visit some ADs or peruse ebay watch listings to get an idea of the types of watches you like (modern vs vintage, high tech vs classic, sophisticated vs simple, multi-colored vs monochrome, etc.) and then post a list of the types or models of watches you like along with a description or photo of your style of dress. That way, people can offer you useful advice.

If you can afford to buy the gen, buy the gen. No rep can match the fit and finish of most gens. But if you cannot afford the gen's price tag, then buy a good rep. Many members also buy a rep as a way of test-driving a particular model before taking the plunge on the gen.

I suspect the price will be bid higher, alot higher, before the auction closes (assuming ebay security does not remove the listing first). I would be a little concerned that the seller has no previous watch selling history (previous sales are B&O remotes) and the movement looks like it may not have been fit into the case properly (the crown/stem looks like it is mis-aligned). But, other than that, and assuming the seller's description is 100% accurate, it looks like a (franken) gem, especially since he is also including a steel bezel.

When I built mine I probably saved about 60% of the cost to purchase a similar (complete) gen Datejust, based on average values. Cost to have someone else build one for you depends on the fee the builder charges you (I have seen a couple of these exceed the price of the gen itself, so I would encourage you to research gen pricing for the model you want before you contract to have someone else build you a watch). If you have the required watchmaking experience & tools, you can start by collecting all of the parts on ebay. Otherwise, I would start bidding on gen watches or begin the search for a reputable watchmaker who is willing to do the work for you.

Watchbuff -- Every watchmaking book I have ever read takes great pains to make 2 things clear: 1 - there is only 1 way to repair a watch -- the right way. 2 - never force anything. If a part does not fit, you have the wrong part or you are assembling it wrong. Ziggy is a long-time member of this board and a subscriber to both axioms (rules with which I wholeheartedly agree). Your way of doing things clearly runs counter to his, and like any good craftsman he takes great exception to Rube Goldberg approaches and their rationalizations. I am not trying to take sides here, but I think it only fair to suggest that you are fighting a losing battle. If someone seeks your services, that is your business. But if you are going to post reports of your work and it does not follow the 2 principles I noted above, I think you have to be prepared to accept your fate.

Go to rolex.com or search images.google.com for similar Subs and compare them to yours. I am not an expert in modern or current Rolex models (I only do vintage).

It looks so good in print that I am breaking with precedent & wearing it again today The printed version of my wrist check subject resides in this book, which every RWG member should own

Beautiful work & I agree about using it with formal wear. It works for me.

We will have to agree to disagree on that.

Pug - My 1st Skype infection was the Pykse worm, which Skype security said they were aware of & working on. I cannot remember what the 2nd one was, but it is all academic at this point.

Not to hijack the thread, but my computer has been hacked twice through Skype, so it had to be removed and that was that. I know that Skype has thousands of happy users who have never had a problem, but installing it (or any other software) solely to contact 1 person is not an option. In general, I think most people prefer email over all other forms of communication. p.s. And if you (TTK) ever locate that MBW 5514 (or 5513) I inquired about last year, please let me know.

Excellent points, TTK. If only it were easier/simpler for mere mortals to contact (without requiring a software installation) or purchase a watch from you.

Plexiglas scratches easily, but does not show fingerprints. Sapphire does not scratch easily, but it shows every detail of every fingerprint. It is also commonplace today, whereas a nice Plexiglas dome is cool and refreshing. (My modified MBW 1665 Double Red) To each his/her own.

6239 Newman posed against same in new 'Cult Watches' book

You had better start his watch fund now, it will only get more expensive later. Congratulations.