freddy333

Thanks all for the kind words. It has been a couple of years since the last 1 & there have been a number of new additions/changes, so it was time for an update. To be honest, I do not do much country pop, but this seemed to fit the bill. No box, but I have almost 3 dozen (gens & frankens) in my permanent collection.

Ah, a man who appreciates fine motoring. Many years ago, after I sold the E-Type, I thought it would be clever to 'update' the Spitfire similar to what you did. Unfortunately, it made leisurely weekend drives in the country, which is all I use it for, literally unbearable. So I removed all the updates, returned the car to 100% stock & lived happily ever after I have never owned an Elan, but always respected Mrs. Peel's choice. I did have a Super 7 for a bit in the 80s, which was a glorious car, when it ran. The 7 did make it to a couple of car shows

The Asian clones tend to be solid movements after a proper (professional) overhaul. These days, regardless of the seller's claim, I would assume the ETA in your rep is Asian-made, unless proven otherwise. Still, if your preference is for aesthetics over cost (that tends to be my usual default), you might want to go with the version that mimics the genuine Rolex movement (it is not functionally the same, but it may fool some collectors/watchmakers & looks nicer than the ETA copy). I assume you have not been driving the Fiat for many years, otherwise, you would likely rescind the comparison to the rep Explorer. As for the shirt, probably a good move.

http://youtu.be/Yae39PjqAGg

Problems like cyclops falling off are very rare, but just another reason to replace the crystal (on whichever rep you get) with a genuine part. The genuines have the correct Rolex magnification (2.5x), which the aftermarkets often get wrong. They (the genuines) also tend to sparkle, especially those with a beveled edge, which gives your watch a distinct jewel-like quality, which is sorely lacking on aftermarket lenses. On the other hand, no matter how careful you are, the crowns/tubes on most Rolex reps tend to cross-thread, so swapping these parts out for gens is more of a requirement than a luxury for a watch you need to rely on. Ah, vintage Fiats. Pretty cars (especially the Spider convertible - you are more than welcome to post a wristie with your Spider), but 1 of the few that were built worse than British sports cars of similar vintage (I used to service them both).

Compare to known gens. For vintage, use google, vrf, tz. For modern, local ADs.

I am not generally a fan of women wearing gentlemen's watches (the effect, to me, is akin to wearing your husband's/boy friend's dress shirt in public). But, that said, if you are going for it, the EXII would be 1 of the best options for you due to its understated design (relative to some of the Dick Tracy watches people wear today). Were it me (being fully aware that I am neither a woman nor drive an SUV), however, I would opt for the later, white dialed version of the EXII But the original EXII is a great watch, too. Of the options listed, I would go with the top model with white lume (looks the most genuine of the bunch - keeping in mind that, regardless of the seller's hyperbole, no rep is an exact match to its genuine counterpart, the trick is to research the genuine model you are interested in & select the rep that contains the sins that affect YOU the least.............but I digress) & to avoid reliability issues, I would have your watch professionally overhauled by a local watchmaker upon arrival (or soon thereafter). If you decide to ice the cake, consider swapping the crown/tube & crystal with genuine Rolex parts, which will take it to the next step & give you a bit of a genuine feel when manipulating the crown. Good luck & do not forget to post pics of your new watch.

Looks aftermarket to me.

Yes, what he said

(click pic for link)

Ditto dropbear. This is a low-end rep, but it may be powered by a Seagull movement, which is very dependable when properly maintained.

How is the case profile (height)? That is usually the shortcoming of rep cases that spell their downfall for any serious construction consideration.

Have you searched the sellers listed under Watches from the main page? If you do not see it listed on any sellers' site, you might email them since most sellers can source any rep as long as it is in production (if it is not in production, most sellers should be able to tell you).

1680 has it exactly right. Always, buy the seller. A long-term, established Rolex parts seller with a lengthy track record is your only guarantee. Otherwise, the best way to ID a gen is by the 2.5x magnification of its cyclops (most aftermarkets have lower magnification) & the sparkle of the Plexiglas material. But, unless you have a known gen to compare to, it is very difficult to tell some of the better aftermarket xtals (like Clarks).

Nanuq has it right, but I would have no problem just using a file (followed by sanding/dremeling to smooth the finish) to carefully widen/straighten the inside face of the bent lug so an end link would fit.

Wearing my '39 Newman today

Beautiful, but why not just wait until they build a ski lift? No sweat.

What you have heard is backwards. Asian movements (not including Asian-made ETAs, which are close in quality to their Swiss-made counterparts) tend to be cheaply made with parts that are difficult, at best, to find. In general, most basic mechanical movements are functionally the same, so there is little difference in the difficulty in repairing 1 brand over another. The movements in rep watches are either used or unserviced, which is why it is a good idea to have the watch professionally overhauled upon arrival (or soon thereafter), if you want to be able to rely on it. Most mechanical watches require regular servicing every 5-7 years, regardless of the brand or source country.

Are you aware that Rolex fit (at least) 3 different versions of those pushers to the 62xx Daytona over the years? That is why the Ofreis look slightly different than the others.

They look fine to me.

No guts, no glory.