panerai153

JMB is a member here and he's located in the CONUS, Texas specifically.

Hi Mike, Glad to see that you are feeling well. Haven't heard from you in a while. Now all the guys who are interested in pens can get their penfomation directly from you. Have a great week

They all have inaccuracies. Some of them can be eliminated by modding with genuine parts, some of these will not take genuine parts (Believe me, I have learned all these lessons the hard way, I have a parts chest full of stuff that was taken off reps to be replaced by better or genuine parts. The sub game has gotten better with more accurate models of late, but as Freddy said, the best bet is to go to and AD, and try on some that you like. You may find that a particular watch that you really admired in a photo when seen and worn, really doesn't turn you on. Try to narrow your choices down to the model you like the best, then find it here and see what others think about it. AFA the inaccuracies, the only way to eliminate them 100% is to buy a gen. There is no such thing as a 1:1 Submariner, or for that matter any replica watch. A lot of them approach perfection, but usually only after spending a bunch of money modding them, and even with that they will not be 100%. When you look at gens, and then reps, try to pick out the inaccuracies in the reps, and then try to chose one that has the fewest discrepancies that you can live with .

Very good advice from Freddy. Way too many "altered watches out there. Although from the photos, this one looks good. If you have any doubts tell the seller you need to get it verified by a Rolex watchsmith. If the seller is legit, he won't have any problems going with you to an AD or a qualified Rolex watchsmith and let them look at it, open the back and check the movement. If he refuses, run away. I see that it has a box, but how about certificate and manual, etc. while these can be faked, it's a bit harder to do and beyond the scope of most scammers.

For lume and AR, Vac is the one, because he is a one stop shop for those two things and his work is good. Movement work, nah. Misiekped is worlds better for regular movements, he won't work on A7750's but for any thing on a diver, he's your man. Now when you get it lumed and AR'ed, you need to drop a Tissot Powermatic 80 movement in, drop in fit, 80 hours power reserve and slow beat just like the genuine Diver. Sent you a PM as well Sir.

They might make vary limited comeback, but I don't see a big surge in pocket watch sales or use, except as a source for movements to build beautiful wristwatches like the ones AJ builds. My primary reason is folks today dress for comfort and even when guys have a suit on at work, I seriously doubt that they are going to be sporting a pocket watch on a gold chain, and definitely not guys in jeans and T shirts. Unfortunately, I believe the pocket watch being used in it's true form as a pocket watch has seen it's day, it is relegated to history, along with steam engines, Model T's and buggy whips. Sort of sad, because their are some beautiful examples from very famous makers that can be had for a fraction of the price of wristwatches from the same makers. Brutal example of supply and demand. Too many watches, not enough buyers.

If I were looking for a "water sports" watch, I would probably lean toward a gen like a Seiko or the others you mentioned, or have your rep pressure tested, seals greased , etc.. If it passes then you should be good to go, if it fails, then you have to go to plan B and buy a gen. I agree that the screwed crown is intrinsically more water resistant than a push in crown, provided the seals are intact, properly installed and greased. I would not take any rep in water without a pressure test first. Salt water inside will ruin the movement very quickly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AP FC Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe. They are awfully nice. I just wish someone would make a really accurate dial . I would love to put a Tornac-Rayville dial in this watch. MKII Stingray, it's a homage to the BP FF Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Mike, sorry to confess, but most of those noob questions were from me!!!!! But I do at least say "thank you kind sir and have a wonderful week" Seriously though, I got one a couple of days ago, wanting to know the most gen like of the AP ROO's. Then asked if the 44 mm FC was the best. Why in the world would he ask me? A little over a year ago, I couldn't spell AP much less know anything about them. All these guys have to do is visit the AP forums on RWG,RG and RWI and use the damn search function, and they would get all the info they need. But hopefully relief is on the horizon. As soon as you appoint Legend to the official position of QC photo advisor and question answerer, our problems will be solved. Please create a link directly to his PM box so that the poor little noobs won't have to search for anything. Thank you in advance Legend for rescuing all of us from this thankless task, we have thrown off the shackles and are free at last!!!- Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sourcing parts for a 7750 build won't be a problem. There are DW case sets, dials coming up all the time on here and other forums. While the DW dials may not be the absolute most accurate, how many folks have ever seen a 6239? Not many for sure. And as long as you don't drop in to a vintage Rolex get together, you should be fine. You might check with SSteel, he is doing watch repairs in the EU, not sure about modding, but these won't require a lot of modding, maybe re-cutting the threads for a new tube if you want to upgrade to a gen tube/crown. Start looking on the forums, get your parts together, and then you can get just about anyone who works on watches to build it for you. Here is a link to a really nice older DW dial and case set over on RG 200 Euros, so he must be close by!! http://www.repgeek.com/showthread.php?t=237321&highlight=6239

No idea about the rotor, I just wanted to comment on the S/S one in the link above. Although I like the gold, I really like the S/S. Also for comparison purposes, here are a couple of photos of the genuine. From the looks of the photos, the AP is very high on the gen as well. The gens have a closed caseback as well.

AP V5 again today.

Here is and update: Mike's Ebay store name is penzrus Unfortunately, there is nothing listed and there doesn't seem to have been any activity for a while. I do know that Mike was very ill and in the hospital for quite a long time. I believe the best way to get in touch with him would be by PM. Sorry I can't be of more help.

He is a member here, I believe that you can send him a PM. Not sure how much he visits the forum these days, but that's the only contact info I have for him. As I said above, he had an Ebay store buit I couldn't locate it yesterday. I thought I had it in my favorite sellers list, but I didn't.

I don't have a Navy Seals, but I think the AP is and awfully nice watch. I have a modded V5 and most say the V7 is even better. I have mine on a Donerix Sharkskin which is softer than the rubber and is very comfortable. They are a little top heavy, but not as much as the ROO Chronos. Of all my AP's I probably wear this one the most. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Doc, You never cease to amaze me, you have produced some absolutely beautiful pieces. First the rings, and now this bracelet. My hat's off to you sir, you are a true craftsman. I bet there are tons of women who would love this bracelet, including my wife. Of course then I would have to buy her a matching AP watch!!

Hi Nanug, Absolutely correct. He has or had and Ebay store, I can't find it, thought I had it in my favorite sellers, but must not have kept it. If you or anyone else remembers the address, it would be nice to let all of our members have it. Not sure how often Mike checks in here, but if he does, maybe he could post a link. Also I know that he sold direct and gave members here a discount.

They are very nice, and the photos don't do them justice in the least!! They are well made, heavy and beautiful as well. Ands you are right, the lume is still there on some of them.

I would suspect this is going to be pretty costly. unless you can have one made in S/S. Any of the gold ones are going to be pretty expensive, as it looks pretty massive and a fair amount of gold will be used in each ring. I know that people have been clamoring for a price, not sure he has gotten to the point of pricing it. First off, I'm sure that the price point is going to be pretty high, can't afford to stock these, because of the different sizes. These are not rings that look like you can have them resized should it not fit, would need to go up or down with a completely different ring. As I said before, I'm not a ring person, so absolutely no interest in this project except to say it is very nice work, and a lot of persistence o n the OP's part, plus a pile of money!!

I'm not sure it's possible to have the dealers pick where the watches land in the USA. I would suspect it's a geography thing. If you live on the West coast or the mountain states, I would guess that most all of that air freight comes through LAX, SF, Seattle. Whereas if you happen to live in the heartland, Most likely Dallas, Houston Chicago. East coast likely Atlanta, Dulles, JFK. Pretty much figure out which airlines have flights to and from the Orient and that will give you as clue as to where a package will land, of course that doesn't account for the freighters who may be carrying lots of parcels, and it's difficult to tell where they come from and end up. As someone said above and I believe hiker demonstrated, if you have a friend or family member on the west coast, may be a good idea to try to set up some sort of relay where they receive the package and then re-label it and send it on. Might work until they shift their focus to other things or shift from Chicago to other POE's.

I wonder if this is one made by our own Mikellum? He made a few of these, not sure if he sold any outside of our forum. I got a couple of them from him as gifts. Here are mine, very similar although none of mine have the hands attached to the dial. These were from several dials that I sent him a to use for his project. I don't think these pens are easy to make and require a lot of time. I'm not sure what his health status is now, but you might try contacting him to see if he has any left. He did have and Ebay store, but I haven't checked there in a while. Here are mine

Beautiful photograph!! Here is mine for today: AP Diver

That is and outstanding example of the BL. So those BL's that Vargas commissioned were what? Were these regular 300' Pros that he had the decals applied to. I seriously doubt that Vargas was involved with the original Doxa 300's as that was about 53 years ago!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Now were these BL's that were made up later by Vargas or were these some of the originals? Just as and aside, Vargas and I didn't get along' we had a couple of big disagreements back when he was the "so called" US Representative for Doxa. He didn't last very long as he managed to piss off almost everyone he dealt with. Also he was scamming Doxa. All that aside, I thought I posted something yesterday on this thread, but I must have hit the wrong button. It was essentially about bezels and the observation that the bezels that are on nanug's BL and the EBay watch are the same, and don't appear on any other models. When I get homeI'll look and see if the post auto saved. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk