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Everything posted by RobbieG
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Oh don't get me wrong - I very much enjoy rolling up the sleeves. I do all the repair and handy kine stuff at the office and the house usually - except cleaning and yardwork. But when I'm doing that work i just choose not to wear a watch at all as I find them uncomfortable while working. Always getting hung up on something. And I think I knew you were a keyboard player too. It has been an age since I had anything to do with the "biz", but I enjoyed both the studio work and touring. Although after ten years on the road doing as much as two hundred dates a year it can be murder. I was pretty happy to retire from that life when I finally did. I thought I was cool when I first started touring. You know, rock and roll man - the whole vibe. But when I gained a few years I realized I'm really kind of a home body. Not very exciting. Not much for partying (drinking, etc.) as I got older either which is hard not to do on the road. Oh, and you and I have had discussions before about the Omni thrift. And you know I'm just the opposite. No matter the annual take, I like to spend. Money is only something you need in case you don't die tomorrow - my Dad used to say. So as long as the nut is covered, the cushion is there, and the nest egg's shell is hard and unspoiled I'm not going to deny too many desires...
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So Eddie made off with my dough then - or is the club still there at least so I can dig it up?
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I would generally agree with Bytor and his list looks right to me. I also agree about TAG owners thinking it is a luxury brand, while WIS sometimes think the opposite and think of it as a sort of pricey mall watch - except the higher end Caliber 36 stuff of course. I think also it depends on the demographic of where you live. In my area most luxury brands are instantly recognizable, but the newer Swiss brands are still not. So the list in my neighborhood specifically might be: 1. Rolex 2. Omega 3. Cartier 4. Patek 5. Breitling 6. IWC 7. Breguet 8. Vacheron But keep in mind, there are major high end jewelry stores that everyone shops in that carries all these here. And around here people very much think that a TAG is kind of a "starter watch". Lotta snobby rich people around here. But I would say that if I had to go out and survey on the street and need a high % against a big bet of who would recognize EVERY brand I mentioned, the list would be: 1. Rolex 2. Omega 3. Cartier 4. TAG ...but most over the age of 50 are gonna nail the first list cold.
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Changing watches alot today - one of those scatterbrained type days. Making money in the shorts today though so all is well. Just fast paced. A little shine then to brighten another overcast day (for investors) in the market and in the sky here today as well...
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Watch out if anyone reading this has gills. Jody loves a nice soft game amongst friends.
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I have to tell you and no offense to anyone that does, but I really despise cruising. I went on two and one was even pretty high end and I just didn't get it. I just don't like being cooped up on a boat. Plus I'm not really a drinker to speak of, or buffet lover, and the casinos odds are rough as well so I have a hard time finding a reason to be on a boat like that. It's just the cattle call aspect of it - muster stations before going out on Lido Deck - go here, go there, eat now whether you are ready or not, etc. Not my vibe really. Personally, I would rather have people fly in, stay at one of say two hotels at different price points depending on what people wanted to budget then pick a spot and/or activity to do each day (visit AD's, dinner, beach, whatever). .02 in a hundred words or less
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I got the loot buried under Fast Eddie's in Kailua. I have a treasure map. We could go dig it up and have a big party right after. And she actually asked for a prenup. There is a practical girl. A woman who actually thinks things shoud be equitable if they should ever end. Imagine that. No wonder I'm marrying her...
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Yeah right. Now my brother is beating on me too around here. Sheesh... Of course ya jump to conclusions on ole' RobbieG. I'm as island as ever BTW - except the weather ain't as good here - but that is another thread probably. And as for the gens - I said these are her beaters. What isn't shown is the gen YG DJ and the gen Piaget Altoplano she has - or the diamonds or the trips to Canyon Ranch, Benz, etc...Don't get me started. Spolied doesn't even come close to describing it. Trust me, I could finance a Central American rebel war with the money I've spent on that girl. Add up my gens then double then double it again you will be close to what I'm throwing down for love - and I don't regret a second of it. I'd buy her the sun, moon, and stars if I had the jing... I know you are just bustin chops though...
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I don't have one - all my watches are shiny and new even if they are old. Plus, I don't believe in the tool watch really either. If I'm doing something that could potentially bang up a watch, I'm not wearing one. That said, my darling future wife does have a daily beater, which is a Chronoswiss Kairos rep I gave her. She has three gator straps for it - white/pink/blue - all HR's with speedpins so she changes them herself based on attire. It looks great with all the colors which she also switches off with a Titanium Skaken which I got as a gift long ago and never wore. She loves that too as it is so light and comfortable so I gave it to her. Anyway, she mixes and matches the straps between the two watches so use your imagination...
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BTW, not to nitpick but so you have it right - your watch is 42MM, not 42.5MM and the big size is 45.5MM, not 45MM. Just letting you know since you are talking straps, etc. Don't want to fool anyone when you go looking outside of here.
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Other than gen there is no rep PO strap for the 20MM lugs. There used to be one but it had a metal slug at the lug ends as that was how they compensated for a poor design. You had to grind those off in order to use it but it was terrible anyway. Those are long gone. There is a guy on ebay selling a PO rubber strap that is very close to the gen but without logos of course. It comes in blk, oranage, green, & blue. http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-RUBBER-WATCH-BAN...%3A1%7C294%3A50 This would save you some money. Other wise you are going to have to bite the bullet and grab a gen strap and gen buckle (sold seperately) for a couple hundred - or you could watch TZ for a used one. Even then they are going for $150 many times...
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Gen Aquatimer chrono I have now in Ti I own. The only rep is of that is the steel version. I also ordered a gen Jubilee AT but it hasn't come in yet and is supposedly backordered until August - no rep of that one yet either.
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@BT - love the "Pepsi Lume" shot! @Lani - love the DOF effect EXP wristy Two great watches. Two great pics. Two great guys. Two. Two. Two. Buckle ma shoe...
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My favorite sports-chrono on for a spin at the moment. The ultimate shorts and T-shirt casual piece as far as I'm concerned. Best and most comfortable bracelet system around too, and the Ti only adds to the comfort. Nobody executes Ti like IWC - too bad they don't know that and aren't doing a Ti AT this year - nor an internal bezel which is the only thing that makes it 100% unique. Silly marketing team - external bezels are for kids...
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The fit and finish of these is amazing. A notch up from my Aquatimer chrono for sure. Very well made. The case finishing in particular has more hand work as does the movement of course.
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Your hybrid Rollie is working its way into a soft spot in my heart TJ - although I would like to see a plain black bezel insert with no indices at all for a more avant garde effect - or aged to match the dial index color. But no matter what you do it is in class all by itself - it floats!
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Thinking about a small startupwatch-company
RobbieG replied to wiseman's topic in General Discussion
Sorry - to your original idea there is not enough money in it even if you are succeeding. Too much risk exposure for the reward. If you are a no name the price points need to be low to compete. A labor of love and passion for sure and if you are rich already and want to be a watch designer for fun why not. But assuming you need to make money this will be a tough road without a big payoff in the end. Let's say you got to a point where you could sell 100 of your designs a year which believe me sounds like a low number but will be harder to do than you think. If your price point is say $600-700 which it would need to be starting out to compete and you make a 50% profit which will be a tall order without economies of scale in manufacturing, advertising costs, etc. you just grossed $30K. See what I mean? Out of business. OK but now you sell 500 watches a year (as much as IWC does with special editions) at $1000 a watch cause you grew - Now you grossed $250K, but how much of that will you keep with all the costs. See what I mean? (again). You end up really successful and selling all these watches and your only making a hundred grand a year in your pocket. If I'm going into business and going to kill msyself I have got to have the prospect of grossing a million a year or more or I'm not doing it. That way you can miss every goal and still make a great living. I just don't see how anyone could get there in the watch biz unless you buy a two hundred year old Swiss company, jump start it and sell it to Swatch or Richmont. You are better off borrowing the money or taking in VC to do that deal if you could find it because you could negotiate all kinds of stuff - a seat on the board, tons of free trading and prefered paper. You could get rich doing it. But not with a startup non-Swiss brand name. In Wall Street terms we call it "A Dog" You can make as much on each watch as a grey guy without ever exposing yourself to any risk or cash outlay. Some AD's will even drop ship for grey guys (although I wouldn't recommend doing that though). Plus once you build a following you will sell higher end watches and make several thousand on each of those. You can make $150-300 pretty easily on each piece with no risk and no costs other than commerce bandwidth which will be cheap in the beginning and grow with you as your traffic increases. -
Thinking about a small startupwatch-company
RobbieG replied to wiseman's topic in General Discussion
Really tough to do. You are better off setting up a gen watch internet retail company and marketing via watch forums aggressively and tactfully to get going and also coop advertising with some bigger fish in the fashion industry and give them a rip on what you sell. You will never have a problem finding AD's to sell to you at close to cost. It helps them with the brands and makes them look like they are doing a ton of volume so they can get great co-op stuff from them - cars, trips, etc. And you may read that legit AD's don't sell to grey marketers - BULLSH*T with a capital B. I have a dear friend who is in the grey biz and know some of the AD's that sell to him and you wouldn't believe it. He got them all from one call to the owner. Easy. Hi, I am a grey guy and I don't need papers with the watches so no trace. I'm just a guy off the street buying a watch every time. I'll give you all my XYZ biz - should be 5-10 watches a month to start and up from there. They will take all comers. I know a huge AD that sells to a half dozen grey guys. Seriously - a half dozen! The brands think they are heroes and doing it all with foot traffic. Yeah right. What planet are they on. Walk ins never buy sh*t - except in Vegas maybe. LOL. Every WIS I know shops AD's all over the country. They even tell the dealers not to do phone biz. LOL. The funny thing is how stupid Switzerland is. If not for interstate biz and grey market the whole industry would be out of business. -
Yeah, thanks - and I know what you mean. Of course I do love the PO with a variety of shoes - mostly straps now though as opposed to bracelet. But with this one what happens is the grey of the shark picks up the color of the AR and bezel (which can be greyish in certain light) when the watch is a certain angles and interacts with the hue of the case steel as well. Then the black lines in the shark match the dial and bezel and to finish it off, the off-white contrast stitch matches the uncharged C3 lume perfectly. It is just one of those things that you would never guess works but does. I never would have bought the strap for the watch in a million years, but just happened to have it around for another project long ago and decided to try it. Glad I did.
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Attorney...
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Its not everyday that you get a Patek Philippe 5140 Grand Complication.
RobbieG replied to a topic in General Discussion
Yeah they all are. I'm about to buy either a Patek or Vacheron for my wedding watch and so I'm really into high end dress watches at the moment. I don't know if you are familiar with the Hallmark of Geneva seal that Patek and VC put on their in house calibers, but if you are not familiar you might research and find interesting what steps are required to get that certification. It takes roughly 40% more time to make a movement capable of earning that seal. You kind of expect that with complications but both brands are getting them with base calibers as well. Check it out... There are three conditions for initial issuance: 1. Only mechanical movements are accepted and they must be assembled and adjusted in the territory of the Canton of Geneva 2. Movements must comply with 12 technical criteria defining design characteristics, production quality and finish work 3. Movements must be approved and certified by all of the eight sworn members of the commision, which acts under authority of the Department of Public Education. The Twelve Criteria for obtaining the final seal: 1. The good workmanship of all the parts of the caliber, including those of the auxiliary mechanisms, must be in conformity with the requirements of the Office of Voluntary Inspection of the Watches from Geneva. Steel parts must have polished angles, their sides must have parallel file strokes and, their visible surfaces must be smoothed and polished. Screw heads must be polished or circular grained, with their slots and rims chamfered. 2. All movements must jeweled with ruby jewels set in polished holes, including the going train and escape wheel. On the bridge side, the jewels must be olive machined with polished sinks. 3. The hairspring must be pinned in a grooved plate with a stud having a rounded collar and cap (a sliding stud cap). Mobile stud holders are permitted. 4. Split or fitted indexes (regulators) with a fastening system are allowed except in extra-thin calibers where the holding system is not required. 5. Regulating systems with balance with variable radius of rotation are allowed. 6. The wheels of the going train must be chamfered on their upper and lower sides and their sinks polished. For wheels 0.15 mm thick or less, a single chamfer is allowed on the bridge side is permitted. 7. In wheel assemblies, the pivot shanks and the faces of the pinion leaves must be polished. 8. The escape wheel has to be light, not more than 0.16 mm thick in large calibers and 0.13 mm in calibers under 18 mm, and its locking-faces must be polished. 9. The angle traversed by the pallet lever is to be limited by fixed banking walls and not pins or studs. 10. Shock protected movements are accepted. 11. The ratchet and crown wheels must be finished in accordance with registered patterns. 12. Wire springs are not allowed. So as you can see, much of these criteria are time consuming and will only be found in the highest order of horology. Of course, a few manufactories are meeting these requirements without obtaining the seal, but I find it a fascinating designation which can certainly instill pride in the owner of any such movement which has been built in its accordance. So you must be proud to wear such a masterpiece on your wrist. Again, congrats! -
It is also huge - the D2 is 46MM but wears like 48MM with the case shape and crown system. The others are 44MM, up two MM from the old 42MM AT standard. Of course the old AT has the internal bezel which makes for an "all dial" appearance and wears like 44MM because of that. So size-wise nothing has really changed with the standard models because of that...
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There has been an ogoing thread on TZ about the direction of the AT line and how they really dropped the ball this year. Sure some of the designs are pretty enough, but pretty common looking too. We are all sort of confused in the thread about why IWC would choose to abanodon the things that make teh line complpetely unique and historically inconic - the internal bezel system, the most confortable and interesting bracelet system ever, and my favorite an abandonment of Titanium... No Ti after they managed to be the only brand to present that metal in such a way so as to make it actually seem like a luxury item and not cheap costume jewelry like everyone else? Nobody executes Ti like IWC. And anyone who has spent any time with one of their Ti pieces knows it. But anyway, those three items alone and seperately make for a watch which is unmistakeably IWC and the bailed on all of them. I happen to own the version that preserves all of those iconic properties and I will never sell it. Not saying that I wouldn't like one of these - maybe the black piece (which is rubber coated SS) - but it will never be an Aquatimer to me really. Not like this. And I have a 2008 Vintage Jubilee in steel on order too so no matter what I can preserve the vintage AT from 1967 in a time capsule so to speak. Now these are what Aquatimers should look like...
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Love that black dial BT! Don't see them as much as the Snow White's and as such they are underated. I'm still wearing the PO on Sirtoli Shark from yesterday...
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Here are all the available configurations guys, enjoy... Chrono: Non-Chrono: Deep Two: Special Rose Gold Chrono: New Bracelet quick change system: