panerai153

I believe that this is a big problem on all the forums. A guy starts to go bad, a few folks who have had recent transactions start to complain and then all of the supporters chime in with all their warm and fuzzy stories and their wonderful experiences. Fine, but don't tell me I'm and ungrateful idiot because I complain that the repair guy has had my watch for 5 months, returned it not running or hands fell off, or whatever. The first question I would ask to any of those in the cheering section, "when was the last time you had any dealings with this person"? I would bet that most if not all were customers from far back when the repair guy was turning out good work and had lots of satisfied customers. I realize that there are going to be some folks who have totally unrealistic expectations, expect their 200.00 USD watch to look and perform exactly like it's 25K genuine counterpart. Most of us have realistic expectations though and when you begin to have a pattern of more and more people expressing their dissatisfaction and have legitimate reasons for their dissatisfaction, then the alarm bells should begin to ring. The problem is the cheering section usually is successful in drowning out the folks who are dissatisfied and have legitimate complaints, which usually leads those folks to stop posting their complaints. Now along comes new members, they need their watch repaired, and when they read the threads, they often come to the erroneous conclusion that the complaints were not legit, as those folks disappeared. the cheering section wins another one, at least temporarily, usually until a few of them get burned as well, then they join the other side, but by that time, the repair person has gone on wrecking havoc for a few more months, and more members get burned.

That looks nice. There are quite a few older threads over in the Rolex Forum about "aging" inserts. I believe the one thing that people have to be really careful about is that not all inserts are created equal. Some will have no change whatsoever after 5-10 minutes in a bowl of bleach, others if left for that same time period will be completely faded to almost a blank insert!! The big problem being, you have no idea which ones are going to turn to bare metal almost instantly, and which will resist all but the most determined efforts to age them. Everyone should read some of those threads, and then do as you did, experiment with an insert or two that are "throwaways". Please don't use a 250.00 USD + genuine insert to experiment on.

Mike, that is a really good idea. I'm sure that a potential thief would think twice about trying to get into a package wrapped and sealed with that tape. Tamper detection is one reason that the USPS requires all registered packages to be wrapped in brown paper, makes it much more difficult to get into and then make it look like it's not been tampered with. I would guess that you can get that tape at a local Office Depot or Staples?

He is second only to our beloved MD2020 who got a bunch of us for over 20k in watches, parts and movements. At least Alan is still communicating, MD2020 quit communicating, and that was all she wrote. Nothing, and that was after we tried legal action. Another one that is just about as bad is our dear friend REX over at RG, or was on RG. He still has a bunch of watches he never returned including a AP ROO Rubberclad and a brand new a7750 sec@12 movement of mine. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Very nice!! To bad about the WatchNY bezels, they were the only good alternative to the insanely expensive genuine ones.

I know there has to be a story behind this one I doubt that it's even closely related to the cold, unless you slipped on ice and hit it on something!!! Probably snow cycling down a steep trail, hit a patch of ice and went over the dashboard, hit your watch on a rock. Exploding acrylic barely missing your head, and fortunately killed the bear that was chasing you.

Looks good. I don't believe that the scratch and the "buggered up" lug screw would be a fail, at least not for me. Can't see the scratch on your wrist and most folks bugger up at least one screw when they attempt strap changes with the wrong size cheap screwdrivers. I would keep this one, no telling what you find wrong with the next one!!

WOW!! Looks like there are going to be more Z-Prix's out there than G-Prix's Outstanding work. Looks like some folks are going to be mighty happy with this treasure trove of parts!!

Legend, as usual, you are the voice of reason. This is not nearly worth the future problems and frustrations that will stem from opening a Paypal dispute., I have not one scintilla of doubt that Ezio packed that watch in the package and mailed it off to the buyer. I don't know the buyer, but it's hard to conceive that someone would risk reputation and forum(s) membership over a 350.00 USD watch. However, the human animal never ceases to amaze and disappoint me. One thing that I do if at all possible is to insure the package for it's value. Also another reason I prefer to sell within the CONUS as packages can be insured and there are no customs, duty drama attached. It may cost me a few dollars extra to insure a package for 4-5 hundred dollars, but it sure increases my peace of mind.. I agree that a 50/50 split would be the fairest and most logical solution to the problem. I would also file a theft report with the post office, especially if the package shows any signs of tampering. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My thoughts and prayers go out to you my friend.. I'm not sure that the mantle of patriarch is anything that any of is eager to assume. Hope your dad get's better. I can tell you from experience, it's hell to get old!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

not one I wear frequently, but it deserves to get out the box for a couple of days. Maurice Lacroix Calendrier Retrograde

What does the movement look like? That should be the real tell, unless the previous owner was building a real franken with a gen movement. And Beachcomber I agree, perhaps another Kermit in the making!! The fearless, feckless, foolish frogs are invading!!

Those look great!! You are truly a multi talented fellow. Is this conventional concrete? Just wondering if it was some sort of lightweight material. Also did you add anything to the mixture to prevent cracking. Some people are using fiberglass in the concrete to prevent cracking, just wondering if you used something like that.

I would suggest that you take a look at some of the other genuine brands like Maurice Lacroix. The make some very nice watches, and they are pretty reasonable, especially if you find a nice gently used one. Here is my Calendre Retrograde in Stainless steel. This IPhone photo doesn't do it justice as it has a beautiful dial. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tudor "Big Block"

You just can't beat natural patina. Here is my Heroic 18 after a week at the beach!!

Any Blancpain enthusiast here have any idea as to where I might procure and OEM Sailcloth in regular or XL length? I'm in the USA, and the nearest Blancpain dealer is over 350 miles from me. I have a Rose Gold Fifty Fathoms but the rep strap is too short to be comfortable.

I believe that the lume shots show the problem much more clearly. As I said above, I believe that I would reject this one and specifically ask the dealer to look for one with better alignment and straight markers. I can tell you, after all this, you will never be happy with this watch. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When you are dealing with luxury brands, the old algorithms of price based on cost of manufacturing and value go out the window. The luxury brands have their own cost/price ideas, and it probably has no basis in reality. This applies not just to watches but all luxury items.. Why can you buy a really nice high quality leather handbag at a good mall store for say 100.00 USD and a comparable LV bag is over 1000.00 USD? Is it really worth 10X? Of course not., but women fall all over themselves to purchase them. Same with watches. The 8k Rolex is not a great deal using the conventional cost/price algorithm., but we all know that isn't the case. Sometimes I believe that the marketing arms of the luxury brands companies set the prices based on what " The rich suckers out there " will pay for them. Their philosophy seems to indicate that if we price and item high enough, convince the public by marketing tactics that this is and exclusive item, and you have to buy this item to be part of the "in" crowd, it will sell like hot cakes. Another idea is to preserve the exclusivity of items, they need to price them high enough that "the great unwashed" masses can't afford to buy them. God Forbid that a society maven sees every cleaning lady or secretary toting a purse exactly like hers!! Now, we just couldn't have that could we darling!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with legend, the markers are not straight, it's not just a misalignment problem. The problem is, it's somewhat of and optical illusion. I just looked at my old "antique" AP V5 and when you look at the 45 marker that aligns with the 9 marker, it looks crooked, but when you turn the watch to where the 9 is straight up, and look at it, it's perfectly straight. I do agree that the ones in the QC photo are more crooked than mine. After looking at the photos from all the angles, you just need to decide whether or not this is going to be a flaw that you can live with or is it going to drive you crazy every time you look at your watch? Generally I find that if a watch has a flaw that I'm obsessing over, It probably won't get worn much and will soon be sent on it's way. Personally, I would give the dealer another shot at getting it right. Here are some photos of your watch with each marker in question at around the 12 O'clock position.

Some of the rubber straps are really, really closer to the gens. I don't think the rep Hornbacks are even close to gens, at least not the ones I have seen. Having said that out here in the sticks where I live, nobody but me would ever know, because most folks wouldn't know a Hornback from a turtle back unless it was someone around here who was a gator hunter, farmer or someone who works with gator hides. They could probably look at a Hornback and tell you, "that don't look like anything I've seen on a real gator" but the chances of that would be about the same odds as being struck by a piece of space debris!! The rep rubber straps have gotten better and better and are getting harder and harder to tell apart. I can't remember which brand it is, but it seems like the only way to tell the rep from gen was the gen didn't attract dust and the rep did. Not sure which it was though. I'm sure the rep manufacturers have solved that puzzle as well though.

Sure you can !! Not supposed to, you just can't get caught. That's why it's so important to do your due diligence before you hit the "buy" button. the OP was lucky, he only got stung for 145.00 USD, and he found out he had been had before he paid, but it could just as well have been several hundred or a couple of thousand on a really good fake. And, unless he checked it out right away, he would have been out the money. If you wear it for six months thinking it's a genuine whatever, and then by chance you take it to a dealer and they tell you, "Sorry sir, that watch is a fake" It's way too late to try to get your money back. Let's face it guys, look at the quality of the high end reps we have here. We have friendly disagreements all the time as to whether or not some component is gen or rep. So just think what a dilemma a relative newcomer to watches has to contend with on Ebay. Especially the more obscure brands that may not have a posse looking at every listing to out the fakes. He sees a nice watch, boxes papers, looks genuine, and the price is a real bargain. it's one that he has always admired, but couldn't afford. He bids, he wins, and then months later the watch stops. He takes it in to his local watchsmith or maybe a dealer and they give him the bad news. You bought a fake. Even this horrible fake that the OP bought. When I looked at the listing it had 15 bids!! Now anyone here with any experience at all could see this one was a terrible fake, even with the saran wrapped head, and the one blurry photo, but it fooled 15 people who bid on it!! If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.If anything about a watch or any other item one is interested in starts to get the alarm bells ringing or you are just unsure about the authenticity, it's definitely best to ask folks who are more knowledgeable than yourself. May save you a pile of money in the long run.

I wouldn't worry, as it will go from ISC (International Sorting Center) to "handed over to customs or inbound to customs" next. Sometimes registered mail gets sort of lost in the shuffle, as the USPS doesn't consider Registered as a priority item like Priority or Express mail. Also, although the USPS allegedly decided that scanning every package at every stop was to be a top priority, I have noticed a lot of "slippage" lately. I sent a watch USPS Priority to a friend in Singapore, It did not get scanned until it was outbound in Miami!! Wasn't scanned at my satellite PO, our local main PO, the regional sorting center, or inbound to the ISC in Miami. The package was literally lost for about 5-6 days before it finally got scanned outbound from Miami. Your watch could very well have not gotten scanned and may show up at your post office without and further notifications.

Unless this is the last strap or bracelet you plan to change, I would get the one from Ofrei. These are nice high quality tools and the ends are interchangeable, so if you break a tip or fork, they can be replaced.

I looked at the listing, he never says it's genuine, but it's really bad. Even for 145 USD, I'm not sure you could get enough decent parts out of it to justify the price. looking at the single crappy photo, what the heck, is that how it's waterproof, wrap it in Saran wrap? No crown, the date wheel is so faint, hard to see, and I'm not even sure it has a movement inside.