RobbieG

I drive fast. Really fast. I like my fast cars and I have fun blasting around town fast, but safely only with short bursts of acceleration out of lights and on main highway arteries, and never at dangerous top speeds . I'm not a maniac and I never push the limits or put others in danger. I'm also a realist about my plight. My life will forever be a constant game of cat and mouse with the law and I have to embrace it. Look, I know the consequence of my actions is getting tickets when I get caught and that I can't expect to avoid detection always. I try to limit getting caught to once a year if possible as the traffic school election shaves points. But I'm not about to stop having fun in my cars just because of a little ticket. I look at it this way: If I get one $500 ticket every year how cheap is that as a price of admission when you amortize it over a 12 month period. For less than $50 a month I get to enjoy my car to the fullest. Can't beat that... Anyway, so today I thought I would take my 996 out and hammer it a bit while doing some errands. In fact I had gone to Honey Baked to pick up a ham for tomorrow. So I'm on this 8 lane artery that goes through town (4-lanes each side) with a limit of 45. 45? What were they thinking? I feel twice that is about right if I can get away with it, and I am of course even exceeeding that by a few I'm sure. But it is a highway after all - a SPEED TRAP. So I come over this slight rise and see this unmarked blacked out Mustang parked in a turn lane (bastard) just as the detector goes off but it was too late. He wasn't locked on me right away and I broke hard with both feet. Not good enough. I don't know how fast I was going but his radar ultimately pegged me at 88. Oh well. Typical. So that is the setup, here is the funny part. I know this cop and he doesn't give warnings. I recognize him as soon as he steps out in my rear view. He asks me if I'm in a hurry and my answer was to say "Always" with a chuckle. I mean he obviously knows I like to drive fast. So then he says, "Smart ass, huh?". And I say totally unsarcastically, "No sir. I'm just being honest. With all respect I like to drive a little fast. I just do sometimes but not to excess. Your job is to try and deter that by giving tickets. I get it and I broke the law. So I deserve a ticket. That is what you are about to do and I respect that. I only chuckled because I wasn't in a hurry. Sorry, I guess I just have a dry sense of humor. Don't pay any attention to me sir." So he goes back to his car and writes the ticket. When he comes back he gives the usual instructions on what to do and the options, etc. and hands me the ticket to sign. I look down and see the fine, which is four hundred and something and say "Wow, good thing I have change left over from my Honey Baked ham mission. Ouch. But how good is life treating me when I can afford a ham and a ticket back to back. Who can't really, but I think we have it reversed. Don't you think it would be more fair if the ham was four hundred and the ticket was forty?. Nah, just messin' with ya'". So with that he says, "Wait here". He goes back to the Mustang and comes back with his light meter and writes me another $80 ticket for my tint, which is supposed to be 15% in the rear and 28% max in front. Mine is 15% all around. Big deal. So then he hands it to me and says "That's for being a smart ass." So now he has made it personal. Typical. But I'll never bow down to some kid on a power trip. I'm also not going to change my personality to accomodate someone else or be afraid of a guy 20 years younger than me just because he has a badge. I guess I should pity him as it must suck to hate yourself so much that you can only feel better when you know you are hurting others. He hated the fact that I could give a [censored] if he gave me a ticket or not. So anyway, not to be outdone I got the last word. I took the ticket, smiled again and said, "Are you working tomorrow?". Because if you are I'm just letting you know that I'll be coming by here again in another car (I'll have my Mini tomorrow-we won't tell him that...) and I'll be watching out for you. And if I do see you I'll slow down of course, but I want you to know that as soon as I'm past your site I'm gonna spool up my turbos again and love every note of the sweet music they make to my ears. And if one of your other brothers catches me and gives me another ticket, I'll pay that one too. So we have really accomplished nothing here today then. Oh well. Happy Thanksgiving sir." So that is the story. I never really took it that far with the lip before but I just said to myself enough is enough. At this point in my life I'm not going to bite my tongue if someone makes it personal, cop or no cop. What would you guys do?

Yeah no doubt on the design, but even wrist size has little to do with it. My wrists are 7.5" and I'm 5'9" 160lbs with fairly broad shoulders for my size and athletic build. The point being that stature has more to do with wear size than anything else. A guy that is like Bytor's size, who is a powerlifter, is going to make the watch look small no matter the wrist size. Not much a big guy can do about that except to only wear it with suits under shirt sleeves. But if you are an average guy - even with big wrists like mine, the 36MM Rolex will not look small. It will wear smaller worn outside short sleeves and bigger outside long sleeves though. Consider this pic with my 7.5" wrists that show the whole watch and wrist. I doubt anyone would say the watch looks small on me at all. Anyone? Meanwhile, compare the shot of my same wrists with my 42MM Aquatimer, which of course wears bigger than its size being "all dial" so to speak. I think if one were evaluating these two pics he would say the AT looked big before saying the DJ looked small. And yet the consensus is that a 42MM watch is average in size these days. I love both sizes personally, but I still have to disagree with the general size consensus these days. Size is very relative...

MMD today...

If for no other reason, one can always just answer "all gens" whenever you see one of these tricky threads. On this one it was easier simply because nobody is going to risk having to give away money to someone who guesses correctly and accidentally... Really nice watches my friend. I'm not a big Milly fan myself, but I did own the GMT myself and also had a steel Daytona years ago as well and they are both wonderful timepieces. Nice diverse and limited collection. Just what a guy needs!

I would suggest going to an AD and trying on the real thing before buying this rep to be sure you like it. It is much different in person than the pictures. Worse, that is. I think many will be surprised at how big it wears for starters. It wears WAY bigger than 41mm and it is the way that it wears that is more strange. Big, clunky, imitative, and unrefined. Not words one is used to hearing in a Rolex description... And why they chosse to make it worse by placing the most elegant bracelet ever designed on a big bulky watch is even more disturbing. President bracelets are amazing and awesome - on 36MM Day Dates where they belong. At least Rolex would have the decency to put an Oyster bracelet on any watch they release that is 40MM+ in size. Why they would do so on the YMII and not think they would need to on the DDII baffles me. If you ask me, Rolex just dogged their brains out on this. Just terribly thought out. Or should I say after-thought out...

No it was definitely the big size in Royal. I saw it myself but I also read that somewhere on Omega as well. I wondered that too at first being that he is more like my size. But then if you look close the watch does look pretty big on him in some scenes. Hard with the rubber though as the watch wears WAY smaller than with the bracelet. That is true with the 42MM as well. Mine wears bigger on steel and definely smaller on rubber.

I just found out that Bond has stepped down to the 42MM PO on a bracelet. I wonder if this is significant in some way in that maybe Omega is seeing some sales differences between the 45.5MM and 42MM PO's that made them want to promote the 42MM? Or maybe it is evidence that the giant watch trend is waning a bit or something to that effect? Who knows - or cares - but all I know is I guess I'm a day late and a dollar short. I bought my 42MM on steel and then Casino Royal came out revealing the 45.5MM on rubber as the hottest watch on the planet. Now I finally go buy an OEM rubber strap ala Royal so I can be Bond cool and a few weeks later Solace comes out and he is wearing my original watch now and on steel instead of rubber. Go figure. Oh well, at least with both sets of shoes I'm ready for anything and I would own this with or without either movie or and Bond at all for that matter. Versatile, unique, the richest AR in its class, perfect lume, and for me a perfect and most versatile size. Can't say enough about the mighty PO. Love it. Gee Robbie Gee

Second what Wheaton said. I have the 42MM and love mine as well. And grey market or used is fine for these - although I did buy mine new. The bottom line is simple little 2892 based gens like these and in any big brand really is never going back to the factory to get fixed if anything goes wrong anyway. No need to buy from an AD unless you can get a good discount via that route IMO. It isn't going to break within the warranty period. I promise you that. And even if it did, most any qualified watchmaker will be easilt able to diagnose and fix the problem. Now if it were a complicated in house movement from say VC? That is another story...

Nah. I just meant that from what I hear, Memphis (other than the contribution of Elvis) isn't exactly the crown jewel of TN... What state do you live in BTW?

Yeah, that was the one. Very creative. I'm sure I'm not the first guy to draw the Carlin line. And I'm sure you are glad you don't live in Memphis...

One of the best things about your pics is there is always something of interest in the background. Do you live somewhere in the map area or is it just something to do with the watch or a vacation spot or family member or something? I don't know why but I always thought you lived in NYC. I remember seeing your mug somewhere on here once when we were all trading them. You kind of have some George Carlin resemblance to me so maybe that is why I associated you with NYC being that is where he is from...

We just had the first real cold front of the season move through where I live last week. We get maybe 4 or 5 of those in a year. I have a rule that I always follow in that I always stay inside those days and make hot chocolate with the heat on. I only go outside for seconds at a time and only on the lanai. It is fun and let's me know winter is here and the holidays are coming. The overnight low with that cold front in my neighborhood was 51 degrees

Nice watches my friend - and welcome to our little wacked out OCD family

And for Tuesday...

And from that pic I would reconfirm that no one would see it and think for a second that it was somehow out of proportion and/or appeared small on the wrist as seems to be felt by many lately as a consequence of us all getting used to seeing huge watches in every picture.

Since posting some wristshots of my Datejust on the Oyster bracelet with the new wider lugged case I have recieved a lot of PM's asking me my wrist size in an attempt to try and figure out why a 36MM watch doesn't look particularly small in the pics. The short answer is that the watch just doesn't wear small. My wrist in all the pics has always been 7.5" which is by no means small, and these watches have amazing precence for the size. One observation though: For some reason shirt sleves create quite a frame with tis watch in particular and without a shirt sleve at or near the edge of the case the watch starts to look smaller for some reason. But as long as you wear long sleeves with these, even the largest wristed guy will be able to carry it without it looking like a ladies watch. I will say though that really big and burly guys will probably lose the optical illusion help factor in their overall size so that may not hold true. But anyone say under 6' with an average build or smaller will never be thinking the watch is tiny when being objective. The key of course is to be able to be objective. We have come so used to the huge watches lately that a relative comparison will defeat the purpose of looking at size as relative as we should. We should be able to objectively judge size as it relates to attire, etc. IMO. One should not be too caught up in any one size or range of sizes either. Remember, a huge watch doesn't always look good evenif it is a cool watch in every other way. Neither is a Datejust appropriate for every dress code. It depends on the occasiuon and what you are wearing. Evertime I see a guy in a restaurant with a cufflink shirt pushed back behind a Super Avenger I chuckle to myself a bit. Usually because they don't realize how silly they look. Nothing against the SA. The point being there is a time and place for every watch and being aware is a good life goal in general. Anyway, I mostly wanted to answer some PM's as a group and point out that many may want to take another look at the 36MM Rollies again. I know I did and I have been very glad I did. I'm enjoying the rediscovery of this so-called small watch that is actually quite big in many ways... Whether pajamas qualify as appropriate Datejust attire, I am not sure...

Cool dial. I wonder is the base the standard rhodium or is it darker? Hard to tell from the pic. plus the mixed indices make the whole dial look different. In any case, great find Noel!

Love that pink dial Noel. Always had my eye on that one. Funny how we think we wouldn't like pink as if it would be feminine or something but when you see it in person it is totally masculine and really nice in every way...

Thanks. A good foundation is the key. I think they are both nice on their own but when I saw them together I just had to snap the picture

Oh no I didn't take it the wrong way my friend. Always looking for an opportunity at self-deprication and I couldn't resist with the female/hairdresser line. And I would agree that Euros must think our taste in cars here in the US to be funny given that what we hold dear here is just standard stuff in many countries over there. The first time I drove the AB I was amazed not just at how fast everyone was going, but just how common what are held as supercars in the US are in Germany. It seems like everyone and his whole family has a 911 over there, while here people gawk whenever they see one. And regarding BMW, I have many friends who think they are crap. Maybe they are and I have just gotten lucky over the years. Meanwhile I have own two Benz' and have had nothing but fits with both of them. Go figure...

Yeah Chef I do. My terminology was bad really. Sorry. I guess I should call it torque-pull or something. I don't love how the front end pulls when pounding on it and not steering hard is what I mean when I say that. The torque always wants to pull you to one side right when the turbos are fully spooled. And you are right, the turning torque is fine with the LS. I drove a car without it and it is murder! I'm just a guy who has owned a lot of RWD sports cars and so I think any FWD stuff just seems magnified to me. I'm most used to the way a 911 feels and so I guess anything with the motor and drive train in the front of the car will always feel funny in comparison.

Well I have always said I wanted to be more in touch with my feminine side. Maybe I'll leave the fund business behind and become a hair dresser. At least I know I have a head start by having the right car... Funny you should say that about value as I think just the opposite. To each his own. The amount of enthusiast level car you get for the money is unseen anywhere. And that is coming from a true car enthusiast with a 911 Turbo in the other garage. I'll even go out on a limb and say the interior fit & finish of the Mini is greeater than or at least equal to that of the Porsche - and for roughly 1/5th the price at $30K. Everything is relative as they say. You may be missing the big picture as my evaluation is not focused on what is the best all around car or what it competes with. As a toy it stands on its own escaping all practicality. I guess I would think the Mini not a good value too if I were benchmarking it against Fiats and VW's. Final use is an issue too as I said in other words. I'm sure that the Bmini is not the best all around car or anything, but I can't be the judge of that given I just use it as a runabout and a toy really. All I know is it puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it. And that is what anything I should buy is all about for me these days. Practical or hip is rarely fun in my experience... European watches are also popular here in the States, but not all of us wear them to stand out from the crowd. Some of us just like nice things and we don't care who is looking or what their opinions are. That certainly is the case for me no matter what car I'm driving or watch I'm wearing. See, and there is now new found evidence of this. I didn't know until now that I was driving a ladies car and yet I go on somehow unaffected even though now there is this very real threat to my manly sexuality.

Yeah it is the PO for me. I had two reps, fell in love, got the gen. Then I started acquiring more watches and I never wore it but I knew it was a staple of my collection. Originally it lived on steel shoes but I resurected it and now it gets even more wrist time on rubber. But I will still switch to the steel from time to time...

Now that is the truth my friend!

I doubt Freddy's first earned dollar was a Silver Serti (nice Rolex pun there ), but maybe it was. I guess we need to have an idea how old he is first...