Mendota Explorer

Very nice pic @pam007. The first thing I notice is the nice crystal and crown.

^ Gorgeous!

You are definitely doing something right because people are struggling on the other boards to capture the essence of that dial's finish. There are a few gen owners out there but none of the wristies have been very good. You definitely nailed it with this pic. If someone could send the new rep over to you for a side by side comparison, your pics would be amazing.

^ Thanks @Dhistory! I recently ordered some WSO 580 endlinks and new gen-spec springbars for it. The WSO endlinks should fit better than my Puretime ones do, and I'm hoping the new springbars will also be a better overall fit with the watch and bracelet. The Yuki bars were inexpensive (only $4 or $5 shipped) and I just feel like they might be a little on the cheap side. I don't have a caliper, but I think they might be slightly on the shorter side because the springs have very weak tension. The new ones are supposed to be a much closer to gen bar and very strong spring tension. The caliper measurements are identical to gen bars.

Nice looking piece, my friend. It seems to be coming together nicely. So does that mean that you just screwed the crown on to take these pics but there is currently no stem attached to it? I would think someone here will have some great advice for you. This is really looking nice.

Wow. I hope you find the courage and strength to keep it all together during this difficult time. Godspeed, brother. Sending thoughts and prayers your way.

@cc33 - g#ddamn! That is an amazing pic. I just downloaded it to send over to Dazza to see if he can help me make my dial look halfway as decent as yours. @dbane883 - I believe this is the best photo I have ever seen ANYWHERE of the new SD4000. Seriously, this captures the essence of the watch and dial like no other pic online has.

Great to know that. Thanks for the info. I wonder if there is a better quality option that is still inexpensive?

^ That one looks nice - so does the 16mm. The 18mm Yuki looks like a mentally disabled chimpanzee assembled it.

Here's the link to the Taiwanese one. This is the wrong size but they have tons of different ones available. Just look at their listings. http://m.ebay.com/itm/like/251825329336?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%253A80%252Frover%252F1%252F711-117182-37290-0%252F2%253Fmtid%253D1588%2526kwid%253D1%2526crlp%253D53601919689_324272%2526itemid%253D251825329336%2526targetid%253D87946121169%2526rpc%253D0.19%2526rpc_upld_id%253D45419%2526rlsatarget%253D%2526device%253Dm%2526mpre%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fitm%25252Flike%25252F251825329336%25253Flpid%25253D82%252526chn%25253Dps%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526gclid%253DCKir1eHAtMQCFZCIaQodKgIAiw%2526srcrot%253D711-117182-37290-0&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%3A80%2Frover%2F1%2F711-117182-37290-0%2F2%3Fmtid%3D1588%26kwid%3D1%26crlp%3D53601919689_324272%26itemid%3D251825329336%26targetid%3D87946121169%26rpc%3D0.19%26rpc_upld_id%3D45419%26rlsatarget%3D%26device%3Dm%26mpre%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fitm%252Flike%252F251825329336%253Flpid%253D82%2526chn%253Dps%26adtype%3Dpla%26gclid%3DCKir1eHAtMQCFZCIaQodKgIAiw%26srcrot%3D711-117182-37290-0

I did aGoogle search a few weeks ago and the first one that appeared was a seller on ebay that has all sizes for $14. They are located in Taiwan. They look nice. Both steel or plated. Yuki also sells an 18mm but that one is more. The quality is unknown because Yuki's picture makes it look all mangled and crappy. Seriously, in the photo it looks like a toddler made it.

This is one of the best pics of it yet! [emoji106]

For sure. It's a Rolex, not a Timex. You can walk into any AD, anywhere in the world, and they will even polish your watch for you on the spot! Just an example. With polished center links you get free lifetime polishings. Stuff like this that is nitpicky crap, you bet they'll help you out.

Cool! Looking forward to seeing what you can do with this.

You got it! I hear it is a beautiful city. [emoji2]

@dbane883 - great pic. You can really see the gilt in that angle. @cc33 - gorgeous pics. I'm loving every single one you post. I wish you lived by me so I could personally see and handle every piece in your collection.

^ Wow! That is beautiful! What is the year approximately? I want to get a circa 1972 red as a birth year watch someday. Yours is stunning. Seriously, it is gorgeous. I would love to see more pics of it. I'll PM you. I'd like to use yours as my inspiration for continuing to mod my red PT 1680. The color of your markers is perfect.

@cc33 - Your pic won't load! It says the image is not available anymore. Did you blow through your quota from all of the gawkers here? [emoji2] What did you get and can you post another pic? Happy May Day, fellas!

Very sorry to read this. Hope you are able to find peace with it.