RobbieG

Yeah you are dead right about that, it really is a fine hunk of steel Dani. It is just purely luxurious - and you know a lot of IWC watches are not. I have an Aquatimer and the build quality is OK, but to be fair it is the worst of all gens in my main box. Meanwhile the new Jubilee Vintage Aquatimer is world class like the BP. IWC is spotty like that. I wish the BP were 44MM as I would still have it. I felt like Sponge Bob wearing it. I don't want to open this can of worms, but I for one think physical stature is more important to how a watch wears and wrist size is nearly unimportant. I'm 5'8" and 160 and athletic - but I'm a small dude. Meanwhile I have 7 1/2" wrists. By contrast, I can make a Datejust look plenty big even though my wrists are large. Go figure. Huge watches just look silly on me.

This was a custom piece made by one of our members, T - or Tourby as he used to be known. He is in Hagen, Germany. He now offers this in several variations as a standard model. It is a 42MM case with double AR crystals front and back, a real enamel dial, flame blued Breguet hands and movement screws, and a genuine bony croc strap. Really cool piece. He does one off bespoke stuff at very reasonable prices. Great pilot watches too. There are several case, bezel, hand, movement, and dial variations for all his pieces. Absolutely world class fit, finish, and materials.

Haven't seen a picture thread of cool movement shots in a while. Post em' up. I'll start with a couple here... FA Jones Rep with heavily skeletonized and decorated Asian 6498 clone Unitas 6498 with flame blued screws in my new 1900's homage piece

Simply elegant. Best aquisition in quite some time. Like a piece of history...

Still wearing the DJ a lot. Probably will finish with it tomorrow at a client meeting which I always hate. That's what my partner is for. I prefer to just hide and make the money while getting a monitor tan. Then he gets them all lathered up over it when times are good. Every once and a while I have to show my face - like tomorrow and I hate it like poison. OK, rant over... And on Saturday I'll probably wear my Titanium Marina homage that I just sent to the double AR spa... For Sunday I'll give some more love to my latest aquisition. My 1900's enamel dial classic homage...

I see they repped the 5002 version which is sort of surprising. They probably bought a used one as the new ones have been scarce for some time now. In fact the whole IWC line has been really - especially the BP though for the last year. Anyway, I had the gen 5004 and as nice as it was it wasn't for me only because of the size really. It was a great watch though and fitted with the best movement IWC makes. If it were 44MM or less I would probably still have it. Visually the rep looks pretty good, and while I'm obviously not a potential buyer of the rep I would be concerned about the movement if I were of course. But hey, for a couple hundred bucks it beats twelve grand for the gen. I say if it breaks it breaks. It seems from the pics it is a well constructed watch on par with the Steelfish or GMTII in that regard. I'll be interested to read how it is when the first owners report in.

To me, the Oyster bracelet and smooth bezel is the whole thing. I never cared for the more classic fluted bezel/jubilee bracelet as much. And for the Day-Date's the smooth bezel and President bracelet is the only way as well. The fluted bezel to me is what really turns them into the sort of "old man's watch". Liek Chief said, the watch can crossever and work with jeans (but IMO still you need a long sleve with this one - rolled upi with the watch just outside) and the Oyster/smooth is what makes that possible by adding the sporty touch to it.

Here are a couple more quick unprocessed snaps I took today. I'll probably shoot the full picotrial on Saturday & I'll do my new PAM homage just back from an AR treatment then too...

Well you all know by now I made the choice to not do that anymore. My collection is all about refinement now to only those that get constant rotation. I have sold some serious pieces lately that many friends thought I was nuts to do at a loss. I mean I just sold a gen 16710 which is a very collectable Rolex right now but I didn't care. I just never wore it. My AP Millenary is for sale too. It is just the coolest piece but doesn't go with anything nor do I ever reach for it unless forcing myself to wear it so I have to get rid of it. I used to keep everything - reps and gens. At one time I had every gen or rep I ever owned but it just seemed wasteful to me. I guess I realized I'm really not a watch collector. I'm a watch wearer who will always have more than one in the same way I have several pairs of shoes, suits, shirts, etc. A true collector just likes to own things to have them and look at them and they don't need another reason. I just figured out I wasn't one I guess. Shoes I think are a good benchmark. If I ever own more watches than pairs of shoes I probably have too many...

Thanks for all the compliments guys. It really is nice and runs great too. Another plus is the reliabilty of the ETA 6497's. If you build up one of these it truly will last a lifetime. My local watchmaker who is this hardcore, old school Rolex Level 3 Master with tons off accolades always says the 6497 and the Rolex 3135 are tied for being the most bullet proof movements ever made. He loves the 6497- and any movement that is tough. He even joked once and said they sometimes run better with a little dirt in them. I have some other great straps so when I do the whole pictorial I'll shoot it with all the different straps. My favorite is a distressed bomber leather one that HK Tan made for me as well. Stay tuned.

Yeah, I never thought I would say this, but um...I am an old man. Look at the wrinkles...

All points noted and duly taken. My main issue with the watch has nothing to do with the size though. I think the design is lackluster compared to many other choices in the range. IMO the 36MM Day-Date is still superior on that front. If I want a larger dress watch I feel there are many better choices, some of which I have made for myself with Jaquet Droz, AP, UN and others. As an example of a not so small watch that blurs the line between sport and dress but hangs to the dress end, the Breguet Marine Big Date comes to mind. Wears as a big 39MM and on a bracelet is a homerun for the category you speak of. Now that is a great and unique design. To me the DDII is just a logical big extension of the original and that is why it leaves me flat. Anyway if you get a DDII post some pics. Maybe it will grow on me and any others who aren't blown out by it so far. PS: Clearly we have very different tastes which is of course great in these forums to read the different opinions, but as a testament to that you mentioned the Masterpiece. For me, I would quit wearing a watch if that was all that was left. Seriously. I dislike it that much. And you could say I'm a pretty loyal Rolex guy as I have owned up to four at one time including the YM, Sub, GMTIIc, and original GMT. The last to go for me was the YM which I had for years and the only reason I sold it is because I found the UN Diver in kind of the same configuration which I felt was a more interesting watch in the same category. Anyway, I do really love Rolex, just not the DDII or the Masterpiece. I've just gotten so a watch design either has to be totally old school and classic or completely knock me out in a new way or I can't get interested anymore. That is probably why I have recently almost half my collection. In other words, I'm probably too picky to give many watches a fair evaluation lately...

Yeah, Jakob's AR is pretty good - though in fairness not as good as Chief's. I also wish it wasn't quite so purple but it really is fine all things being considered - especially the cost.

Full pictorial to follow soon, but a couple of wristies to get things started. DSN case & Ti CG/crown, Superlume C1 dial from Vac, double AR from Jakob, current strap is a Louie Vuitton leather from HK Tan that I distressed with sandpaper...

I'm so sorry for you Dave. Losing pets is a terrible thing. They are like people in my house too. Breaks my heart to read this sad story. Hang in there brother.

Oh yes, 40MM has its place too. These are not something that most would want as an all around watch, atthough I could live with it. Of course I've come full circle on the big watch thing and have come to the conclusion that 35-38MM needs to have as much of a presence in my collection as the larger ones. Interestingly, I tend to leave 40MM out though personally. I have the 36-38 camp and the 42-44 camp, with nothing over 44MM except the Millenary but that is oblong so it doesn't really count. I may break that if I get a Skyland and push it to 45MM but that is it for me. I had a BP and sold it as well as a Navi World at one time that met the same fate. Both were just cartoonish on me despite 7 1/2" wrists. I just don't get the gargantuan size thing unless a guy is a really big dude - like Bytor or someone. But even he flocks to 40-44MM's only. Anyway, the point is really that I have let smaller watches back in and I'm really happy about it as they bring something which can't be had with larger pieces. What I love most is that the design really has to hold up on smaller watches in order for it to still pop visually. I think it is more of an admirable design feat when a watchmaker really nails a smaller watch.

Right on Pho. Atta boy. Drummers are known to rhythmically hit things over and over again - like Add Reply and New Topic buttons. See what happens then?

I'll just take the glacier dialed Day-Date in your signature brother Subfrog!

Close. Glacier is only available in the platinum watch for either the Day-Date or the Datejust. You don't see many DJ's with that dial though. It sucks because the PT lists for like 47K as opposed to nearly half that for WG. It is a shame that you can't get it in WG and save all that dough. You can get them for 25% off pretty routinely if you know what AD to use though. Still, you are looking at 30k plus which is a shame. The PT watch with President bracelet is super solid and heavy though. Amazing. One of my two grail watches at the moment - that and a Lange 1 in PT. No Glacier pics ever do it justice. I looks really elegant and masculine in person... As a side note another cool Day-Date is in Everrose with the Thitian MOP Roman dial on Oyster bracelet. That is amazing too. I usually hate rose gold, but Rolex rose gold is just the most subtle and rich color. Also amazing and about half the cost of the PT...

I don't really care for it as I think it sort of unrefined. I think the watch looks like a watch that a manufacturer made because they didn't know what else to do other than to make a watch big enough to satisfy people who are following the current big watch trend. These watches are supposed to be 36MM. I have 7 1/2" wrists and they aren't small at all with at least a rolled up long sleve. I think many are missing out on so many watches lately with this shift to everything being so huge. It has gotten out of hand IMO. A watch has to be designed to be big for a reason and not just made so for a trend. A PAM is supposed to be big. Breitling sports watches are supposed to be big. Day-Dates are not. I could name a bunch more of course. With all attempts Rolex is failing at this and I'm not sure, given that their sales and production already dwarfs all the competition by a mile, what the point is. Same with the new YM. But at least that one can be justified because of the new complication and the giant price tag. Build it and they will come. I just see no need to improve on any watch they ever made. Rolex watches are perfect in their own way and always have been - flimsy cheap bracelets and all in the sports line. I have to say that they did OK with the GMTIIc though and I had the gen for a bit, but I don't know that it is a design home run. It is a nicer watch in terms of fit and finish than any sports watch they have ever made though so you have to appreciate it from that standpoint. It really does feel a mile better than regualr Subs and GMT's, etc. and it isn't BIG to a fault. So I guess when I think of the three new Rolex offerings as it were I can see the point of the YM and the ceramic GMT, but I really don't "get" the Day-Date II and I think it is a miss on every front for Rolex. That said, like any other nice rep, you don't HAVE to love it for a few hundred bucks and some of the dials are cool. So for no other reason than a new watch and some variety for members who have everything already I'm sure it would be cool to rep it. Why not? Nothing wrong with the watch - even if there isn't anything particularly right about it either. .02

Just awesome man. Always loved the white equally as well. Although one of these days I'm gonna splurge before I die and get a glacier/ice blue dial. I'll probably opt for the Day Date though for that one. That is my all time favorite dial color, with the rhodium and white tied for second...

Just FYI as it was asked in the thread - Rolex uses, and always has used IF (internally flawless) diamonds on all their diamond offerings regardless of how iced out it is. That is one of their claim to fames in the jewelry world. As for color, they always use G or better.

Yours looks to have the new wider lugged case so what serial year is yours?

Nice, is yours gen or rep? I can't tell from the pic.

Yeah TT, those Navi straps rule. Love the profile at the lugs. makes we want to get a gen Navi just for the strap!