rag9fx

The Skeet / Urul book is a nice book with lots of pretty pictures... i bought a copy over the hols. but as ubi said it isn't the most accurate as the majority of the watches they reference are they're own some of them have been up-dated to not orignal release specs one that strikes in particular is the 5517 they have referenced with a trip-lock crown on the profile diagram ...while this isn't inaccurate since a lot of serviced 5517 were fitted with trip locks but they orignally were fitted with the submariner twin-lock ( so it could be misleading to someone who doesn't know better) ... nevertheless its nice book to look at and flip through .

another book i own is the Rolex Report --- its focused on spotting replicas ...but that book is really rendered useless if you are a member of this forum

To my eyes the MBWs font it too bold, the CNs is more fine and the 6 to me on the CN looks closer to Gen than the MBW.

Nah mate... the gen datewheel print is bolder then the mbw's print itself... the only thing that the CN Sub date wheel has going for it is that it is silver... (Nice watch btw... i have a similar one with a aftermarket 127, aftermarket insert on a mbw/wm rivetted bracelet.) some of my own home modding ... you can do these ones up to a decent spec ... but imho the cn case isn't as accurate as the mbw .

Nicely done! Looks great! And very nice to know that you had a hand in some of the mods as well! Always nice to see members giving this stuff a try; it's not as hard as some may think with the right tools and a bit of practice.

Enjoy your 1680!! Looks like a timepiece that will be getting a good amount of wrist time, eh?

Certainly a lot of wrist time ... unfortunately the crystal got steamed up today and i lost the gen pearl... so as soon as i source more pearls and when the watchmiester datewheels come out i'll be laughing ... now only to preasure proof the bugger !

R

very nice, especially that you did the crystal yourself. find that one of the trickiest thing to do on a 1680

congrats

if you look at the 10 O'clock position you can see where i cocked that up... i took a little chunk out of the tropic ... there is a small thread about that somewhere here

183 G is one of the best reps. I haven't had a problem with the threads stripping and have been wearing it periodically over the last year or so. Someone said it earlier, luck of the draw?

i bought the 183g with the understanding that it was the most accurate rep at the time... hell i think it is great watch its once of my most frequently worn watches . but i think you will find that there are mixed feelings about the Radiomir cased pam reps. If you wear one frequently or keep on unscrewing and screwing the crown to wind it such in a case of a daily wearer the life expecancy on the tube and crown really shortens.

As far as gens doing this... i can't say i have ever had a gen strip on me . That being said most of my screw down gens have been rollies

Leather on a drsd just dosn't sound right to me ... unless it is distressed leather ... but i personally would throw a nato strap on it or a Matec zulu 20mm. the nato strap would be more period correct but the zulu strap is certianly an amazing strap . i have one on my 5517 and i get more comments on the strap then i do on my watch . :-)

thank god... i thought i was the only one...

but i have had practice... when i was in my teens i was watch obsessed ... whenever i had holiday breaks from school ( i went to boarding school) i used to run over to canal street and pic up a watch or several. my Mum would always say is that another watch... So my mum thought that buying me a gen when turned 21 would put an end to my incessent watch buying... wishful thinking me thinks... so whenever i get a new watch i let it sit for a while and then wear it and see if anyone notices ... its normally when i think i am in the clear they spot it --- i have a ashamed feeling of guilt --- and then the question of how much i paid for it comes up... My girlfriend thinks its a form of madness... i normally buy the piece and then i find a way of breaking it to her ... she has a pseudo go at me with ' YOU BOUGHT ANOTHER WATCH!' but she is getting used to it ... i bought myself a new watch box over Christmas and now she insists that i fill up every slot ... she likes wearing my watches and is especially fond of my 183 and of pams in general --- she unfortunatly thinks that rolexes are tacky... which is cool with me since she won't pinch them ... but i feel the presure to buy another pam.

on another note you can always show your women Tanfos collection... i did that once and i am getting a whole lot less stick.

Great looking watch! Where did you get the aftermarket midlink bracelet? Any pics you can offer? I have one - but the rolex crown symbol is off and not believable.

it came off a 1680 i bought off ioffer over a year ago... it in its self isn't the most convincing bracelet it has the wrong ref numbers but the crown is ok. I have found on the gen vintages that i have handled that the crowns are not so bold and in some examples very very faint ... this is pretty much stamped in there deep. but on the whole the clasp is pretty convincing ... a whole world better then the original mbw bracelet .

if i am not mistaken the vintage subs that are not MBW/WMs are fitted with similar bracelets to mine.

I just got this fresh in this morning ! My Palped 1680 red letter . Truely a product of the RWG global community.

The base watch was pre-owned mint condition 'M.B.W.' red letter 1680 un-modified purchased from a great Aussie member from the board sennsi

I contributed some of the parts on this watch but most of the credit and all of the modding was done by E.U. modder Palpatine

List of features on this piece :

- Gen Tropic 127 ( Rag9fx)

- C.W.P Insert ( Rag9fx)

- Gen Luminous Dot/ Pearl ( Rag9fx) ( not pictured )

-Aftermarket hollow mid link bracelet and clasp ( Rag9fx)

(modfied, polished and satinized by Palp )

-Gen spring bars

-Tube and Gen Crown ( Palp)

- Aged and Lumed Dial and hands ( Palp)

- Crown Guards milled ( Palp)

-Lugholes drilled out ( Palp)

- Case polished ( Palp)

Palpatine is certainly an incredibly gifted modder and im very impressed by the results ...

Here are some pics ( courtesy of palpatine)

No doubt ... in this game it is all about luck there are always duds out there ... but what i have found with most screw down crown reps is that they are going to strip on you eventually with heavy use... and as far as davidson is concerned from what i understand he sells good quality wares ... it took about six months or so for my G183's crown to strip... but then i was wearing everyday and also winding it everyday .

hey there, thanks for the reply. I'm fairly new to all this- what do you mean rock the 111?

sorry its my U.S. parlance... ( grew up there) although im in blighty .... what attracted me to the 183 was the cushion case and also i read somewhere that the casing was 1:1 and was indistguishable from the gen ... not so true... but the pam casing in rep isn't bad because of their size ( someone correct me if i am wrong i am by no means a pam expert ) but the 111 is the luminor variant of the 183 .... so you get the classic look with sandwich dial the same movment ... cased differently of course so you would get the a crown without the stripping problem (it has a lever device to keep it down and sealed )... in many ways the 111 is a good pam to start with ...

Hi folks, I own a blackseal 183g which I paid $325 for. The threads stripped in no time. I sent it back but I'm sure I'll face the same problem again.

Is the 183h any improvement in this or any other ways.

If so where should I buy the darn thing?

the 183s crowns will strip regardless of it being an H or G series... its an inheritated flaw of the rep 183 ... davidson has aftermarket crowns for the 183 .. because of this (and also the case being uber polished ) most ppl don't recomend to wear the 183 daily ... that being said i own a 183 and it is my daily wearer stripped tube and all... but its going to be completely re-fitted in the near future so i am not too bothered... if you don't want the 183 problems... you could always rock the 111

The reference number is probably only the model number. If you know what model the watch is a replica of the ref. number shouldn't be a problem. If no, look in the dealer section, I think there is someone who makes custom straps.

supposedly it is the ref number for the strap... apparently can be found on the garantee ... a gold square is a gold square is a gold square ... you know ..( well as far as case dimensions are concerned anyway . ) can any gen RD (gold sq ) owners shed light on this ?

Hi all,

I have a Roger Dubuis Gold square that needs a strap ... i called up an AD to see if they could order one in for me and they required a refferance number.... and proceeded that they could only sell me the strap with the refference number... ( itsa pain really) ... i am looking for a black Croc ( or crock print) a 25mm RD style strap ( the one with perferations) ... does anyone know where i could get a decent aftermarket one... or can someone shed light on what the ref number for the strap would be ?

many thanks,

Rob

Any word on the datewheels?

That watch is awsome... it takes me back to the good old days of hustling around canal street ... i miss those movements.... its the same movement that powers my Roger Dubuis Gold Square ... and handful of my oldschool canal street rollies. That crown is abominable !!!! but you have got to love it.

today: RD Gold Square

Yes this is bad news ... custom's new year resolutions. Funnilly enough i have been stopped by custom's every time i have re-entered the states from the UK ( its never happened b4 in the pas and it certianly happening everytime i have come through since last year) they rip appart my bags and search everything from my wallet to notebooks and books. Once an agent asked me if what watch i was wearing ... it was a my fake 5517 so i told him it was counterfiet ... i thought oh f*ck i am going to have to surrender it ... suprizingly he didn't give it a second look and proceeded to grill me on my held assets. The rep watch purchases i have made from asia have made here to the uk without any hitch (touch wood)... hope the UK dosn't up the ante up on customs and god forbid they institute inter EU checks. But certainly the fact that this board and others are readily available and can be easily found from a google search can pose a problem ... there is no knowing who is reading it... piracy is somthing that the authorities are cracking down on with a fury.... oh well

I'm in ... ( well depending on workload... i think i might be catching up with deadlines around then )

i am, iam

...please after the 11th Feb

I have new schedual - long weekends (thurs evening to monday late afternoon off) - so I'm easy... but as James recomended i wouldn't muck about with Valintines week. is there a concensus that feb is better for all?

I don't want to come off as a complete hypocrite ... i know i certainly wouldn't attempt to perform another crystal installation without a press (not that i have one) but if i do another crystal instalation i certainly would get one... i f*cked up a $49 gen tropic by going about the job with the wrong tools thinking that i could cut corners... This bussiness of modding watches is certainly not one that is forgiving especially to cutting corners. in fact when i posted earlier about my mis-hap ... the response was overwhelmingly clear... buy the right tools !!!! in this hobby i learned that there is a lot of trial and error ... i am glad hear that cracking your first crystal didn't put you off trying again... but for the love of all things good and holy ... don't put it back in the vice !

i am up for the 8th

i can't wait this will just be the icing on the cake

Hi everyone,

This is probably a question that had been covered b4 but i would love to know how you got interestered/ hooked. I for one got caught up in it all when i was 13 years old my first rep was a cheap brass based Tag Heuer SEL Quartz bought in canal street . the dial was so crap that it had White-out/ Tipex to cover up a flaw on its white dial ! My dad got me into the fakes he had acquired many ... he used to travel and still does a lot for work to developing countries and used to wear reps when he traveled. Oddly enough it was my introduction to reps that got me obsessed with watches on the whole.

But reps fascinated me ... i enjoyed comparing quality of product between vendors and seeing what was for sale in other countries ... and even sniffing about other cities trying to find where i could buy reps. Over time i found my one vendor on canal street who offered ( what was to me at the time high end reps) - hell they used proper stainless ! - back in the day the introduction of stainless steel in canal street reps was a major thing! unfortunately he got closed down and i moved to the internet for buying reps which was a massive step for me because a lot of the sites that were up at that time were selling pieces that i bought on canal street on a significant mark up... but then i found i offer bought my first two internet reps from there a 5517 and 1680 (pieces that since i have seen been here at rwg i have seen that i was over charged for ... well you live and learn)

well thats my litte story ... lets hear yours.

Rob