panerai153

Was hoping that this would work, however I would bet that Photobucket is seeking out all the "fixes" and methodically destroying them!! If Photobucket wasn't so damn greedy, they could have charged a nominal fee for usage. Problem is their cheap plans don't allow third party hosting. In the end I bet this is going to hurt them, as I doubt that most users are going to pay their price for the plan that allows third party hosting, I know I won't. If their traffic drops, the paid advertising will drop as well. As long as their are alternatives, folks will seek the cheaper alternatives. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I agree with you completely. Here in the USA, the average salary is not keeping up with inflation. I know from where I stand in the health care business, my salary peaked probably 5-6 years go. I am probably making 30% less than I was back then. Fortunately for me, my peak was high enough that we can live OK with 30% less, but it sure knocks the heck out of my " play money"!! A lot of others are not nearly so fortunate. The second factor that you mentioned, the aging of the watch wearing population is very real, and I expect to get worse. With all the wearable electronic devices, it will be hard to convince younger folks to wear a conventional watch. Now that Apple has come out with the series 3 that doesn't have to be tethered to a phone, we will see more and more folks opting for them. And while they have some shortcomings, trust me, Apple will address most all the problems with free software upgrades. Do I see the wristwatch going the way of the pocket watch? No i don't, but I do believe that there will be increasing competition for a shrinking market. Realistically, if offered the choice of a 399.00 USD Apple Watch 3 or a Seiko or it's equivalent, I would probably opt for the Apple. I feel like it's a trend. Around our hospital, I would bet that 75% of the staff is wearing and Apple Watch or one of it's equivalents. Probably a complete flip in percentages in a couple of years. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Summer and early fall are a really busy time for most folks. Now we are competing with back to school, high school, college and Pro football. Down herein the south, it's still summer, so the outside chores still require a lot if time. I feel like in late fall and winter activity will pick up. Days shorter, cold outside, so people are inside more with less to do. Visit forums that they have hardly clicked on for months. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Probably a pretty good deal. Although I have found that resale on watches that aren't a popular"brand name" watch are often a hard sell if you should decide to resell. However the good side is the ETA 7750 sells for over 300.00 USD, so worse case you could get half your money back for just the movement. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Got this nice Blancpain Fifty Fathoms LIP from davidsen a few days back. Very easy to work with, good communications and with EMS, the watch was from Hong Kong to me (southern USA) in 5 days. I found and old tropic strap that I probably took off another dive watch and it fits perfectly. Here are a couple of really bad phone photos Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@kernow, he still hasn't gotten it!![emoji85] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's getting harder to do since Rolex went to random serial numbers. Watch looks correct, but like Freddy said, remove the back. Are they asking a comparable price to a used one with a known history, or is this a "bargain"? Another thing to consider, most of the bigger pawn shops aren't going to give a person a bunch of money without checking for authenticity. You aren't going to stay in business by giving someone a couple of thousand for a watch only to discover i's only worth a couple of hundred! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Still think it's a gen watch with and aftermarket dial. Clearer photos would be very helpful though. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Congrats!! Beautiful watch and very nice writeup. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very true. Accuracy or lack thereof will dictate price. You can get a "passable" accurate Venus movement model or a nice used DW a7750 for less than 1k, but if you want one that is really accurate, and remember no rep however expensive will be 100%, you could easily spend 4-5k. Another consideration as with all replicas of expensive watches, can you pull off wearing a 30k watch? You never know when you might run into a guy who knows his Daytonas. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have wadded up a ball of duct tape ( leave some sticky surface showing), press down hard with the sticky against the case. Has worked for me. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Mike, What do you suppose the case is made from? Seriously doubt that it's sapphire!! Hard to pull off that pink model, but they also make a gen that is transparent, looks like glass.

To the OP, go over to the Rolex forum, search 6542 and you will find several very comprehensive 6542 build posts. By far the best route is the yuki or Ming Quy cases, but they are expensive. Another problem is to find a good dial. There was a guy on eBay back a couple of years Ingod) who had some pretty good dials, but he disappeared. Member JoeyB has built several he also produces the bezel insert that is the closest that you can find to the genuine. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would guess it's a Richard Mille, skeleton dial chronos case made from sapphire? Am I close? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

These types of articles, written by pompous assholes with a at best a superficial knowledge of the subject matter they are writing about comes up periodically. As usual these articles are filled with misinformation. The only thing I agree with in the whole article is the part about the folks who buy "Bling" watches. They of all the buyers of replica watches are the ones who overwhelmingly buy replicas in order to deceive others. Outside of this, the rest is pretty much B.S. I really love the heart rendering statements about the watch manufacturers losing billions of dollars because of all the Reps that folks are buying instead of their grossly overpriced products. News flash to watch manufacturers. The rep buyers aren't going to bankrupt you, the lack of interest in watches by millions of young people from teens to their 30's and Electronic manufacturers like Apple! Samsung, etc. should be who you are worried about! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sounds like some very positive changes. Great and much appreciated. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi ubi, good to see you. As usual you've built another beautiful watch. But a VC? I thought you were a Patek guy through and through!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I agree with Freddy. I remember him saying on several occasions years back, that the parts you thought were insanely expensive would be bargains in a few years. I really don't know what the future holds relative to repairing older Rolex watches. Replacing worn out parts with used almost worn out parts is "fools gold", but what does one do if new replacement parts aren't available. AFA the future of watches in general, I agree, it looks pretty grim. Most of the younger folks are either not wearing a watch at all, or they are wearing "smart watches, fitbits, etc. They don't need a watch, their phone is permanently implanted in their hand!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Open up the back and check the movement. There are tons of Lady datejusts out there that have aftermarket diamond bezels and MOP dials with diamond indices. This dial looks like and aftermarket one to me. I bet that is the most common upgrade in the watch world! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice!! For some reason, I like Blue dials but not many have stuck around. I tried the Doxa Caribbean twice and ended up selling both pretty fast. The only blue dial watch in my collection is a 16613 that Matt built for me. I don't wear it much, but it sure is pretty sitting in the box!!! I have a Day/Date that Matt built as well. Similar problem to yours. The date hangs up between Wednesday and Thursday. Advances fine by rotating the hands. Once it's on Thursday, it works fine til the next Wednesday. Funny how watches get these glitches that really have no good explanation. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Does anyone know how to get in touch with Davidsen? I'm looking for a vintage Blancpain and he looks to be the only source unless someone here has one that they are looking to sell? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome aboard. Might want to repost this over in the Rolex forum. There have been lots of great 1016 builds over the years, and a little searching will yield plenty of information. I agree the JMB cases are the best. He is a master machinist and his work is beautiful. Since this is a pretty simple three hand movement, you are likely to have and easier time fitting all the parts together if you use one of the "recipes" that are n some of the build threads. As sogeha said, you are going to encounter obstacles with fitting parts, be patient you are building a watch from parts sourced from various sources and often times what looks like and exact fit will not be. Most of us here who have gathered parts for builds have a parts bin full of stuff that "almost fit", but didn't. Good luck, and I believe that you will find lots of good folks here who are knowledgeable and are eager to share their knowledge and experiences. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not a big fan of the "Art Deco" watches from the 70's. I know that Oris makes some nice watches, I have had a couple in the past, but they never stuck around for long. Like others have said, it seems pretty pricy for a SW200 movement watch. At that 1500 USD price point, they are in some pretty tough company. Not sure how easy it is to find Oris at discounted prices, but to me this is a watch that should be in the 1K range rather than the price stated. Just my dos centavos!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Maurice Lacroix Reveil Globe Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MKII Kingston Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk