RobbieG

Thanks G...I think... For once I'm not even thinking about it. I think they said I could do it in two days, but I doubt I'm going to risk it. My fiance is none too happy. Plus now I have Spidey breathing down my neck too. He strted with Corgi and now he is trying to impose his gayness on me now. Never a moments peace around here.

Hey Sam, it is actually just paint on the bezel, but the wavey pattern is just amazing in person - assunming that they applied the paint neatly. You can see it really well in the pic I just posted in response to the cyclops AR discussion.

Yeah I forgot about that for a second - although I'm looking at my gen right now and the crystal is flush on both sides and is sort of just part of the crystal and totally flat. So I think the AR is just applied to both sides in one shot once the mag is already in the crystal. I seriously doubt the mag is seperately AR's so you should be fine with Chief that way. The members who don't have one yet can kind of see the layout pretty well in this pic. The cyclops is set in the glass and is perfectly flat and smooth to the touch like there is nothing even there. AR would be a breeze to apply. Just like doing any standard crystal.

No. The side plate is the sequential serial. UN serials are broken down by model number. The small numbers on the case back are the model and style numbers. Then each movement is numbered for the COSC certs differently. All models use the same system and all the Marine line watches use the side plates...

22MM on the Maxi's...

Looks really good IMO - although the other versions are all innacurate other than this one with the black/red bezel and black dial. I don't know if it was mentioned before, but the 1:1 alpha watch was the black/red version shown here that Josh preordered from Basel when it was launched. He waited a long time to get it and I remember him telling me he was really bummed to have to give it right up and see it in pieces at the factory. Hopefully it is back together and on his wrist now. I must say I'm amazed though that they did all the other versions inaccurately. Of course they will correct some of them for V2 and extract some more money from some first round buyers. And in the words of Paulie from the Sopranos, "And round and round it goes again in this thing of ours..." Just as another FYI, UN AR is very strong and nearly completely colorless. But the good news is so is the Chief's so that can be fixed if the rep AR bugs anyone. Also, please note UN is sort of famous for screw problems in bracelets & straps. A friend had a gen WG Maxi Diver come apart on him while jogging on pavement - so I'm sure the rep must be worse. Don't forget to use a touch of non-perm loctite on these when you get them and it will be more than fine. Oh and one more thing: Even despite having Ti elements, these straps should feel more like bracelets and never feel flimsy. The gen straps are sort of known in the industry as being the finest around. The clasps are just world class. I was kind of wondering if the rep guys were going to really nail the strap. Maybe someone can really compare with the gen sometime and let us know how it fares. To the naked eye it looks like they did the case right but I would also like to know if the case and bezel have that silky smooth fit and finish everywhere as well.

Just an FYI, but I have another UN Big Date GMT with the same blue rotor and it isn't painted but rather a semi translucent anodized job. Pretty cool looking believe it or not. Didn't think I liked it at first but it grows on you.

Always seem to be new pics (or at least ones I haven't seen yet) of the beater Freddy. And on another note, I see you just crossed the 5K mark neck and neck with Stephane. Congrats.

Thanks Ken. And I'm sure my three candy stripers all had acute anginas as well...

I have complained about the selfishness lately and I think the generation "me" combined with the increasing need for instant gratification in society is to blame. But nonetheless it is nice to read both sides but one thing is for certain, any noob that doesn't figure out what a resource this place is both on rep topic, gen topic, and even off topic is missing out. But most of all missing out on meeting a lot of amazing people. If I ever got to the point where I was completely bored with watches (yeah like that will ever happen, but if it did...) I would still not spend one second less here than I do now. I look at it this way, if every once and a while we get a noob like Spidey who figures it out good for us. It isn't like everyone is going to become old school to use Lani's term. I suppose if they were we might have a population problem. I mean, what are there - maybe fifty of us that are sort of "well known" and always around and pretty much all know each other? Out of a total population of what is the membership up to now? Oh well, not everyone is going to really get this place and be part of the crew. Their loss. No our gain though as it is always nice to get to know someone new and get new perspectives. And all in all I think the pace is fine. The universe is unfolding as it should is what Carlos Castaneda might say...

Yes, it really is true. Spidey is by far the funniest new member to join us in a very long time. Absolutely DESTINED to be an all time forum classic...

BTW, Spidey professed his love for me earlier via PM and said that it took him almost losing me to realize what I meant to him. I just wanted you all to know that...

Curious - I never heard whether the strap elements were Ti or just grey looking steel? And FYI guys - gen UN screws in the bracelets are known to become loose as well. Most AD's will use non-permanent loc-tite just to make sure on sale. I have a friend on TZ who had a special edition white gold marine diver come apart while jogging and hit pavement. I did my screws on my gen right away needless to say... Also, just FYI, the black/red version is the only one that is technically correct. The all black bezel with the black dial is incorrect without the blue floating markers. Black floaters are correct on the rose gold black dialed version but not the steel The blue bezeled silver dialed version like Noel's should have a blue rubber strap The sliver dial with the black accents on Josh's site is fantasy. Well, actually that dial is available, but again, only in rose gold. Strange that they put gold version dials into steel watches. But for the record if the watch is steel it can have the black dial with blue floaters and either a black/red or all black bezel or it can have a silver dial with blue floating markers and a blue bezel and blue strap. EDIT: This is a good link that shows all the available genuine configuations on one page at a glance: http://www.prestigetime.com/items.php?bran...amp;series=1268

Hopefully it will calm down. Definitely no fun that is for sure...

Don't tempt me...

PS: You know you are a watch junkie when... ...you are laying in an operatory and studying everything around you - tables, trays, instruments, etc. and wondering what steel grades everything was. Surely there was plenty of 316 and certainly some 440 (also known as razor steel) for cutting instruments and I found myself wondering if there was any 904 in there which would be for corrosion resistance reasons. Oh well, what a wacko I am...

Thanks K-ster. Yeah it is getting better as the day wears on and no redness so no worries. It was the worst right at the end of the procedure as the local was wearing off and he had just been pushing and pulling down there. It was one time that I wished I was fatter so I had a layer of protection from the muscle there.

I was careful not have had any ummm...fat tail events , as it were, during the prep process.

Yeah, thankfully it looks like I didn't get my Dad's heart gene and got my Mom's instead which is good. I thought sure I would need stent(s) or worse. But that nerve thing is a bit*h for sure brother. Ouch...

Thanks to all for the kind words - it means a lot. I also forgot to mention that they caught some guy unplugging the defibrillator in the ER but he escaped before they could question him. The only description was he was wearing a RepGeeks T-shirt, a two tone rolex Sub and was driving a SmartCar with the licence plate: I 996... I think it might have been Jake...

And it did too. As soon as she took it I shot up to over a hundred - no kidding!

Thanks Stephane - and I just noticed that this is your 5000th post. Congrats man.

Nah, they took it from me, but I made them wrap it up in a sock with a loop through to keep the caseback from scratching and hand it to my fiance for safe keeping. But it was funny, the laugh I got saying it was a rep. I got a sort of knowing look from them like they sort of assumed all Rolex watches are reps which of course I'm well aware of and am amused by. Funny how our watches are always with us though and the last to go in the most trying situations...

This is great chinkie - although it is funny to talk to other traders as anyone who trades anything long/short always has results which are strategy as opposed to market specific. But yeah, the mutual/pension fund long only LT buy and hold guys have equity curves that look just like that. Interestingly enough, my 2004 was marginal to poor in the grand scheme. I did a little under 14% that year. And the intraday volatility produced a record year for us this year returning nearly 160% - over 110% of which came from October and November alone. Too bad that kind of volatility won't last. But even if it did now that the market knows it can happen, expectation will identify and level that inefficiency that we happened to luck upon. So it is doubtful that the same conditions would produce a similar return in the future if the exact same thing repeated...

Ain't that the truth phaedo - and such wisdom should only come from a fellow whoreologist...