Raijor

I simply do not believe any hype coming from sellers of reps. They can say whatever they want no rep will be the "ultimate. It can be very good but that is about as far as it goes. If people do fall for this hype they deserve what what they get. Shame on the dealer for fooling them the first time but shame on the buyer for falling for it a second time.

RG Ferrari on Tuesday

Oh, if we can mention that kind of series, I'm in!

I watch:

Mythbusters

Dirty Jobs

No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain

Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern

Man V. Wild (he still drank cow dung and slept inside camels' entrails, okay)

And though I don't watch the Food Network regularly, I love Giada de Laurentiis.

I have never watched one seconds' worth of Survivor, Big Brother and any of that tosh.

I must have had a brain freeze to forget Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and another two others i have been watching called Pros vs Joes and Survivor man. Survivor man stars an fellow Canuck named Les Stroud and he gets dropped off in the wilderness (Amazon rain forest, Arctic, Louisiana Bayou, Rocky Mountains, Arizona desert and the like) around the world for a week with only his Swiss Army knife and one or two other things and he must make do and survive. He has to make fire with out any thing brought with him and he does not bring food either.

Loafers without shoes is a great look. Seriously, Miami Vice is not a TV show, it's a way of life...a state of mind.

Anyone know what watch Crockett wore? I think it was an Ebel Chrono with an El Primero movement. For years I thought it was a gold Daytona.

I am dating myself with this but it was the Ebel Chronograph. Tubbs wore some Jewelery type gold watch.

Here is the best photo of it I could find on the net.

I received DVD's of the whole 3 years of the black and white TV Series Adventures in Paradise for Xmas form my family. I have been enjoying this step back in time to the very early days of television before I was born. My children know me well as an armchair adventurer and this series has the exotic backdrop of Tahiti and the south Pacific Ocean on the 85 ft schooner Tiki. The series was created by Jame Michner, produced by Dominick Dunne and starred Gardner McKay. Great scenery and some good laughs and always a happy ending sorted out by the hero.

Last year they gave me a season of "Sea Hunt" also in black and white starring Lloyd Bridges as professional scuba diver Mike Nelson

For more information on the series here is a link to one of many web sites devoted to it.

Adventures in Paradise and Captain Troy

A very underrated film IMO. This was one of the movies I grew up on and have liked it ever since A blend of action, comedy and fantasy, plus John Carpenter's directing is spot on.

This movie is a lot of fun.

Last movie I watched at the theater was I am Legend. Great CGI creatures and wonderful backdrop of a Manhattan wasteland. The rest of the movie just did not work for me. It was a combination of the writing and Will Smith trying to be Marlon Brando. They should have let the story go and had fun with the special effects rather than making this a character driven movie. The special effects sequences of this movie are fantastic and more would have made it better.

The last movie I watched on DVD was Kingdom of Heaven directed by Ridley Scott. An Historical fiction that is more fiction and is set against the backdrop of Jerusalem and the Crusades. It is well acted and is a story and character driven movie. The directors cut provides an extra half hour of story that fills in the blanks missing from the theatrical version and Eva Green who plays Sybilla is really easy on the eyes. All the main characters are based on real people form that time though their stories in the movie are not. Great story, great acting and a great escape.

I see - I like - I buy. This is a very poor system if you like your money in your pocket. I do not recommend it to anybody who wants to save a few bucks. If you want to spread the cash around it is a very good system.

Gold Breitling on Monday

My cross and chain with an 8 reale coin minted using silver from the wreck of the Atocha and my dragon ring. I like jewelery that is unique and not commonly seen.

Here is my rose gold color Ferrari and my 18k rose gold and white gold family ring (the one on the lower right. The one on the lower left is yellow and white gold. The color match is spot on. I still do not know what the Ferrari is plated with ... Gold OR Copper? Anybody know?

I have a few rings I wear on a regular basis along with my wedding band but do not wear them all the. Only one ring and my wedding band at any one time. My wife gave me a cross ring for our first anniversary and I will wear it instead of my wedding band on occasion. I have a family crest ring in rose and white gold that I usually wear on my right hand and a world series ring that is an occasional wearer. It has real bling. In the summer I rarely wear a ring as I am out golfing or at the lake playing and a ring just does work. I have a few other rings but they just sit in a box. I am into hats and wear one every day. Akubra is my hat of choice. They come from AUS. I have been wearing one for years. I spend a lot of time out doors and it keeps my pot warm in winter and the sun off me in summer. I also carry a pocket knife ... a very useful item to have around.

It looks like the vast majority of bidders have under 10 feedback with 3 and 5 for a couple of bidders. I am thinking shills. There was a bidder with 250 feedback but he stopped at 80. He likely had an idea of its worth. If they were legit bidders I feel no sympathy for them and being stupid is not against the law.

You can take me at my word when I say that if the watch had had a problem it would have been reviewed and the problem mentioned.

I believe this to be true because it been the pattern of behavior I have witnessed from Pugwash on this and other forums. I have not always agreed with what he has had to say but I can say I have witnessed a consistent pattern of him calling it like he sees it. Consistency of behavior should count for something. It does for me.

I've been very open about the whole thing and still think I have done nothing wrong.

I agree and feel that nothing wrong has been done. Full disclosure has been made and that is sufficient. Nothing more need be done.

.... The person giving the review feels OBLIGATED TO MENTION ONLY THE GOOD STUFF....even if he is reviewing a watch that he does not like....

Again:

Do you know this to be true or is it something you believe to be true? There is a significant difference between the two and you should be very clear in what you are saying. It is a matter of fair play.

I am of the opinion that all reviewers are biased and all reviews they write reflect their biases. That is what I believe not what I know. Consequently, when I read a review I keep that in mind and take from it the things I want.

Furthermore, I also agree that if the watch had a problem he would have never disclosed it under these circumstances.

Do you know this to be true or is it something you believe to be true? There is a significant difference between the two and you should be very clear in what you are saying. Saying "... if the watch had a problem he would have never disclosed it under these circumstances. ..." should be substantiated and if can not be somehow supported it should be qualified as your opinion only and that you have no evidence to support this claim. It is a matter of fair play.

I am of the opinion that all reviewers are biased and all reviews they write reflect their biases. That is what I believe not what I know. Consequently, when I read a review I keep that in mind and take from it the things I want.

Whatever you do, DO NOT fake any documents, or ask your dealer to do it.

This is very important. This could lead to turning a minor thing into a major thing. Good luck wit this.

I would give it a try. Unless they are able to link it to a financial transaction from you to the sender, they have no reason to hold it further (except for the fact it's a rep of course...but thats a different cup of tea). Remember that the risk that they will use time investigating a small matter like this is minimal, on the other hand never underestimate them when they have started to be curious. Be prepared to answer additional questions when you contact them.

By the way, I found info that the Customs Information System was approved for implementation by your government a few years back, so it's probably operational now. To what extent financial transactions are useable in CIS with a certain level of accuracy depends on how well your banking and other payment systems are developed with respect to data interchange (with authorities) and transparency. For most countries, money in an envelope is now the only non-traceable payment method for amateurs like us

Good luck !

I have never heard of Customs Information System before your post on it. Can you provide more information on where I my discover if Canada is on the system? I am curious. Thank you

I was influenced by the review. Before reading the review the watch was just an interesting oddity to me. I had read about the gen in a watch magazine and felt no real interest in it. When I first was made aware of the rep I felt it looked different in a gimmicky sort of way. After reading the review the watch became more interesting to the point that I am interested in what it may have to offer me as a potential rep purchase. Now, I am still a ways from actually buying this rep but my feelings toward it have been moved. Time for more research on my part.

The reason for my change in opinion has to do with the quality of the review and by the person who reviewed it. It was a good review. It presented the watch to me in ways that answered questions in the narrative and the photos and moved me to think.

Since joining this forum I have come to know Pugwash as a person of strong opinions and as someone willing to share them. He is a talented photographer and has a broad base of knowledge on many subjects. I do not agree with all he has to say all the time but have found him to be fair minded. To me the issue is a non-issue. I am only posting in this thread because I want to make my opinion known. I do not care if a reviewer receives the watch in return for writing a review or for posting photos or writes a review of a watch they have paid for. Everybody has their own set of biases that they start out with irrespective of the circumstances behind how they acquired the watch. Thus, I look for value in the form of what can I learn when reading any watch review.

Well... It can also be gold coloured PVD. It looks really close to gold plating and can last much longer than stated above.

A few examples: RG St Exupery and HBB Rose Gold bezel. Both hold out really well. I would not hesitate buying modern gold plated watch (in PVD). TTK talked about this on Panerai Ferrari too.

I have the St Exupery and the Ferrari and they look good. I have a 14k rose gold wedding band and an 18k rose gold family crest ring and both watches are spot on matches to my rings. Also, I have banged the St Exupery against a chromed car door handle quite hard and the PVD withstood that. Whether actual rose gold plated or PVD I believe the human eye can not distinguish the difference. I will post some photos tonight of my rings and watches for comparison.

Have your dealer make the receipt referring to the watch as a "Novelty Watch"

IWC St Exupery on Friday and Saturday still open

I have a friend on his way there right now. He left Canada last night. What a rough way to start a holiday.

When you open a book, by Cicero, by Aristotle, by Freud, by Marie Curie, by anyone -- those who have been dead for thousands of years, live again. Their words, their thoughts, their prejudices. All come alive.

Similarly writing, even on the internet, allows future generations to know you forever.

I agree wholeheartedly. Reading creates a relationship between writer and reader irrespective of the difference in time in which they live.

My son is only 10 years old now and I hope I am still here when he is a father and has his own children. But if that is not the case I will still be able to share with his children the bedtime stories I told him when he was little because I taped them on a digital recorder as I told them to Jared . They are the ongoing adventures of a young boy (of course) who finds himself in the middle of grand adventures full of perils and great rewards that he must work his way through without the help of the grown ups around him. At some point I will put them into text form.

Ain't that crazy.....but climbers have a different mentality! I guess it's the same as with any pursuit.......people think we're crazy for having so many watches that looks almost the same!!!

BTW: It's $80,000.00 now to climb Everest.......there goes my chance!!!! Maybe I should start buying Lotto tickets......the scary part is.......I win, went up Everest......and don't come down! What an irony!!!

Your straps are on their way, my friend!!!

I put wreck divers and cave divers in the same group too. They are driven by something I can not fully understand. I think that is why I am still here. You may want to locate a copy of The LAST DIVE A Father and Son's Fatal Decent into the Oceans Depths written by Bernie Chowdhury It tells the story of a father and son's obsession to be the first to discover the identity of a German U- boat sunken in 230 feet of water off the New York coast.