tabularasa415

And.... it's mine! I have to have something to wear while BK finishes my 16610 and PBDad is building my franken MBW 1665. Not to mention my favourite Omega Seamaster is out to Vac for spa treatment and Kent Parks has my favourite PAM, my 156. AND!!! George is working on my 111's movement as we speak. My poor wrist is down to my genuine watches at the moment, and that's just boooooorrrrrring....

I acquired all of the parts I wanted for my build, and as woof said, sent the whole mess off, and now I'll wait. I'm waiting in 4 different watches being modded/repaired right now. That leaves me with 2 gens in the box to wear. So boring...

That's really funny because I just bought a new Insignia Plasma after going to the store with intent to purchase a Samsung, but I liked the picture on the Insignia better and the guy said, "I don't know if you knew this or not, but Samsung makes Insignia -- same guts, better price." I asked, "Then why does the picture on the Samsung look like sh*t, and the Insignia looks brighter and sharper? But for $100 less than the Samsung I won't ask too many questions...."

Alright, I'll be that guy: I like Maurice Lacroix. I like the fact that they make their movements in house, and I like that they're finding a niche in the luxury market and their prices are still reasonable (especially when you can find a good deal second-hand on fleabay and the like). BUT! That watch is ugly. Love, Jeremy

Dizzy, that's f-ing brilliant, and I love it. How much did they charge you for the bracelet itself then? I'm not asking to be nosey, but you said it was cheaper than buying one on VRF. The last time I was in the AD I had the woman look up the cost of a 93250 and it was $975, I want to say. Hell, I'll buy a gen subbie and stock up on gen bracelets :-P

Alright, so I like shopping for parts and watches on ebay and I settled across this auction. Check out this guy's feedback and you'll see what items he's sold to base his feedback on. It's a little concerning... --Jer

WO?

Alright, everyone. I have spent time, money and a LOT of research on getting this project prepped for modification. Here's what we're gonna do: --Remove caseback paint/polish out to make look older. --Install gen 703 crown and Clark's tube --Install a Clark superdome (after debating a gen, I'm not paying for an old, brittle piece of authentic plastic ) --Install a Clark insert (I'm not ready to invest in a gen) --Install a serviced, regulated and adjusted 2846 slowbeater --Install silver datewheel with correct font --Drill out/install 2mm spring bars --"vintage-ize" bracelet (my seller sent it with a hollow link bracelet and pretty decent clasp so we'll use it for now) so it doesn't look new and I want the sharp edges of the links taken down a little to seem warn, even if it's pretty much new --shave the CGs, of course --Dial/hand vintage lume, lume insert pearl too --Fade new Clark insert a little My only question here is what does the HE valve mod entail? I've been reading and reading and I'm still not certain about one thing -- are these MBW watches water tight? I mean, does the inside of the HE valve need epoxying or whatever? Or is the "HE valve" really just a light etching in this case and totally non-functional? If I bought an HE valve how much and from where (cheapest route)? Did I miss anything? Oh, and if I fall in love with this watch (as I'm sure I will), I WILL source a 1570 movement, matching silver datewheel, yuki dial/hand combo and 93150 bracelet. Right now, though, I'll just keep that extra $2700-3300 in my pocket. I think for my first vintage project I'm going a pretty good distance here

So I bought my first watch from a dealer on February 21st, and I was amazed at communication and speed of shipping (I received the watch in just 5 days from China to Ohio). I've loved the watch, a rep Omega Aqua Terra ETA 2892, until yesterday when all hands simply stopped moving. Now, if you kinda tilt it to one side, the second hand starts to sweep again. The watch, however, continues to tick. I'm not sure what's wrong, but what should I do? I've read a lot of threads stating how poor conditions of the factories leads to these sort of problems and the best thing to do is service any rep watch you plan to keep, but two months almost to the day? Should I contact Joshua? Should I just suck it up and send it off to the watchmaker? What, my experienced brethren, do you all think would be the best solution here? --Jer

I was wondering this same thing as I'm building my MBW 1665 franken and I would like correctly stamped endlinks (as long as they actually fit the case well).

I've given this topic a lot of thought the last few days while part-gathering to send my watch off and create my first Franken. I've decided that a slow beat ETA seems the most affordable route, not to mention that I'm going to be the only person who knows what is inside and the rest of the watch will look stellar, so who gives a pooh if it isn't Rolex on the inside. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the amazing pieces I've seen that are almost completely gen, but unless I were some creep trying to create a perfect rep to sell off to some poor sap, I don't see the need for the Rolex beater. And for those who would do that... well, I doubt they'd be a part of our community. And if they were, I'm sure we'd have a good 'ole-fashioned witch-hunt. ::grabs pitchfork:: Is $300 reasonable for a 2846 ETA serviced, regulated and ready to go in my watch? --Jer

Hahaha... I love you guys. I have friends here who have more and more valuable gens then 90% of those douchebags. I'd agree that most of us with modded watches are people who appreciate vintage pieces but refuse to pay the over-inflated priced they command in the sales community. They're just [censored] b/c we're basically wearing the same thing, with cooler provenance, that may (with almost all gen parts) cost around $3-4K vs their $20-40K. Just my $.02. --Jer

So I've found a 1570 movement for sale that's currently on a day/date. If I buy this movement (dial still attached), will this work for my MBW 1665 I'm building?

Well, $80 for a wagyu ribeye ain't exactly cheap.

That's a funny story because I was out to dinner not too long ago and our (maybe 19yo) busser was wearing the absolute WORST Daytona rep I've ever seen. I told him that if he wanted to find some decent reps and information on them to check out our website. He looked mortified that I knew he was wearing a fake Rolex Daytona and I said, "Well, it's highly unlikely that someone my age (28) and in my tax bracket could afford that watch, let alone someone your age... check out some TAGs or Omegas as they'll be a little more believable." I saw the same busser there not too long ago and he was wearing a Carrera date. I've brought another on to the dark side.

Could this date wheel be modded to go on to a slow beater? Also, here's a link to the ebay auction for the 703 crown. You tell me. :-)

Oh, yeah, I totally forgot one question... I want to pick up a 2846 slow beater, but can anyone tell me where/how to get a date wheel that is correct Rolex font? Or do I need to find a date wheel overlay? All help appreciated!

Alright, I found a genuine 703 crown for $40. Not bad, right? I think I'm going to buy Clark's 7030 tube. That is the matching part, correct, everyone? I also have the spring bars. I think my insert is actually pretty good, I'll just have it vintage-ized. I'm working in picking up a slow beat ETA, and then I think it's off to Southern Cali for some expert modding! (read: fade insert, vintage lume on dial and hands, CGs modded, case mod, bracelet mod, HE valve mod, caseback mod, etc) I'd pick up a gen 1570 movement, but that price tag hurts my feelings!

Ummm... is this like the song that never ends? Will it go on and on, my friends?

Well, I can see some die-hard gen-only-douchy calling us out on a gen forum, but let's be honest: I, like most of us, spend about 60-70% of my "web watch time" here because A.) the work I put into the watches makes the watches super valuable to me and B.) you guys are great supporters and make me feel at home. The other 20-30% of my time is spent on TZ and WUS looking at gens I may potentially be interested in, but the difference is I do not know ONE member on those sites. They're a bunch of haughty douches (for the most part) who make fun of people like us (who may actually own more gens than they do anyhow). At least that's my humble opinion. I think we get the last laugh: we own some amazing gens (I've seen enough of them to know this) and we build some pieces (often out of genuine parts) that could never be attainable to most of us, and even if they were, we're too smart to pay what they'd ask for them.

Alright, shuttin' up and puttin' up: $375+1

Oh, I found it

I really hate to have to agree here, but as soon as I received my newly acquired completely un-modded MBW DRSD I had to wear it immediately. I own quite a few gens and a few close co-workers know I'm a watch freak and are constantly looking to see what I have on. I received so many compliments on my (supposedly 30-something year-old) watch, and the whole time I'm glaring down at it thinking that all of the tells are going to get me arrested by the faux pas police and that I'll never be able to show my face in the office again...BUT...no one can tell. Only we freaks, my friends. We spend so much time and energy and $$$ making sure that our fake watches look real that sometimes I think about my obsessive compulsions when it comes to these watches and I laugh. Hell, my local watch guy knows I have reps and every time I go in to look at what he has for sale he asks to look at my watch -- we make a game of it. He gets his big jeweler's loupe/hat thing on and studies it while I play with his gens in the case and he guesses gen or rep, and honestly, it's a coin toss as to whether or not he'll get it right (and the man knows watches). Find it hard to believe? You shouldn't. He doesn't sit around studying the imperfections in quality reps for hours on end like we do. I know, I'll get down from my soapbox. My point is that 1 in 10,000 people know watches like we know watches, and even far less know as much about reps and gens as we do. Speaking of soapbox, I seriously forget what the Hell we've been chatting about in this thread. Let me catch back up

A little birdy told me that it comes with a rubber strap and a lot of plastic and goes... TICK... TICK... TICK... TICK...