freddy333

Interesting, but I would have 'modded' the subdials as well. The bright white text in the subdials look suspicious against the yellow 'white' of the dial.

Alot of nice metal on display, gents. Wearing my beater today

google local watchmakers & call 1st to see if they work on reps.

I would opt for the 1030, no matter how long it takes. But I am in agreement that you should not dismantle an otherwise good, working Rolex just to pluck out its ticker. Wait for either a bare movement or a more common watch with a damaged case or dial. You do have to be judicious in your enhanced patination of these new pieces so your final watch does not look like it either came out of the factory yesterday or was artificially aged, as has become so common.

Back when I worked in the audio industry, I was invited to tour ARC's (& Magnapan's) MN factory. These guys are very hard-core audiophiles, not just corporate engineers. Great gear!

Ending the work week wearing my beater

OUCH! I hope the bear's ok..

Welcome swong. You happened to drop into the most informative watch site on the web. 1st thing, go here & read the 3 pinned articles (taking note of item 5 under 'Posting' in the Rules).

Very interesting & you are definitely onto something. Back in the 80s, I built a pair of tubular-shaped, line-source speakers out of concrete. If I can find a pic, I will post it later, but each speaker contained a series of 6 small (4" dia) full-range drivers mounted vertically. They imaged almost as well as a 'stat, but had alot more dynamic range. Unfortunately, they were lacking in deep bass or the top octave of treble. But within their range, they were pretty amazing. B&W, among others, have used concrete in some of their monitor speakers with good results.

Linen.

Wearing 1 of my DJs today

Ditto.

It looks beautiful & I certainly get that there is something to be said for building it yourself, but these types of builds always beg the question - considering the cost, why not just buy the gen?

Masking tape on the surfaces you do not want brushed. I use a Bergeon 5444 fine polishing pad, which is available from ofrei & most other watch parts houses.

Ditto Ezio. Before clicking BUY, YOU, the buyer, should educate yourself on what the gen looks/feels like. Research gens via google or gen websites & go to an authorized dealer (AD) & try the watch on. Work the functions & see how it feels on your wrist. That is the best way to improve your chances of satisfaction when you receive your watch. Otherwise, the QC pics look fine. But be aware that rep watches are generally powered by used/unserviced movements, so, if this is a watch you plan to rely on or keep for the long haul, have a local professional watchmaker do a full service. That way, you can catch/correct any problems & insure that it will be reliable for the next several years (until the next service - 5-7 years).

Wearing my Aryan-Master today

robertk - Great pic! Wore my beater today

Looks good, but the steel bezel makes it a '39.

The lume looks a bit white for an old dial, but, otherwise, it looks ok to me.

Nice, but some of this has been reviewed before.

IWC's reply contains no surprises. They are just sticking to the game plan that every high-end Swiss watch company must follow to remain profitable. That is, follow the money.

Sapphire is a fingerprint magnet. Nothing you can do about it (other than opting for a vintage watch with an acrylic crystal, which hides all but the worst muck). Most of the time, just huffing on it and wiping off on your shirt or a soft cloth is all you need. Or use a non-Ammonia glass cleaner (if the crystal has an anti-glare coating, ammonia will smear or remove it).

Working on it.

I could not have said it better myself. Well done.