panerai153

Been here since I believe the second day the forum started. Was on TRC for several years until it folded. Total probably 13-14 years. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Probably like a lot of folks, interests change, jobs change, family life changes, etc. There are a million reasons why folks who are very active on forums become inactive or less active. It happens to all of us. Just think back at the number of clubs, organizations, sports that you were active in at some point but today you hardly ever participate in. I have a friend who was a director of the American Kennel Club (AKC). They spent a ton of money doing surveys, statistical analysis on membership participation. He told me that their results mirrored results that other organizations had compiled. What they found was the average length of active participation in any one hobby or interest was seven years. Statistically almost everyone who began participation in an organization or hobby was gone or very inactive after seven years. Look at RWG as and example. We have very,very few active members who have been here for more than 7 years. Because of this it is vital to encourage new members, if only to replace those that will leave. If we cannot maintain the numbers, then sadly RWG will go the way of the old TRC and some of the other early forums. Sorry to get on my soapbox, but I feel like this is a great opportunity to address a real problem. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Spider in the Sun!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That watch is horrible!! Not even as good as a cheap Canal St replica. Scam site that doesn't even use good photos of genuine watches in their scam. Go to any of the trusted dealers on the forum and you will immediately see the difference. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guys if you are interested, I just posted a review of the LW Spidolite II Green over in the "other watches" forum. Here is the link: http://rwg.cc/topic/184607-the-linde-werdelin-spidolite-ii-green-my-thoughts-after-almost-two-months-on-the-wrist

Well, I did a side by side comparison of the LW Spidolite and my AP FC V3. When I did the comparison, the LW was only a couple of days old, and I had only worn it once. I've had it for going on two months now, and I have worn it quite a lot. There is a lot to like about the LW, and there are some definite minuses. I'll try to go through every part of the watch and give you my thoughts. First let's look at the overall watch. At first glance, you are struck by the really odd case, which is essentially a lightweight metal inner case surrounded by a Forged carbon outer case. the case has four cutouts on each side inside the cutouts are the watch number(mine is 40/75) and on the crown side are SL (For Spidolite) and ALW which are the initials for the super light allow that makes up the inner case. the other two on each side are the mounting holes for the add on electronic modules that LW makes and sells, one is for mountaineering the other for scuba. Strange idea, as I would bet that very few folks are going to take a 15K watch underwater or up a mountain. But to each his own. What I find is these "cracks and crevices are great dust and dirt catchers, and they are hard to clean. If I were sure the watch were completely water resistant, just rinsing it under running water should do the trick for keeping it clean. One problem that has come up with some of the watches delivered, is very small cracks or what appears to be cracks at the corner of one of the cutouts. Whether this will affect the structural integrity of the case, only time will tell. They seem to be very small and are hard to detect on QC photos. The small white oblong thing on mine next to the right strap on the crown side isn't anything, it wiped off after I noticed it in the photo. I looked over mine with a 4x loupe, and I couldn't find any cracks. Getting away from the sides and over to the face, it's pretty different, as it has a lot of green and gold on the watch face. the seconds @9 numbers are green as is the LW and Linde Werdelin. Also the numbers on the DW are green. the DW is gold and can be seen all the way around the dial through cutouts in the dial. Very different and striking, however I take points off for legibility as the green on gold is not nearly as easy to see as black on white or white on black. in keeping with the gold theme, the crown is gold, matches the DW color. The crown is tucked up between the FC crown guard/module attachment points. It is a bit hard to turn as the space is limited. The good thing is the crown is really well protected. Fit and finish are very nice and the FC has good color and "marbling" The lume is OK, as you can see there isn't a whole lot of lumed areas, the thin hour indices, and the hands. compared to a lot of dive watches that have lots of lume, this one doesn't. I suppose if you were going to use it for scuba, you would spring for one of the electronic modules which completely cover the watch face when attached. You will notice that the LW uses a unique attachment method to attach the straps. the Hex head screws on each side of the case screw into threaded metal bars that attach to the strap and to the watch. Novel method, and if you have several LW straps, it seems like a pretty easy way of changing straps. Some folks have reported that the screws are very soft and strip easily, so one has to be careful when changing straps. AFA the strap, it's pretty comfortable, although it really doesn't seem to be "breaking in" like I was expecting. It sort of reminds me of AP straps which are very stiff for about half their length. I think that at some point, I will try to find a better leather strap, or something softer. It's not uncomfortable, and of course the light weight of the watch makes it wear more comfortably. It sits good on my wrist and even when worn a little loosely, it doesn't constantly try to "turn turtle". The buckle is light weight and is well made and from what I can gather, it is pretty close to the genuine. If It were my design, I would make the buckle a little more substantial, and the tang a little wider, but this one works and fits fine. Now let's go around to the back of the watch. As you can see it's got and exhibition back A black rotor with Green lettering One thing for sure, one look at the back and anyone who is familiar with LW watches will know this one is a rep. The plain jane A7750 movement is superficially similar, but it doesn't have any of the "Cote De Geneve" machining or the model markings like the genuine. But, hey, keep your watch on your wrist and no one will ever know. Realistically, with a production run of 75 watches and a selling price north of 15K, chances are pretty slim that you are going to run into one of these in the wild. So, there you are, my take on the LW Spidolite II Green. I don't think it's a watch for everyone, but if you like the way it looks it will be a hit. As I tried to convey, it's not perfect, but then no watch is. no matter which watch you put before folks, reviewers will always find things that they didn't particularly like. What you have to decide is, do you like a particular watch enough to overlook the "Warts". And truthfully, this one doesn't have anything outstanding that would make me say, stay away from this one. It's got and a7750 movement, but the seconds are @9 which is the standard position for 7750's. no extra gear train to move the seconds to 3,6 or 12. Mine is keeping pretty good time, about -5-7 seconds per day. The a7750 movements in their unaltered form are pretty reliable movements and should be relatively trouble free.

