seriph

I want one but not when the caseback has such horrendous spelling errors - if a gen CB was available for reasonable money the timepiece would be a worthy project IMHO - been waiting for several years now and all I have to show for it is a 100% gen box (inner and outer) with all papers.

stunning

And of course, depending where you live, you could possibly get a 911 for a reasonable outlay

Audi trumps BMW for me each time. I have always preferred Porsches and Audis over beema's

Oh and the best car I have ever owned was a white audi A4 Motorsport, built by Porsche Cars Australia. Bilsteen coil overs. Serious swaybars. Brembo 6 pots. BBS 19's, a great body kit and of course every factory accessory. It wasn't an 'S' or 'RS' but it was stunning. When my PC is working again I will post a couple of pics.

We traded the wife's beetle on a Hyundai IX35. It may be called by other names in different markets but I gave to say that as far as creature comforts, value and peace of mind, the thing is brilliant. I am traditionally porsche or MB so this was a huge departure and I and the wife are absolutely loving it

I joined the airforce because of the Apollo program - one day I will build or buy a speedie ... but will go with one that predates AP11 as I feel it is a little cheesy having the stuff about the moon on the timepiece itself. ALL THAT SAID!!!!! ... I LOVE the work done here by the OP - it is superb and the watches themselves are truly things of real beauty.

Looks like he served to protect your nation during a time of conflict. If so please thank your dad for his service from an Aussie lad.

I designed and made this one but estimate it "could" be reproduced for around $4500AUD - now before the tirade begins that I place an insanely high value on my work etc. etc. let me explain where the money goes: the materials alone were over $1600 (Australian Cedar) Design time was around 2 days including refinements to ensure a complimentary scale was achieved and all proportions were "of the period" Actual making time was around 8 days, including phone calls and the time required for travel to and from a timber merchant So, accounting for those factors it works out to a labour rate of just over $36 per hour. Not moaning about that at all, but I understand that many people compare handmade pieces made in a developed country with stuff they can get cheap from Asia. Hopefully people 'get' that this is another thing altogether. BTW I priced a one-off version of this made from Mahogany in Indonesia - I was quoted $2200+ delivery which seemed OK but I would not only have to still draw the thing, I would have to make sure all dimensions were 1000000000% perfect before sending it off AND provide an additional set of 'working drawings' which provide exhaustive details about how it had to be made - that would have taken me around a week ... note too that this is just for the upper section ... the lower is an original Victorian piece from the late 1800's. They can be found for around $600. Cheers

Here is the Parker 'pen' I mentioned:

http://www.montblanc.com/en-us/shop/writing-instruments/browse.aspx

You're a hundred percent right if you compare the pens I buy with the entry-level model in MB's range.... but the gens of my models are thousands of dollars not hundreds. The Gandhi pen is a round $3500 and relatively rare due to issues around its big brother which was $30K ... seems the Indian government thought its price was at odds with what Gandhi stood for The Pope Julius pen is around $5000 if you can get one Marlena Dietrich $4800 and so on... A basic MB black pen is cheap, but for a vastly different market. Being a collector/fan of all brands of fine pens, there are most certainly some awesome ones available for reasonable money ... for people wishing to enjoy using a fine writing instrument that won't break the bank, buying and restoring a vintage fountain pen is a fun thing to do - the fountain pen network members buy and sell some stunners. Parker has a pen you can buy for $49 and one you can't get for under $15,000 - the brand is not one I consider high-end in reputation, but their up market stuff is breathtaking - but then, so is their new, very innovative 'replica' fountain pen, which looks like an FP but is an RB. It's around $200 and really quite beautiful.

This is one of the combos I like to wear (photo of actual items) And another

Old thread I know, but still relevant to many fellas - being in Melbourne Australia, there is a killer retro store in Melbourne Central that sells bespoke and off the rack "swing era" clothing. Their ties and shirts are the best I've seen and their suits are unique to the point that when wearing them, I have men and women ask where I buy my clothes from - granted that was ten years ago but it'd still apply apart from my ever growing girth One thing I grew to understand when working purely in the commercial world was: Be your own brand. This doesn't mean you don't buy great branded product .... just that a person really benefits from exploring and discovering the best look for them and going with it These days I wear suits rarely, but for example I have a stunning grey one, with a mauve and turquoise stripe - all hand made, hand ticking and a lot of additional detailing like the buttons on the cuffs actually undo ... also the thread on the last cuff button is turquoise - I wear this to important meetings or functions and accessorise it with my Audemars Piguet Montauk Highway (the inspiration for the suit) real turquoise cufflinks and (usually) a Montblanc Mark Twain ballpoint, or Montblanc Gandhi rolling ball pen. I bought several ties to compliment the whole affair and a couple of crisp white shirts. I wear black narrow square-toed slip ons or lace ups in the same style. I also have a brown combo when I am going retro and want to stand out For day to day consulting work I wear slacks in either dark grey, tan, black or a mid-blue. Then I accessorise. I own maybe a dozen vests which I love wearing ... most vintage chosen for effect. I have changed the buttons on the suit vests to tailor them away from looking like I grabbed one third of my suit and threw it on ... and my ties .... well here we enter fun territory! Five drawers of ties, kept in a custom cabinet I made last Christmas. Bottom drawer are the money ties - Burberry would be the lowest grade brand in there -- Gaultier, Fornasetti, Westwood, Zegna, Versace etc.The other four drawers are full of ties that I saw and immediately loved. BTW I am 54 not 24 .... these are a collection spanning many years. Oh, and the majority of the ties came from Op Shops ... Thrift Shops ... some may call them OXFAM shops. Including the top shelf ones. I call this "Dressing like you mean it" but then, I am a dill Finally I just want to bore you with one more of my silly insights - SHOES MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing looks worse than a guy dressed nicely with garbage, worn down, dirty shoes.

All of these were under $100 ... bought over time from a range of suppliers.

Last one: Gen Jules Verne - promo shot Rep Jules Verne (version two ... version one was poor

Gen Mark Twain Rep Mark Twain

Rep Thomas Mann Rep Pope Julius

Gen George Bernard Shaw pen reps

NOTE: None are 1:1 perfect, but these are all as close as you can get .... they aren't $20 jobs.

There are a number of high quality rep MB pens out there - I only deal with one seller now and have posted my findings extensively on other forums. here are some pics of my pens

Your work never s=ceases to blow me away! This is an old thread I know, but if I could get one of those tan hornbacks (for AP deployment) from my Montauk Highway I would love it. If it can be done with turquoise thread that would not only be a big plus for me, it'd remove my need to add it after.

Love mine too .... obsessing over strap choices - am leaning most toward hornback but Cayman is yummy too ... even saw a blue hornback but I was too scared to try it in the hope of getting it right .... get that colour match wrong, and it'd look like crap! Ordered some turquoise leather today to see if I want to use it in the watch box I am making for mine ...

exactly - I love the watch - don't care who likes it or not ... the supplied strap is bearable but I just know it is going to fail and it feels of poor quality - these look brilliant and are VERY hand made. Genuines are around a grand USED and for me, that's what I'd spend on a high-end franken, not a strap.

I know what you mean Legend .... for me, I think the more rugged look suits the Montauk Highway. Of course these may not be to the same standard as a genuine - they're one-offs! From memory HKTAN was offering these for $269 which a lot of people would stop at I guess - when I have the money for a strap of this calibre I will be getting in touch .... it is worth it to me as I will be keeping my Monty for life. Even making a custom box for it IF I ever get the time to finish it!