Finepics

your kidding - can't they even get that right

I see Paul has posted pics of some rather cool drink mats. Just wondering if the other dealers will get these in stock?

I am still offering the service but cannot really cut a deal as such as I get them done at a fixed price regardless of quantity although I could work a small discount. The price I charge is £45 GBP so it might not be so great for you guys in the US and especially when you include the shipping fees back and forth (that includes shipping from my end). No problems with stuff getting here and back as there are no customs issues to worry about. If you want to go ahead with it I suggest that it's better for you to send me the crystal only or at best the case/crystal only as I'm not wanting to start taking apart a load of watches as I really don't have the time to do it.

I am genuinely touched by all the kind words you guy's have said - this forum has been a life changing experience for me and one that I have absolutely no regrets about. Rob - thanks for you words particularly as I know you know what it's like!! One thing that will be nice is to watch some of the pile of movies I have on DVD before they go out of date!!

Here's mine again:

Si Si!!!

real or rep?

Just noticed that and the av looked familiar!! I will let you all into a small secret - there is a remote possibilty that a correct CG for these might - I say might - be being worked on at some point in the near future. Not promising anything yet but let's keep our fingers crossed!!

Very nice find indeed - and only your 3rd post!! Thanks. These dials were engraved, not a sandwich, and the lume was applied in the floor and the sides of the engraved channel.

Guys - I'm very touched by your support and comments. I have never before felt that I have so many friends and I have met several of you now and have friends in countries that I could never have imagined - that for me is worth more than a watch (rep or gen). As I siad I am not leaving the boards at all and will continue to post and answer questions - I just need a bit more time for myself and my own projects at a leisurely pace. Now where did I put that Angelus!!!

Sorry for my double post there!!

I'm not leaving the board and still hope to contibute to the knowledge bank, just taking a rest from the actual work for a while (and this is really from the New year onward). You can't get rid of me entirely!! Thanks for the nice comments fellas.

Want to see a really cool commuter bike (British design at it's best) then checkout http://www.strida.com/ - hope to get one of these for my christmas present!!

Want to see a really cool commuter bike (British design at it's best) then checkout www.strida.co.uk - hope to get one of these for my christmas present!!

Guys - I do not want a flood of PM's or posts of sympathy but I am announcing my retirement from the upgrading game for a while. I have been making mistakes lately as my eyesight is beginning to suffer from wearing loupes for 16 hours a day (I have to wear them in my day job as well as doing this) and I just cannot afford to make any more errors. I get so many PM's and emails that it is difficult enough finding the time to answer them (which can take hours) let alone do any work. I am really exhausted from so many late nights as it has taken over my whole life lately so that I almost have no time anymore for my GF or myself - I get up at 7am, go to work at 7.45am, start work at 9am, finish at 6pm, get home at 7pm, have dinner and spend an hour with my GF then work on watches until 2am - so I am routinely only getting 4 or 5 hours sleep a night and very very little leisure time. Enough is enough. This means that I will honour all my agreements with members who have already arranged things with me but I will not be taking on any new work from the new year on a regular basis. I am happy to do one or two re-lumes a month as this only ever started out as a hobby and I think it's better if I keep it that way as I am getting to the stage where what was a hobby has now become a fulltime job and I am beginning to get sick of the sight of watches which is removing my enjoyment of them. My other worry is that the Inland revenue might start to demand income tax from me. I will continue my work on the datewheels, PVD and AR coats but that's it for the time being and by all means ask me to do something but do not be disappointed if my reply is NO. My final comment on this is that a rep is just that - a rep. Some of you seem to expect perfection when a relume is done. It will never be perfect as the lume is hand applied unlike the gen which is machine applied. The finish will never be perfect under a loupe but will be fine with the naked eye - so set your sights and expectations a little lower please chaps.

I am making the datewheels but they will be a little while yet. Davidsens hands are incorrect in length and the GMT hand has a pointer that is too big. I have told him about this but it seems that they will not be changed so really the only way to get them perfect is to spend the $200 on the gen hands!!!

Superb - well done.

Notice how in the handwind section they don't show the bridge plates of the movts!!! So as ETA don't get the hump!!!

There is a lot of confusion with movt numbers in the early Panerais, In fact the PAM 23, 29 and 63 is stated as fitted with an ETA 2893. The PAM 27,28 and 57 have a 9040 (which indicates the soprod pwr res device) and the only pwr res to have an OP number movt is the PAM 124 which has an OP1X which is a movt based on the Valjoux 7750.

Oooh I say - a little harsh!! You will find that Seagull movts are made by the Tianjin Watch factory in Tianjin China. They are a very old and famous company who recently exhibited their new Tourbillon movet (much to the chagrin of the Swiss) at a recent industry show in Baselworld. They have supplied watches for the domestic Chinese market for many years. Seagull is one of their trading names. You can check em out here but nothing in English so hope you can all read mandarin: http://www.zhonghuawatch.com/

Soon as I got my vintage strap I was bending and twisting it to crease it up more!!

Hey Buddy!! I hope you've recovered now!!! Pleasure was all mine as you seem to have a very English sense of humour (and that is a high compliment indeed). I certainly am beginning to get a lot more pleasure from the vintage stuff as I do the normal watches. Not being so popular means we still have some degree of exclusivity about them especially as they are all one offs.

Not quite right there. The originals were Tritium which glowed by itself but will have weakened due to their age. The caseback you see on mine is what used to come on the 005 at one time which was wrong of course. The dial in mine I have heavily modified as a sandwich dial is totally wrong as well. The 201A dials were engraved with the markers them filled with lume and a varnish applied over the whole thing. It is the reaction between the varnish and Tritum that makes the markers go dark.

These dials are not lumed at all. Nice to see that the CG lever shape has improved. I have one of these dials that I have superlumed and cut down to fit a standard rep case (Davidsens cases are different in size) for sale over in the parts section. This is my 5218 that uses the older Davidsen sandwich type dial that has the markers filled with lume. The logo is not quite the right shape and the lettering is not quite bold enough white but crucially the 2 in 12 is the right shape and is also the regular rep case.

When you remove the caseback there is a very small button that is very close to where the stem enters the movt. Just lightly press this to relase the stem.