panerai153

No recommendations for repairs, the two folks here that I use are mymanmatt and misielkped , and they aren't anywhere close to Seattle. But the USPS will deliver a package right to their front door. Question, have you removed the Caseback and looked to see how much moisture is really inside? If there is any, the movement needs to be dried out, hopefully it wasn't seawater (salt)? Another thing, I'm not sure that a little moisture would mess up the keyless works, but I'm certainly not a movement expert. To be honest, I haven't heard of anyone in that area that repairs reps. Droptopman is up in that area, so possibly he might know someone who could give it a look see. Also a lot depends on the movement. Is it and Asian clone, or an ETA? Some independent watchmakers will work on reps with ETA movements, most won't fool with clone movements or the cheaper 21j movements. First thing tho she needs to make sure it's dried out inside. This may require removing the Caseback. In the meantime, unscrew the crown and pull it out to the 3rd position, then put it in a jar of dry rice that has a top that will seal. Also you can use a few of those silica packets, same principle, to draw the moisture out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Is that the one you found in the river? Or the one you cut out off the giant Brown bears stomach? [emoji12] Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Pretty amazing how there are so many "experts" around. There are some guys on the VRF that are pretty knowledgable. Those who make a living, or a supplement to their income by trading, buying and selling watches have to be pretty sharp, or they wouldn't be in the game for long. But there are a bunch of folks who are clueless, just like the idiots on The Rolex Forum!! AFA the guy who sent 20000 Euros to a seller in Bucharest Romania, he is not only clueless, but a damn fool as well. He got scammed good and proper, and he can kiss that 20k goodbye!! No watch, no money. The guy in Dubai, best advice to him would have been run away from this watch!! He didn't need a lesson in metallurgy, just that this was a poor choice in watches.qThere are plenty of those subs around, not like he's buying a 5517 with full provenience. He's going to be putting that porous case into one of the most watch unfriendly environments imaginable. Extreme heat, high humidity, ice cold air conditioning. Get it really cold, take it out and it expands from the heat and Walla ,foggy weather inside the watch., One guy is and idiot, the other is just a noob who is getting bad advice. Both are going to lose out in the end. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not crazy about the 5508 case, the lug holes look to large, are too close to the edge especially the one on the right, and the lug angles look different from the complete watch just above it. So what are you looking to buy, the complete watch or just a case set ? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have never been a fan of most Rolexes on leather. In fact the only one that I have ever had on a strap is my Gold DayDate. However I must say, this strap is really nice, and like you stated, it tones down the bling quite a bit. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nope, never sleep with a watch on except for naps!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Who knows? Sometimes I believe that there isn't any rhyme or reason to their thinking. Maybe the guys in charge of the rep decisions see watches that strike their fancy, or watches they think will sell, maybe because of and association with a famous person, such as the Richard Mille "Bubba Watson or Rafael Nadal" watches. Sometimes they build a pretty darn accurate watch, like the BP Fifty Fathoms, sometimes they are so bad, they are almost comical. One thing that all of the examples that these not so well known watches have in common is that when you buy one, what you get out of the box is what you are stuck with! Unlike the AP's, Rolexes and Omegas that you mentioned which have lots of genuine and aftermarket parts available for modding, these brands have practically nothing available. So for all practical purposes, if the watch is inaccurate to start with, there is little hope of making it better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Blancpain RG for Thanksgiving Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I went on one of the supply house websites last night, and they have them brand new sealed for 399.00 USD the one pictured is 345.00 USD plus 25 USD shipping, from Hong Kong. The one here is about 30 USD more, but I know that it's the real deal. Probably will go that route. Thanks guys Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mickey, these were the only two photos on the website. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hello guys, need some help with ID'ing a movement. I'm looking to buy an ETA 7750 movement, this seller on EBay is selling these for about 50 bucks less than the supply houses, and about a hundred bucks less than the EBY sellers from Switzerland. My concern is whether or not this is a genuine ETA or an A7750? Here are the photos from the EBay sales ad. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Rubberclad White dial ROO today. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That is the best Explorer that I've seen, period. That honeycomb dial really makes it special. Beautiful work. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Still wearing my GMT IIC

I agree with you 100%. It is going to affect the independents pretty drastically, and down the road, everyone who hasa watch with and ETA movement is going to feel the pain. Parts will dry up and as they dry up, look for the4 prices to jump like crazy. I know for a fact that Bill Yao , the owner of MKII watches, has a great project going on right now, a homage to the Rolex 6542. Problem is he is limiting it to 300 pieces, simply because he was able to secure 300 ETA 2892-2 movements a couple of years back. If he were to try to build more, the increased price of the movements, if he could even get them in any quantity would likely increase the price of the watch by 30-40%. I also agree that when the Swiss government stopped trying to tamp down the Swiss Franc, and it jumped like crazy, had a real affect on Swiss exports. That coupled with the Chinese government clamping down hard on extravagant purchases and ostentatious lifestyles has had a chilling affect on all luxury goods being sold in China. AFA a boycott being affective, I seriously doubt that it will have much affect on their bottom line. Look at the list of companies owned by the Swatch group. I doubt seriously if a buyer looking to buy a Breguet, Blancpain or any of their high end watches is going to give damn about their decision to choke off the supply of ETA movements and parts to independent watchmakers. Just a fact of life, the rich don't give a hoot about problems we "commoners" are having. This is a business decision by Swatch solely to put pressure on all the brands that are in direct competition with their low and mid level watch brands, like Tissot, Certina, Mido, Hamilton, Calvin Klein, and all the others that use ETA movements. The less competition, the more they sell (at least that's what I think they believe). This problem is only going to be solved by other manufacturers stepping up and filling the void. They will have to be able to produce in quantity, as well as offer replacement movements for all of the popular ETA models to actually solve the problem. I truly believe that the Swatch group feels like they will make up in increased low to mid level watch sales what they lose in movement and parts sales. Breguet, Harry Winston, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Jaquet Droz, Léon Hatot, Omega, Longines, Rado, Union Glashütte, Tissot, Balmain, Certina, Mido, Hamilton, Calvin Klein watches + jewelry, Swatch, Flik Flak.

The Swiss may be down, but they are certainly not out! They are the only producer of high end watches. The wealthy folks also may be in a bit of a rough patch, but remember the same thing happened with the dot com bubble in 1999-2000 and again with the global financial crisis in 2008-09. They recovered, and prospered. I feel like this is a temporary downturn as well. The Swiss watch industry survived a huge crisis back in the 1970's when the Quartz watch craze swept the watch industry, the strong survived and emerged stronger. Another factor, the companies that make up the Swiss watch industry have in many cases been around a long,long time. They are in it for the long haul. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

MKII Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fantastic work!! Drilling lug holes blind in non-lug hole cases is definitely not something the average Joe would want to undertake without the proper tools and expertise. Great work Sir, and those bevels look delicious!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice comprehensive review. Lots of good info and photos. The conclusion I would draw here is pretty simple. No matter how much you spend on a franken, be it a DSSD, a GMTIIC, a vintage Daytona or SeaDweller, it will a NEVER be a gen. You may get it to 95-98%, but it will never be 100%. Most of us have come to terms with this, and are pretty satisfied with the 95% franken, that no one could tell from a gen at a distance of 5 feet. Nothing against anyone, it's just simple facts, they are reps, and they will always be reps. If you are, and there are a lot of folks who try reps, among those who dwell on the tiny details, then the only alternative is to buy a gen. Don't take this wrong, I'm not being judgmental. I have around 40 watches and over half of them are gen. I love them equally, and I have learned to live with the small flaws of my frankens. Over the years, the ones that were not fixable to a level that I was comfortable with were sold on. The rest I have kept. I certainly can appreciate your frustration with the franken process. It can be a real trying journey, especially when you are dealing with modders who cannot or will not do what you really think is correct. I have been there, and I know how frustrating the process can be, not even considering the expense. Even more frustrating is the time and expense involved in getting one as right as it can be and then 6 months later, the bezel falls off, or the movement suddenly stops working!! Back to the modder or watchmaker, more expense, and more time off your wrist. Not that gens don't break, because they do, but probably not at the frequency of reps. I do like your choice of DSSD's. It's a beautiful watch, and with reasonable care, it should give you years of service. AFA the genuine parts that you have accumulated, I would bet that you can help them find another happy home and not be out too much cash. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

At the very end of his text. www.touchofmodern.com Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GMT IIC again today

After looking at the photos, I'm thinking this is a watch assembled from parts. The dial and hands don't look correct, probably aftermarket or refinished. Since you didn't have any photos of the movement, no way of telling if it's the correct movement. I believe the Crystal is not a gen Tudor, either. Period correct bracelet would be a 9315 folded link, with the 380B endlinks. Those look OK. The crown should be s Rolex crown, not sure what yours is. If I were looking for a gen Tudor sub, I would keep looking, this one just raises too many questions for me. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Here is another example of a gen. I owned this one for quite a while and only sold it to buy a Tudor "big block" Chrono. I'm not crazy about the dial, hands, and the date mag looks way off to me. The 9411/0 like the Rolex 1680 with 2.5x mag makes the numbers a lot bigger than what I'm seeing with this one. Another thing, as old as these watches are, the engraving on the Caseback is going to be worn and smoother, this one looks like it was engraved yesterday. Al in all, I'm not feeling any love for this one!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

GMT IIC today Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk