panerai153

AP ROO Rose Gold Rubberclad Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like this!! Where and how much? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats, That's a very nice choice. it's definitely a keeper.

Guys , this is another bad ending to a watchsmith/modder who got over his head. the only positive thing about this is it may have somewhat of a happy ending. Even if your watch isn't repaired, if you get it back, that's good. You can send it to someone else even if it ends up costing you more money. The other two situations that occurred before this recently, the debacle with MD2020, who absconded with over 20 K worth of watches and parts and Rex over on RG who still has a fair number of watches and isn't sending them back either. Be happy if you get your watch back, because there are a bunch of us out here who lost a pile on those two thieves.

With that sort of dollar value package, I would definitely ship it FedEx, UPS or USPS overnight. Make sure you touch base with him before you leave and coordinate when the watches are going to be ready. Leave yourself several days leeway so they arrive during the middle of your stay, not at the end!! It would really complicate things if the package arrives in NY at your hotel a day after you check out for home. Any other shipping method is too problematic. Also right now, shipping to the East coast is a problem, because they have been hammered by snow storms and that delays deliveries. Hopefully by the time you get there, the weather will have improved. Another advantage of FedEx and UPS, if it's looking like they aren't going to get to you before you leave, you can contact the carriers and have the delivery address changed. It will cost you more to get them shipped to you, but better than losing three beautiful Daytonas.

Where did you arrive at the number 15? Not disputing just curious. Since the old Doxa records were either lost or destroyed, it seems, every time Doxa changed hands, precious little is known about the early history. According to Peter Millar's book, the Black Lungs were prototypes and didn't have serial numbers engraved on the case backs. Also if you look at the photo of Nanug's 300 and my 300T., the scales on the bezels are different. I've looked at a bunch of bezels and a whole lot more photos, and the outer scale with the 95 to the left of the 12 o'clock dot and 195 to the right are not seen on any other variants. All of the other bezels at least in the early 300's and 300T's have on the outer bezel 20 dot 60 with the no decompress table only going to 60(Which I believe is the depth in meters). or the one like mine which is 60 dot FT 190. As I said, this is for the early bezel variants, as later when they were bought out by Aubry Frères in 1978, they made a lot of changes to the watch as well as the bezels. So AFA the Ebay watch, if the serial numbers were not present, that would be in keeping with the theory of Millar that these were prototypes. If they were indeed prototypes, there is no telling what the distribution scheme would be. Since they were contracting with US Divers, I would bet that they went to a few big well established Dive shops that were the biggest sellers of US Divers equipment. I would guess that the biggest and busiest shops were probably in Florida and California. I doubt that a dive shop in the Northeast could compete with a shop in say Miami or Key Largo, San Diego or LA. US Divers must have been well satisfied with the response because they placed and initial order of 4000 watches with the US Divers logo (the regular not the black) with Doxa. OF course if someone knows that a Black lung is significantly more valuable than a conventional 300 Professional, the serial numbers could have been "worn" off and a Black decal could have been applied to the dial. I do know from looking at it, whomever tried to repair or alter the dial sure didn't have any dial refinishing skills, as the lume application is probably about as bad as I have seen, they also forgot the lume dot in the date box as well. all in all this was a poor attempt to repair the watch. All in all, the vintage Doxas are great watches, and I really like mine and wish I had kept a few more. The biggest problem is the parts are so hard to find, you hate to wear them very much, because if you break something, you may be SOL as far as getting it fixed easily.

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Mine says hello, from one year earlier, 94XXXXX Serial, 1986 Yours looks great. Looks like it's brand new. You will enjoy it, they are great watches. Glad I bought mine several years ago, they have gone up a bunch since I got mine. It got a good polywatch crystal polish since that photo!!

Interesting information, and like my friend Legend, I am awaiting a replication of the ROO movement that mimics the specs of the gen movement without the obvious drawbacks of the A7750. It would be easy to build the cases with the correct crown/pushers position from the beginning, rather than trying to alter a case after the fact. Correct crown position, correct Date Window position and correct size hand pinions, WOW!! They couldn't build them fast enough. Only problem, all of our old AP ROO's would suddenly be worth practically nothing!! Realistically, I'm not sure this will happen, as it would require a complete retooling of everything ROO. Not sure there are enough of these sold to justify the expense, however having said that the Rep manufacturers keep coming out with new models and they certainly adapted quickly to the new Carbon Fiber and Ceramic watches. So, maybe there is hope.

P, you may be right, but you know success begets success. Since Chicago is not a seaport, they aren't concerned with containers, as those clear at the POE, like Los Angeles/San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, Seattle, etc. Pretty much everything coming into Chicago comes through the airport. While I'm sure there are tons of packages coming in every day, if they are running everything through X-Ray machines, it's pretty easy to pick out packages with watches, divert a certain number to be opened, and then basically the only options are counterfeit (Recognized brands that are on the counterfeit watch list) or non branded watches with either sterile dials/cases or branded with some unknown name that is not on the watch list. The counterfeits get seized, the others move on.Probably a lot of the watches you see in places like convenience stores, flea markets, etc. are non branded. The place where I buy gas has a display case full of hideous big, blingy quartz watches with no recognizable name!! Since even boutique watches that are built in China and shipped from there are shipped in cardboard boxes with the watch inside a watch box. They also have invoices, warranty papers, instruction books, etc. All of the rep I have ever received have been in a soft mailing envelope, wrapped in bubble wrap, no box or papers. I would guess that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a Rolex Submariner coming from China, packaged like that is a rep, although I suppose occasionally a used genuine watch with no box or papers could be shipped that way. In that case the seller better enclose some convincing paperwork certifying the watch as a genuine, as well as a customs declaration for way more than 50 USD. Hopefully this is a temporary deal, and our government, which has the attention span of a gerbil, will move on to more interesting and newsworthy searches. I believe that the biggest plus we have is over time, the resources will be re allocated to things that make more sense, and the 6PM news. You aren't going to have Fox and CNN sending news crews out to a C&I press conference to report that 13 counterfeit watches and 5 counterfeit handbags were confiscated today!!

Doxa Day

I'm positive that Ofrei and ST have had those bars that you are looking for because I have bought them from both companies. This is a common problem with some of the Rep Rolex bracelets, the holes in the end links will accept a 1.8mm but not a 2.0. I'll look, I might have some.

I agree 100%. The only way you can be 100% positive is to buy a movement from 1. A reputable seller here as M2M with plenty of good clear closeup photos, 2. Buy a brand new ETA from a reputable supplier like Ofrei, ST Cousins, etc., 3. Buy a NOS genuine watch or a new genuine that has a known ETA movement. I used to buy 2846 movements this way all the time, but these have pretty much dried up. And should you buy a movement from and old watch even if new, or an used watch, you should always factor in a service as part of the price. If you read some of the information here and on the internet, the supply of genuine ETA movements has really been choked off by the Swatch group, the owners of ETA. The Chinese rep manufacturers used to be able to buy bulk ETA movements (Trays of 50-100 movements) at good wholesale prices. those days are gone. If you get and ETA, which is doubtful, it will be as said above most likely cannibalized from and old watch, or a "franken" movement made up of some ETA parts and some Chinese parts . or worse, a movement that is a complete clone with ETA markings. Like most folks here, I don't worry about the movement that comes in the watch, some are good, some are OK, and some are awful. I'm not going to pay a premium for and unknown movement. What I do is first wear the watch to see if I like it. Some that you think you will like, never grow on you. others do. If it turns out that it's a watch that I plan to keep for a reasonable length of time, I wear until the movement starts to develop problems, then I decide, is this one really a keeper? If it is, I will try to find a replacement movement, either ETA, Sellita or in some cases a high grade Chinese movement like the Sea Gull ST2130 which for about half price is as good as the base ETA's if not a little better. I send my watch off to my watch guru and get the movement swapped out. I always ask them to evaluate the movement and if it needs a service, service it.What you end up with is a good solid accurate watch that will give you years of service. Another thing, when you get your watchmaker to swap the movements, take some photos ands save therm. also ask him to state that he has verified that the movement is what it is. Reason for this, if at some point you fall out of love with the watch, it's a good sales booster to have photos of the movement as well as a note from your watchmaker that the movement inside is indeed a genuine ETA.

I believe this was answered in another post above. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's worth 200 just for parts. The bezel and crown are valuable , as is the case, movement and even the dial could be refinished. I agree with nanug, that Black Lung on the dial just doesn't look right. It could be from a flood or moisture inside, but the rest of the dial has been altered as well, especially the lume. Another question, why were the hands changed? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe that this gentleman is having a great deal of difficulty with our language of choice. We could probably help him, if we just knew what he wanted?

Well the one on EBay definitely fits your criteria. I believe that what a lot of folks don't realize is these were really tool watches. the Doxas and even some early Blancpains were sold in Dive shops, not Mall stores or a watch boutique or jewelry store. The guys that bought them were divers, and most of them got beat to hell and back. I bought mine from the daughter of a guy who was a commercial diver for the city of San Francisco for about 25 years. I'm sure if mine could talk, it would have some real tales to tell!!

I recently acquired a Rose gold Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in a M2M sale. I have been looking at these since they were first introduced as a chrono model, which I wasn't particularly interested in. I was very interested in the non chrono model which is a tribute to the original Fifty Fathoms Divers. After receiving the watch, I became interested in strap options, and did quite a bit of research regarding which strap(s) would be the best fit for the FF. One of the things I had a hard time getting information about was the actual length of the various straps, as there isn't much Blancpain information on the internet. I finally resorted to going to some of the genuine watch forums and looking at old sales threads for used Sailcloth straps. I looked at the Brady sailcloth straps, but I thought that they were a good bit stiffer than either the rep strap or the genuine sailcloth. So after much research and reading, I decided to buy a genuine Sailcloth. I had seen a few for sale on various forums, but they were either the long strap (XL) or the short strap. What I needed was a regular length. Since I sometimes let haste get in the way of good sense, I contacted a source and ordered a gen strap. They were most helpful, and were not in the least hesitant to take my money!! I got the strap in a couple of days ago, and after looking it over I decided that a comparison would be in order. I know that a lot of folks feel like a gen strap is imperative to take your watch to the next level, and in some cases they are correct, as the rep straps and bracelets that come with a lot of our watches are pretty lame. Most of the AP Hornback rep straps fall into this category, as do a lot of other leather and rubber straps. So on to the comparison. First off the length of the rep strap and the regular gen are almost identical in length as you will see from the photos. the hole positions don't line up the same which may require wearing a the strap in a different hole. One of the first things you notice is the thread color, the gen is darker more of a steel grey. Also the thread appears to be a little better quality and finer. Stitching is about the same on both, the gen is tighter. The sailcloth material, looks identical, in fact they look like the two straps were cut from the same cloth. The rubber backing looks and feels about the same. the big tell is the Blancpain stamp on the back of the strap. The gen looks like it was engraved into the rubber, straight as a die, the rep is crooked on the strap and the N at the end is also crooked. These are all pretty nit picky things, and who is going to see the stamping on the back of your watch strap unless you take it off and hand it to someone. Even with that it would be hard to tell unless you had both the rep and gen in hand. Construction on the buckle end is nicer on the gen, smoother and finished better, however again a minor difference. The next question would be since the rep and gen are so close, would I shell out almost 300.00 USD for a strap? I suppose the answer to that is no, not for another strap the same length as the rep. If I were in the situation where the rep strap was obviously too short or too long, the answer would be much easier, as there are no rep alternatives. Possibly a Brady can be had in shorter or longer lengths, I don't know. Before the photos, here are the lengths of the various sizes of Blancpain Genuine straps Short Strap 65mm X 105mm Regular Strap 75mm X 115mm XL Strap 85 X 125mm Here are the side by side photos. The rep strap has the buckle attached, the gen strap has springbars in each.

I think from the questions and answers in the post, he closed it early because he had some offers at more than he was asking on Ebay, which is insane, but to each his own!! Lots of those old Doxas get recycled through ebay when the owners find out how hard it is to try to restore one. Nanug's 300 is what they are supposed to look like!! His is well loved, and well preserved.

OK, Here's my take it's gen, the dial has been redone, very poorly. the DOXA in the upper left is wrong, wrong fonts, look at Nanug's and mine, also it looks like a kid tried to relume the dial plots!! The hands are wrong, as he stated. Big problem with these, as we have discussed here and on the Doxa forum Ad nauseam, there are no parts for these watches. Sure you can replace the movement as there are replacements, but dials, hands, bracelets, even gaskets and crystals are just not available. I probably owned at least a dozen vintage and a half dozen modern Doxas, I sold all but three, the watch pictured, which was my first Doxa the 300T professional "Agua Lung" that I bought, my wife's Coralline I bought from Peter Millar, and the pre Professional diver that's in Pete's book. I got very frustrated chasing my tail trying to find parts to restore some that just needed a few little things to make them really nice. I sent a Sub 600 to RGM who at the time was the Doxa Service center in the USA, they kept the watch for 8 months and finally sent it back unfixed because they couldn't get the crystal gasket or the caseback gasket (Although I don't think they tried too hard!!) I think they were just waiting until the parts dropped out of the sky or I gave up. So to get this jewel back to it's original condition is probably and impossible task. the dial can be cleaned up and possibly refinished, but finding hands and a BOR bracelet, Good luck!!

I believe that there were some single AR crystals being sold by a member over on RG or RWI, you would need to go over there and do a search in the AP forums for AR'ed crystals. AFA what you need to do, 1. AR crystal 2. AR cyclops 3.Movement service 4. Aftermarket or gen strap If you are in a part of the world (EU) that can safely ship to Germany, I would schedule it in to Domi and have him do the mods as well as a movement service including adding the jewels to the movement. If you send it to Domi, he can do the AR on the crystal and cyclops, also I would have the numbers and hands relumed, mainly because I'm a lume fanatic. From reading the posts about this one, I believe that the seconds @12 subdial hand is the wrong color, but I'm not sure. Read this:http://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/199667-Black-themes-SIHH-2014-Noob-or-JF/page2?highlight=Noob+Black+themes Since you are new here, I will give you some unsolicited advice. Read, read and read some more. When you start modding watches, you are stepping off into deep water, with no life vest!! Modding a ROO with just the simple things like AR, relume, movement service and a good strap will more than double the cost of the watch. Most folks would say that you need to add a gen or good aftermarket strap, as the rep straps are pretty bad. Now this will cost you another 200-400 USD. The costs add up quickly, so you need to decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend before you start a project like this. Also remember if you decide down the road that you aren't happy with this watch and you want to sell it. you are NOT going to get your money back. With all the things above, you could easily have 1400-1500 USD in the watch. look at the used ROOS that are selling on the forums. I have bought two ROO's in the past 6 months that got the full Domi treatment, both were around 800-850 USD, so they sell at a big discount when you try to resell them. And by the way, I hate to disillusion you, but even with all the mods, you cannot correct all the faults of a ROO, unless you spend a fortune adding a genuine dial, tachy ring, hands, correct movement, thinning and redrilling the case. All of which will cost several thousand dollars more, IF you can find the correct genuine parts. The AP ROO's are for the most part, very interesting, unique and beautiful watches, they are also some of the most difficult and expensive to mod. Genuine parts are expensive and hard to find and there are only a couple of people in the world who have the tools and knowledge to build a true "Super Franken" ROO.

Our thoughts and prayers are to those who were killed. It looks like from the news reports the gunman and his minions were criminals with gang ties, and from what I read, a pretty long history of run ins with the Copenhagen police.

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HUH ?????!!!!!!! Are you asking is this a legitimate site? Not here on RWG, but it looks like RG,RWI And RWG.bz endorse this dealer. Might want to go over to one of those forums and see what they say about the dealer.

There seems to be a big difference in the dial pattern between the first watch pictured and the last. The "waffle" dial looks completely different as the distance between lines in the top one are about twice the distance of the lower watch. While I would guess that seeing one of these in the wild would be about as likely as seeing a unicorn in Central park, I'm sure the real AP aficionados, especially those that are into AP dress watches could tell the difference pretty easily. Nice watch, I'm not a big fan of the AP dress watches, and a watch with no seconds hand doesn't float my boat.