Nanuq

Everybody, everywhere has history they wish they could undo. Stuff they hope the world doesn't uncover. All of us. Does that mean it's the end of the road? Does that mean we're forever stained with no hope of redemption? No. Every one of us has at some point secretly begged for a chance to start over again. We're all in the same boat. Nobody's better than anybody else. So what do we do with that? We extend grace. We swallow and look the other way. Or we grab the guy's hand, look him in the eye and take his measure. There's unspoken communication there, and an understanding. I know... don't do it again. And across the table comes back the same gaze... "Yeah me too." Mutual weakness relies on mutual honesty to build mutual trust. It's a flimsy fabric. But over time we keep looking each other in the eye and taking that measure. Some will rise to the challenge and others will fail. That doesn't mean we don't extend grace and keep looking each other in the eye. That's what communities are for, and where life happens. I sincerely hope I'm worthy of the trust people here place in me. And I hope each of you are worthy of the trust we've placed in you. There are no guarantees, but we can try to know each other and that's a pretty good place to start.

Thanks Mike.

Very tasty, and a nice assortment too. I find that all mine are round, black, steel sports models. Boring in comparison!

Well said, Legend. Micky, welcome to the home of the grown-ups. The adults around the table, so to say.

Hey krpster, great to see you back again! But so sad under these circumstances.

My kingdom for your 80 endlinks! Or Ken's left nut ... whichever is worth more.

Somebody *cough* really needs to make aftermarket vintage end links for these rep rivet bands. A set of 80s to convert a 7205 to a 7206 would be in huge demand.

Gran, I have met him twice when he was here in Alaska. What an honor.

Question: is it possible to grieve the loss of a dear friend and be masculine? Or do you have to abandon one or the other for a time?

Gentlemen, I'm sorry for my brief message this morning announcing this sad news. I'm back now and have a little more time. Here's what our friends next door wrote about Alan... he was a giant walking among men and I'm going to miss him terribly. ------------------- It is my sad duty to inform you we have lost a member, dealer and friend. Alan "Offshore" Day passed away yesterday afternoon in the Gold Coast hospital from complications connected with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and an existing heart condition. Alan has not been well for some time but this still comes as a great shock to many of us. I last saw Alan about a week ago and he looked better than he had in some time and had finished his last round of chemo. On Wednesday he was returned to hospital with a possible heart attack and diagnosed with kidney failure. Due to his heart not being up to it dialysis was not an option. He passed away quietly with his partner of two years by his side. The forum, it's owners and staff pass on their deep condolences to Karen, his partner. For now Watchbitz is closed, Karen will take care of any outstanding orders and the shop will re-open in due course. Alan did well in life, he owned and ran the largest marine dealership in Victoria for many years and was the largest Mercury dealer in Australia. His nick derives from his days racing F1 powerboats, something he did with great success. Before that Alan was co-founder of the first wetsuit maker in Austraila and the owner of one of the first dive tank compressors in the state. Shark Wetsuits provided the tanks and fills used in the search for Harold Holt, the AU Prime Minister who went missing in the Victorian surf. Alan stayed and filled dozens of tanks while his mates accompanied the Federal cops who had called in and told them the news in greatest secrecy to help dive the search area. Alan was diving before PADI existed and helped formulate the dive standards used in AU to this day. He was a pioneering cave diver and was one of those who often conducted searches for the bodies of those lost in caves in Victoria and South Australia. He was one of the divers who recovered the bodies of the divers portrayed in the James Cameron film Sanctum (Sanctum is based on events that took place in Australia in 1963 and 1988). He was the technical adviser on the film and also signed off on the technical correctness of the rushes each day. He also supplied some of the watches used in the film including the watch he wore on the recovery dive. He was the last of the great cave divers (US and Aussie) from the era still alive. All the rest have either died doing what they loved or passed away from diving related illness. After selling the boatyard he set up a business selling wholesale plain box OEM parts for outboards, another success before moving to the Gold Coast and working as a project manager on several super yacht builds which is where I came to know him. After that he managed operations for a jetty and pontoon company before going into semi retirement and starting first watchwerks and then watchbitz. He also became the Australasian distributor for Squale Watches. With that the wheel turned the full circle as Squale is Italian for Shark, his old wetsuit brand. Whilst Alan outlived his family (his mother passed away at Easter) he will be sorely missed by many, many friends.

I've never found better lenses than early Revo. I got lucky with the $52 pair, I paid $350 for the pair before that. I might have a purple/red mirrored pair available if you're interested, I'll know by Tuesday. Try these guys, they're honest and you get the real thing. Make sure you buy the 840 and not the newer Grand Classic: http://www.vintagesunglassesshop.com/search_template_google.html?q=Revo%20840

Roger that, I've gone Kona 29er and never going back. The Pugsley measures out to 29" too with the Large Marge tires.

Gentlemen, I'm afraid I have some very sad news about our good friend Offshore, he passed away yesterday in his beloved Oz. Rest in peace, Alan.

Gratulerer med dagen!

Tasty!!! Man those are small chain rings. You must have legs like Eric Heiden. Here's one of mine in its element.

Well said, Rover Man!

Gut him with my knife and save the shot, because there's bigger critters in the woods. Q: you get a fresh Copper River salmon... do you grill it or smoke it?

The flags here were at half staff for police Remembrance Day. Instead I chose to see them in memory of the King.

Again, I won't speak for Matt. But sellers retain the right to choose their buyer. I will not sell to anyone I don't know, or who does not come personally recommended by someone I trust. Period. I was just offered an eye watering amount of money for one of my vintage pieces and I'm pretty sure the guy is legitimate. But I'm not SURE so I said no. That's just the way it is. Develop relationships here and get "known" so people have a way to gauge your integrity. Otherwise it's your word against another lost/stolen watch fiasco. An idea I suggested to my buyer: find a local gold dealer and get his price for Krugerrands. See how many of those it takes to buy your target watch. Then buy the coins in the seller's home city for local pickup. When he has the coins in hand, he ships. Yes the buyer is accepting all the risk. If the seller is legitimate and has a high enough profile, the buyer still has some leverage toward a completed transaction. Or buy a plane ticket and go get the thing face to face. Tickets are cheap.

It should be a "Z" shaped "S" in Submariner.

Rest in Peace, old friend.

LOVE those crown guards!

gently weeps

Huddie William Ledbetter

Final chord, "A Day in the Life"