altesporsche

WOW! What a piece ! Is this for your own collection or a customer ?

Really odd. I’ve emailed the Admin. 

Ive never done anything on any forum that would warrant banning lol 

Hey fellas, just checking to see if any of you are on repgeek, I rarely use the site but apparently an admin banned my IP lol no idea why ? I logged in to check a tracking number for something I bought off another member and it says that I’m banned lol 

zero idea as you why.. I arely post there etc.. 

is is anyone else having this problem ?

cheers !

C.

21 minutes ago, adisuk said:

The price analogy and spending high dollars for a rep build doesn't make any sense. Buy the real watch and you don't loose. My opinion.

I have a lot of Gen watches like a lot of guys here and could essentially buy any Gen I wanted, but it’s not about that. It’s the hobby and the fun of the chase. If you don’t get that then you are in the wrong forum. 

Holy Fack he’s back at it ? I didn’t get burned but I know people who have.. what a maggot ! 

23 hours ago, jackflash said:

Yeap, tried to order the 5517 insert from her too. Let’s hope she gets them back in stock again soon. Until then Phong’s will have to do.

That’s a beauty there mate ! 

Mine is off for a service at tickleshoes spa 😎

The JMB case is amazing ! That’s what I used for my space dweller build.. one that I regret selling lol 

1 hour ago, Sogeha said:

Ruby is fine, I am in contact on what’s app as well. So brother, amazing 5517 inserts gets my attention, better than Phong’s excellent font printed slightly small than gen?

Yea I’ve never had trouble with her. She’s been good to me. Honestly Phongs is great I have them now in my 5517 and just recently seen Ruby’s but she has none and don’t know when she will have any lol

but I think they are marginally better, the Fonts are larger and reaching more to the edges of the Insert. 

Here are a few photos, wish I could get one to see it in person. The serifs look nearly as good as the $2k low number reps that were done a few years back. 

Fellas ruby is still in action, whatsapp’d her today and she got back to me quickly.  She has some amazing 5517 bezel insterts on her page but has none. 😰 

Fellas ruby is still in action, whatsapp’d her today and she got back to me quickly.  She has some amazing 5517 bezel insterts on her page but has none. 😰 

She’s a freaking beauty !!! Wish I had kept my space dweller and continued its transformation to perfection. 

On 10/8/2018 at 1:13 AM, kilowattore said:

Last reply I got from her was Oct 2. Did she disappear all.of a sudden?

I still have her on what’s app 

On 10/3/2018 at 5:48 PM, altesporsche said:

Hmm with all do respect the heavy hitters from Vietnam now are ten times the quality of the old fellas in the market. Honestly on a level to be par with genuine manufacturers..  

 

honestly MQ, phong, ruby etc... could be spot on if they pay attention to detail. 

 

Ive seen in a few different varieties of the same dial giving us one complete and exact dial when it comes to rolex. They just don’t do it for some reason.. given the price point they will not lose customers, they will gain from the fellas wanting perfection. I know myself as one that will pay a lot of money for a correct dial, after all, the cornet doesn’t match the other stand out issues the the dial no matter of a $30 eBay Rep to the $800 re printed dials will all be liked st the same.. 

I’m in full agreeance with you ! I too would pay a lot for a good dual. 

Ive seen a few that were so close it hurts lol and others that were perfect in every way but one detail and hat one detail makes the dial useless no matter how much it was lol for example I seen rail dial recently for a 1655, but it had the regular cornet and the rail dials only had the frog foot cornet, so a huge easy give away for the ones in the know about these. But to be honest if I’m building a high dollar build and Incorrect dial is a killer. 

1 hour ago, mir36 said:

I have a contact for Tonney’s case supplier (pm me if you’re interested). I didn’t order anything, but the guy was responsive. A few folks here have dealt with him, so better wait for them to chime in with any recent experiences (if any). 

They made dials as well didn’t they ? 

Id like to give them a shot.. I’ve used Ruby’s and Phong’s cases recently and the quality is amazing, but always looking for others to try. 

1 hour ago, automatico said:

"I agree on the random high prices. It's starting to [censored] me off."

 

Yeah.  Me too.

How does Raff sell a fair dial for $30 and one a little bit better from someone else is $250?

When 'Paul' was in business, his dials were $10 and free delivery.  Ten Bucks!  Not that hot by today's standards, but only $10.

Hmm with all do respect the heavy hitters from Vietnam now are ten times the quality of the old fellas in the market. Honestly on a level to be par with genuine manufacturers..  

honestly MQ, phong, ruby etc... could be spot on if they pay attention to detail. 

Ive seen in a few different varieties of the same dial giving us one complete and exact dial when it comes to rolex. They just don’t do it for some reason.. given the price point they will not lose customers, they will gain from the fellas wanting perfection. I know myself as one that will pay a lot of money for a correct dial, after all, the cornet doesn’t match the other stand out issues the the dial no matter of a $30 eBay Rep to the $800 re printed dials will all be liked st the same.. 

3 hours ago, automatico said:

One good thing about 1655 dials is they are not very 'pretty' to begin with (imho) so a good repdial usually looks fine.

 

Two things to look for:

Make sure the outer row of lume markers reach right up to the edge of the reflector area (aka rehaut).  Some repdials leave too much space and it is a quick tell.  

Be sure the movement/dial combo is securely mounted in the case because the lume on the outer markers can get scuffed away if the dial/mvt slides back and forth when setting etc.  This depends on how much 'wiggle room' there is to begin with.  Aftmkt cases may have more space between the movement and case than genuine.

 

 

"Also if anyone knows of a 1575 or 1570 GMT movement send me a mesg lol ... i have one but it is toast.. I didnt pay much for it thinking it would be rebuildable but it isnt lol"  

 

GMT parts are very hard to come by so if your movement is a correct 1575GMT there are quite a few very hard to get parts on it.  If you have all the GMT parts, changing a regular 1570/1575 out to GMT is fairly easy. 

 

Here is the parts list again if you did not save it:

https://rwg.cc/topic/191728-planing-steve-mcqueen-1655-project/

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info ! well aware of the dials :P thats why im so picky about what im buying.   Ive built tons of watches and ive become very anal about my builds recently lol This watch is a Phong cased watch and will house a Gen 1575 or converted 1570 if i cant find an original GMT movement. It will be well secured for sure, i dont do half ass jobs     thanks for the link I may look at converting as the 1570s in non GMT are a little easier to find. 

2 hours ago, dpap said:

Did you try Ruby?

http://rubyswatch.com

Yea ive tried Ruby, shes been annoying to deal with recently and give random high prices for garbage at times. 

2 hours ago, Jovanotti said:

Try raffles? 

Nahh raffles isnt the quality im looking for. This is a several thousand dollar build SO im looking for dials in the quality level of MQ and Phong etc..  Appreciate the reply though ! cheers !

Hey Fellas. 

Been looking for a Dial to finish a build im doing on a 1655.  Just wondering what places you guys have used for Vietnamese Dials or reprinted good quality dials elsewhere. I know of the usual spots.. Just looking for some new ones to explore maybe some one off makers etc that are really good.  Particularly looking for a MKII 1655 dial as all i have seen in MKII or MKIII but they have had the wrong cornet etc.. or odd lume etc.. 

Also if anyone knows of a 1575 or 1570 GMT movement send me a mesg lol ... i have one but it is toast.. I didnt pay much for it thinking it would be rebuildable but it isnt lol  

Cheers!

On ‎9‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 1:08 PM, anvogidej said:

I am selling a Pam388

Pretty sure he said hes looking for a 288K... 

Something about it I really like ! lol  I shouldn't but I do, maybe the simplicity and that it is off the beaten path.  

On ‎9‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 6:36 AM, Legend said:

This is a meaningful gentlemen's debate @altesporsche @horologist

The community benefits from both your knowledge and points of views. 

A forum is a platform for a discussion, and this is a very in-depth and matured discussion.

Thank you guys. You have both proven to be very knowledgeable in your own fields and there is much we can learn from both your posts. 

This is what it is all about !  we are all here because of our love for watches and people sharing their experiences and knowledge.  I'm hoping the days of people sharing more build experience comes back, when a wealth of information was passed around these forums.

Ive met many great people in the many many years ive been on this and a few other forums, learned a shit ton of stuff and had a lot of good laughs ! which is pretty wild considering we are all from different walks of life !  I find that incredibly interesting ! I don't think I have seen any other club or online forum that i'm a member of behave in this way.. 

Cheers fellas ! 

11 hours ago, horologist said:

It is an absolute privilege and an honour to be part of this wonderful forum.  I didn't see it so much as a debate, but an exchange of knowledge and experiences for the very reason why we are all here.  I find that all the members I have known here to be a league of gentlemen !!!! . I learnt a lot from everyone here no matter how trivial or complex the information may seem and I am still learning  !!!  I first learnt of this forum from  forum member "Automatico" and am grateful to be here!!!!

Amen !

26 minutes ago, automatico said:

"Most of us will not have these reps long enough to see severe degradation of the material so it really doesn't matter."

 

Bingo!   

 

Can't see much sense in paying over $10 or $20 extra for supposedly 904 in a replica.  The stuff is not expensive...it's common acid transport pipe used in hundreds of factories.

Any watch company other than rlx bragged about using it and it would be ignored.

 

https://www.finishing.com/197/23.shtml

 

Exactly !  I feel I have the perfect 116610 rep right now using the V6S case set.. it was the most accurate shape and finish etc.. and its 316 but seriously you cannot tell.. Ive had it in Rolex shops and no one questions it. (its a franked watch the full rep could probably get called out by very few)  

904 is more expensive than 316 by only a small margin in the material they use for a watch.. Machining is more costly because its harder on cutting bits but the case is stamped to the basic shape anyways like rolex does for minimal machining is required to finish the product, so the process isn't that much more costly using it vs. 316 on a rep. 

Like you said I also don't see the point in paying that $100 extra because its 904L ... its not worth it unless you are hell bent on showing someone your metal analysis of your watch lol  if they make another fantastic case like the V6S case etc.. ill probably buy it just for shits and giggles. also I think the noob Daytona is fine in 316 it looks exactly the same as my gens.. ill not be upgrading when a case is available in 904L, but am in search of better SELs lol

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 2:47 PM, int905 said:

I have compared a $418 noob V8 sub with a $528 Noob v9 904L steel, and would personally go for the V9, simply because of the better engravings and the better datewheel, not because the steel is "better".

I have found no difference in steel. The "story that 904 is much more shiny, brighter, etc" is bs (or marketing), as 316 steel can be finished much brighter than the 904 steel's noob/vrf/etc's factory finish somewhere in the swiss alps of Guangzhou, in the end of the day its about the final finish and what methods are used. (I am not going to get into the details of each particle, molecule, and reactions of these metals, as I am sure by the time its called for that, by then the movements will chew itself within time).

However, when one places a v8 and v9 (904) next to each other regardless of the sun, neon, or any other lighting there is absolutely no difference and they both look the same.

Second, they even said that the v9's bezel is constructed from a GEN sample that also is a hoax as there is no difference between the v8 and v9 bezel. It's the same bezel construction. Just difference in engraving (namely inner end links, and rehaute), and different datewheel. ( compared in August 2018 - every batch they change something slightly).



Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
 

I couldn't agree more, in the end of the day 904 and 316 look exactly alike to the naked eye and for anyone who thinks they can see a difference it is 100% psychological.  I have compared 316 reps to my 904 gens and they look exactly alike in all light conditions when I used the same Bergeon brushing blocks. SO the extra money just because its 904 is really silly because on the wrist no one can tell, it should be more about the markings and details as you suggested. Most of us will not have these reps long enough to see severe degradation of the material so it really doesn't matter.   

8 hours ago, madasboot said:

Thank you but I guess there may have been a misunderstanding here.

And maybe I was responsible for that - If so, my apologies.

This is not a sale or trade post, I only manifested my will of letting the 3646 go.

I am around for very long and I know the rules of the forum.

In case I decide for it for sure I will do it in the proper way, announcing it in the sales / trade section.

 

Regarding your quote, I do not know Legend or Altesporsche - in fact it is almost a decade from my last contribution on the forum and except Ross, Rolf, Alex and Bob (and maybe a few veterans more) most of the old guard members seem not to be longer around - but if somehow my remark did generate any uncomfortable situation, please do accept my apologies.

 

Anyway, I think there should be more interesting things to interact about, like the process behind the results, techniques and / or the watches themselves.

 

Probably thats the major difference I notice here, compared to 10 years ago.

 

Best,

M.

 

 

Yea that's the stuff I like reading about, the build and the process. It seems these days a lot of that is limited to the builders themselves.  I dabble with building watches myself and would love to hear the history of these fine pieces you have.

Cheers and thanks for sharing them !

12 hours ago, horologist said:

Lastly, as I said I hate debating and wished I had this picture a lot earlier to spare all the subsequent words.  A picture tells 1000 words or perhaps even more!!!!  This is a 904L stainless steel case with a 3135 movement   Upon removing the case back seal, it is evident that these holes were not made by termites, but surely is a form of corrosion.  I will let the viewers decide as to what it is, but I guarantee that it is not fly Sh*t either!!!!! It may not have been caused by H2SO4 nor HCL or even S2O3(2−) but even less aggressive oxidants in the environment which prove that 904L is nothing special. I think most of us here expect it to be as inert and noble like Gold or Platinum.  .  If that were the case the metallurgist who designed it would be richer than Rockefeller.  Rolex could have used a titanium case instead of this 904L gag

 

If that is 904L im quite surprised given that its not that old. However you are correct 904L isn't anything special, its special for a purpose just like any alloy, Ive not in all my years of using the material seen this kind of pitting on it. Thanks for posting that because i wouldn't have believed it otherwise lol  it must have been the absolute perfect storm of chemical reactions on that persons skin lol  pretty wild !   In the end Rolex only used this because it was considered and exotic Stainless steel at the time they started using it no matter how much they wanted to say it was for corrosion reasons and like any good marketing strategy they sold it well.  Personally I do not see the benefit of using 904L in a watch over 316L, especially as it is a bastard on cutting bits. its a great material for what I use it for lol but so is C1045 for some things lol

I was pondering this for a while and went with the SS bezel in the end and put a gen white dial in it and its freaking beautiful on the wrist ! just need a gen bezel and im good.  I find the dial in the ceramic versions just don't look right, once you see the font of the "ROLEX" and realize the spacing is wrong you cannot unsee it and its painfully expensive to buy a gen dial lol .. however the 116520 dials in luminova can be had for $600-900.

That's a lot of referencing and it may have took you a while to write and look that up and its appreciated for the information of the community here, but I wasn't arguing with you.. just pointing some things out.. I have zero desire to have a pissing match with someone on a forum especially not someone who has all the time in the world to dig up stuff online to make a point. My experience comes from actual use and familiarity with the materials, ive used it many times in my 12 years as an Engineer in several different industries.  

The concentrations of most chlorides, bromides etc.. you are so hell bent on being a threat are in concentration levels that would burn your skin long before attacking the stainless steel.. you would have to have the perfect scenario to attack the stainless without burning your skin.. at this point you are splitting hairs with facts you dug up online and essentially regurgitating them while not understanding what you are saying.  Everything you said above is correct, however like I said the concentrations of each of these materials you say will pit 904L will burn you or cause severe skin irritation long before it pits the steel. Maybe over time it will have an effect but again its unlikely with how people use watches.

You keep pointing out fancy names to make your point lol Thiosulfate is an oxyanion of sulfur and its solution is used for treating cyanide poisoning.. I don't know how many here handle cyanide all the time that will require a strong solution of thiosulfate, again something the majority of people will not have contact with this in normal circumstances..

Try hydrochloric acid ? i'm not even sure what you mean there... as in pour hydrochloric acid a substance that is highly corrosive to your skin on my watch case and see what happens ? lol no thanks..  anyways as I said im not getting into a pissing match with you.. my original point was that 904L does not have a big variation in quality.. every material has upper and lower composition limits to be considered within the ISO classification.

It was also not specifically designed for the pulp and paper industry, it was developed for many industries that require reduction with heavy acids. I used it in pulp and paper (yes I worked with pulp and paper factories all over the east coast of Canada) and now use it a lot in Oil production and drilling when we are using acids to etch formations down hole.

in conclusion 904L is highly unlikely to be pitted with how 99.9% of people wear their watch, daily diving etc..  316L honestly does a fantastic job but in time will see pitting in areas of contact.

21 minutes ago, automatico said:

"For the same price of a 904L rolex you could buy an 18k solid gold star supply submariner case and have an even better corrosion resistant "Rolex submariner."

 

The only 904 rolex watches I might have owned were approx 2010 14000M/14010M Air Kings and none of them showed any signs of corrosion.  Really do not know for sure if they were 904 or not.  I have seen a lot of corroded genuine 316 rolex cases though.  A lot more than I would have expected to see when I was a budding rlx fanboy in the early 1970s. 

I thought they were bulletproof back than.  I no longer believe that.

 

Sorta off topic...

Way back when gold was much more affordable, I gathered up quite a few 14k and 18k watches including a few rlx models.  Not one of them had any corrosion at all other than collecting a mild blemish that sometimes appears when stored.  What really surprised me was how good the overall case condition was on almost all of them.  Some were 50+ years old when I got them and the dials, crowns etc showed it but the cases were mostly in good shape.  I doubt many owners would abuse a gold watch but the condition still surprised me.  It turned out (in my experience) that gold watches are quite a bit more rugged than I would have suspected when I started out.  Gold watches are good for everyday wear as long as you remember what you have on your wrist. 

Otoh I have seen a large number of badly worn gold bracelets of all brands.

 

Btw...in 2001 an 18k ST DJ case was a little over $800 and a submariner case was about $1200.  I bought a DJ case for a 3035 but never got a submariner case.  Now they are almost 4X that much.

 

 

Gold is a fantastic material for watch cases and plat is even better lol  I just cant get into wearing a gold watch I feel really odd lol   If I could get a white gold watch case that isn't $35grand id be all over it as a daily watch :P

19 hours ago, Mike on a bike said:

And the Seiko and Citizen specs:

 

That's a pretty cool chart ! I love seeing things like this. works perfect as a quick reference for people trying to understand subjects.

6 minutes ago, swdivad said:

I think Sinn's 'submarine steel' is much more significant for its purpose than 904L

again another marketing ploy, however one which carries a lot of weight. Tegimentation of stainless steel while does not effect the corrosion properties does effect its resistance to damage of all forms. Tegimentation is a process of surface hardening alloys to become very very resistant to scratches and dents. In the case of SINN they take a 316L with a vickers hardness of about 250 and bring it up to 1200+ Vickers which is insanely hard!  its a very impressive tech and for those who complain about scratches these are the watches for you lol