Good luck!!! He hasn't been around for a while. Quite a few others were interested, but he never made any overtures toward interested parties. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Probably one of the greatest, if not the greatest boxer of all time. One thing you can say, he was definitely his own man. While he was loved by some, reviled by others, mainly because of his refusal to be drafted into the US Army when thousands of others were being sent to war in Vietnam,and by others because of his conversion to Islam, he will go down in history as a three time World Champion and probably the most articulate boxer in history. RIP Muhammad Ali, you were the best!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I do, been a looooong time though!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That sounds like a super idea. Should be a fair number of folks who are within driving distance of your place. Let's keep kicking this around folks. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would love to have the gen version of a few of my reps!!! Nothing exotic, just nice watches that I like. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

My FC V3 after a trip to the Legend spa!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice!! Lots of work, and it shows. He has a good wearer, and the nice thing, the modding on these can be incremental. Wear it as is, and later if he wants, a gen or athyea crown, better dial/hands and next thing you know he has one that is right up there !![emoji106][emoji106][emoji106] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Agree, post some photos. I would bet that Matt (mymanmatt) can give you the correct answer, he is the DJ King!!!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I was a bit surprised as well. Because of the weight, both it and the LW seem to wear smaller than their size. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

These are rewards and recognition for participation in the forum. We are trying to encourage members to get involved, write reviews, post photos, ask questions and stimulate conversations. And to all you new folks, especially those of you who are just getting your feet wet in reps, I believe that you will find this forum as a whole, the most helpful and certainly the most tolerant to new members. We welcome all of you folks who are just "looking around" trying to find a home as well as all of the older members who have been around for a while. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Damn big A, I knew you were a walking encyclopedia of AP facts,factoids, myths and minutiae, but man you are a legend!! Nailing and obscure movement that is in what maybe 500 or less watches. Man, I'm impressed! Congrats cubeistan welcome to the VIP ranks. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hiker, good to see you back sir. We need your fantastic photos!! How have you been? Any interesting mountaineering trips since you last checked in? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk by-tor checks in from time to time, The Zigmeister s long gone. Last I heard he moved to France. A couple of guys here had some info, but I believe he swore them to secrecy!! Don't know about ronin, haven't heard from him in a long time. Man there are tons of guys who were really, really active here but over time a lot of them have dropped out of sight. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks nikki, my bad for not including a link to the thread. Like nikki said, everyone is encouraged to voice their opinions, likes and dislikes about watches they own/owned. Everything you share helps other members make decisions. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Different size cases. If you look hard enough, 1680 dials come up on occasion. You can always stick a nice rep or refinished dial in it as well while you are waiting for a 1680 to show up.

My wife has said for many, many years, you should have been a lawyer instead of a doctor!! I have always been of the old south school of writing whose cardinal rule is "Never use ten words when a hundred will do"!! Just in my DNA I suppose. Heck, If it was good enough for guys like William Faulkner, then it's good enough for me. My dear friend, thank you very much for your kind words. As I said, I'm going to write another review basically what I like and what I dislike about the LW. It's got some nice features and pluses, but it's got some minuses as well. Since I'm only talking about one watch, I will try my best to keep it concise and on point. Stay tuned!!

Hi guys, in case any of you are interested in the Linde Werdelin Spidolite II compared to the tried and true AP FC V3, I just posted a comprehensive comparison over in the brand forums - other brands. If you are interested in or curious about this watch, scoot on over and have a look. Lots of pictures!! Also As I mentioned in that thread, I will be doing another thread on the LW Spidolite II in a few days, "My thoughts on the LW Spidolite II after a few weeks of wear" Stay tuned.

I posted this comparison on another forum a few weeks ago, should have done it here first, but I didn't. So here it is, a side by side comparison of the Linde Werdelin Spidolite Green vs the My AP FC. As stated below, the Linde Werdelin is bone stock, the F3 has been modded (see below) There seems to be a lot of interest in the new Linde Werdelin Spidolite II, and several folks have asked about comparisons between it and the AP FC, I am going to attempt to write a side by side comparison review of the two.My photos pale in comparison to Mikes photos in his pictorial review below, awesome photography. First off, I have owned the FC V3 since November 2013, so mine is about 2 ½ years old. It recently came back from a trip to Legend’s spa where it got a case polish, a 2X crystal, cyclops mod relumed hour hand (to correct the Grey color of the stock hand) and a slow beat movement conversion. While the appearance has changed, dimensionally it’s the same.Still residing on the original rubber strap that it came with. It has been one of my favorite watches since I bought it. I really like the light weight of theCarbon Fibre. Also since it’s a “Black watch” It flies under the radar. The LW on the other hand is brand new, picked it up yesterday and it of course is bone stock. Because it is brand new and yet to be worn except to try it on, I cannot comment on the comfort factor. The strap is pretty stiff, but others here have said that it breaks in pretty quickly, and isc omfortable. The FC is very comfortable to me. The rubber strap while not soft is very flexible. Hopefully with a little time, the LW will be as comfortableas the FC. My wrist size is a little over 7” sometimes up to 7 ¼ “. The FC wears very well, and doesn’t look overly large on my wrist. In the next couple of days, I'm going to post a second review which will be "My thoughts on the LW Spidolite II after a few weeks of wear". Stay tuned if you are interested in this watch!! First group of photos are a side by side comparison of the two watches, front back and sides. As you can see from the above photos, the cases are markedly different, while the FC is more conventional, the LW is quite different, primarily because of the case design to accommodate the electronic modules that LW sells for Scuba and Mountaineering. Since I really haven't worn the LW much, I cannot comment on it's level of comfort as opposed to the FC The next group of photos are the actual measurements of the watches, using a digital caliper. I was a little surprised at the dimensions of the LW as it seems smaller visually. In all cases, the LW will be first First are height: Width including Crown: Length Lug to lug: I didn't have access to and accurate scale, so impossible to tell the exact weights. Using my postal scale which is probably pretty inaccurate, I got 4.0 oz. for the LW and 3.9 oz. for the FC And last, Lume shot. To me lume shots can be very misleading. If you are using a DSLR or other adjustable camera, you can manipulate aperture and shutter speed to make lume look a lot brighter than it actually is. However when you compare two watches side by side, no matter how much you manipulate the settings it will affect both watches equally. For those interested in how these were photographed, camera is a DSLR Canon 70D with a Canon 28-135 Ultrasonic lens. Camera mounted on a Gitzo tripod with a Gitzo Ball head. Watches were photographed inside a collapsible light tent with 100W Fluorescent's both sides top and angled front. Conclusion: Since I cannot comment on wearability, I can only comment on obvious physical factors. looking at the two watches, as I said before they are very different. One thing that stands out when you pick the two up together is the obvious edge the FC has in legibility. Big bold indices, more lume and bigger hands make for easier reading. the lume isn't even close, the FC is way, way better. Size ands weight wise, they are pretty close. I suspect that the LW will wear as comfortably as the FC once the strap is broken in a bit. All in all while the FC is a rep of a tool watch (although at the price point of the genuine, I would never imagine anyone actually wearing one diving). The LW on the other hand could not be used as a dive watch per se. It is designed to accommodate the dive module (the Reef) that sits on top of the watch in the genuine model. Being a diver, I cannot imagine why one would ever want to use this combination, as self contained dive computers have gotten very reasonable and are very accurate with lots of features. Just my idea!! To me the LW is more of a novelty watch in it's genuine form. Don't get me wrong, I like the watch, and I believe it will fit well into my watch rotation. Were I buying a genuine watch however, I don't believe that I would spring for one of these. One factor that is somewhat distressing regarding the genuine market, the Spidolite II Green when new was selling for around 15K, now only a couple of years later, they are around 7-8K asking price, so they have taken a pretty big hit depreciation wise, which is not unusual for smaller boutique brands that are not well known. But all this is food for another discussion. These are reps, and at the price point I think it's a really nice watch, maybe different. I would expect that the LW Spidolite II is one of those watches that folks will really like or they will not like at all. Open the package and it's either WOW!! Great watch, or oh well this one is headed to the sales forum!!

I have to echo what others have said. The 6542 build , like a correct 1675 build are expensive frustrating and fraught with problems. There probably isn't and easy way, at least not that I have heard of. One path that I would advise against is the puretime 6542. I started out that way, and the only thing I ended up using from the puretime 6542 was the 2846 converted movement, and even at that, it ended up having to be completely rebuilt as it more than likely was worn out to begin with. I would advise you to read all of JoeyB's build threads, because he has come the closest to building a correct budget 6542 as anyone. Good luck!! Here is mine, decidedly NOT a budget build[emoji6] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Would be a real treat to hear from more of the older members. Even if you aren't into reps now, or have cut back your collection and /or your forum visiting time,drop in and visit. We need you all back!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk