bamcky2k

cheers offshore, a mark on the barcode is a possability after reading that-but to confirm something-there is only one parcel! and it was destined to the uk... it left china 10 days ago and came up as "handed over" on parcelforce-but instead of arriving in the uk it turned up in the usa (i track my parcels regular until they arrive, never had one been scanned in usa before though....they have always arrived from china direct to the uk...). i just hope my friends right and that its just on route to the uk via a different route than usual...as ive contacted the dealer about it and got a less than helpful response in all honesty "use the qc pic tracking number, it is correct"...hmmmmm i was ok about it yesterday but the more im reading online and the more im thinking about it the more nervous im getting...i was all ready to place yet another order on tuesday, but think il hold off until this is sorted!

cheers buddy, i mod my gen watches just as much as my reps

im sporting my gen longines hydroconquest today...modded with plongeur hands and mesh...

heres an update...its now "in transit" from new york in america.hmmm heres the facts: 1, the tracking number is correct, and printed clear with barcode and correctly filled out postal slip in regards to address as shown in qc pics 2, parcel is clearly marked "uk" 3, tracking number works fine on both ems and parcelforce 4, parcelforce shows as "handed over, forwarded for export" this hasnt changed for over 10 days 5, before ems site went down it was tracked at new york isc as "international express mail-forwarded through sort facility" 6, a member suggested i try the tracking on usps.com-it worked and stated the carrier was now usps 7, the tracking still shows on parcelforce as handed over 8, the watch is from one of the trusted dealers on here and ive ordered numerous times from him before untill ems is up and running again i cant tarck it direct through them to see if its a glitch or not...and parcelforce are off work it would seem until tuesday (well it is new years day!). luckily though i have a friend who works regular with parcelforce and various carriers in the uk, he said handed over meens they have been informed of the parcel but it hasnt arrived in the uk yet...as for arriving at usa he said the tracking doesnt state "handed over to customs" etc, so hes pretty sure its just been offloaded from one plane to another on route to the uk...and scanned for its progress, the fact its now "in transit" should indicate its on route to uk as tracking hasnt been updated for almost 2 days... if anyone else has any other ideas though please chime in! out of what? 20-25 odd reps ive ordered over the past few years this is the first time anything like this has happend!

in genuine watch terms its always cheaper to buy on bracelet and get the rubber strap after, rep metal/rubber straps are pretty much same price from my experiance though bond in casino royale does indeed wear the blue seamaster pro for the end scenes, but for most of the film its the 45mm black planet ocean on rubber strap, in quantum of solace he wears the black 42mm planet ocean on bracelet-it was brosnan' bond that wore the blue seamaster exclusivley. as for a good rep of the seamaster pro there really aint any that are spot on...however there are a few that are more than acceptable...if you search the omega area on here a member did a comparison of a $110 version to gen and in all honesty it does look pretty good if you want the look...remember too that a good example of an genuine blue seamaster on the second hand market can be had for very little money, some quartz versions for as little as 500 quid and autos for around 650 to 800 quid if you look in the right places...as you can pick up second hand gens relativley easy and cheap im guessing thats why theres no high end rep...

Thanks ken, but if you read the whole thread you'll see that I'm in the uk expecting the parcel from china as usual, the tracking number is as written on the package from the qc pics, and the address matches mine perfectly...its only when I tracked it last night on ems before the site went down down that it stated it was at new york in americas-not the uk...and that it was being handled by usps. Another member then suggested I try tracking it via usps.com and yup, it was on their system...but it should have arrived in the uk.all the while though its still showing on parcelforce as "handed over-left origin country, forwarded for export" so parcelforce were aware of it...that's why it was a shock that it came up as america on ems...

i could possibly understand if UK has been read as US if it was rushed through and put on the wrong plane/sack/pallet whatever...but surely then parcelforce would have no record of it...but they have...and when it got to america i would imagine they would notice it and possibly either return to sender or would they forward it to the uk??...i have emailed the seller but got a less than helpful response...and parcelforce/ems need the seller to contact them if it has been sent to the wrong country to have rerouted-the buyer cant for security purpouses...funny thing is the parcel isnt lost as such-just in the wrong country right now hehe id be more concerned if it wasnt showing up anywhere atall...still concerned abit though cos i want my watch!

qc pics show my exact address on the package AND the tracking number on the package....its that number which is not only showing up on ems and usps as in the united states, but it also works on parcelforce tracking in the uk and shows as "handed over" last tracked at china...parcelforce were expecting it, but its been tracked in the US...every other parcel has come direct to uk...but to confirm the tracking number is spot on and is shown on the package with my address and "uk" written clear on the posting slip.... gonna give it another 24hrs or until its tracked next and go from there...this is a very odd one though!

yup! it works on usps tracking...says the carrier is now us postal service and its "in transit to destination" ummmmmm

i have seen this version on a few sites...but they are very poor sites and indeed so is the rep...if you want a bond watch why not go for the the black 45mm ultimate planet ocean on rubber strap or the 42mm on bracelet? both have been worn by bond in the latest films and both are fantastic reps that you will not be dissapointed with...

agreed, its simple-as long as you know what your doing...for somebody who has never done it before its a bit of a task...remove caseback, undo and remove the 3 movement holder screws, remove winding stem/crown, drop out movement, remove hands, resit them in correct position (remember to tick date over and resit hands at 12 so the date changes at 12...) then re-assemble everything in reverse order...you will need hand removal tools and dial protector too to avoid scratches etc...it is pretty easy with the right tools and know how...perhaps it maybe a better option to take it to a local watch repair guy/market stall etc and have it done-i wouldnt think it would cost much...but then you have to find a person who will work on a rep watch...

yea the tracking is fine, and the qc pics also show the correct address-its just taking a scenic route! the tracking also works on the parcelforce website in the uk-which currently says "handed over" lol, its on the ems site that it tracked as in america yesterday-before the site went down...this watch will have seen more of the world than me im guessing either its just on route and stopped over in the usa, or it was packed onto the wrong plane...in any case its faceing a much longer journey to get to me! luckily i have other projects on the go right now to keep me occupied or id be glued to the laptop tracking it ever hour!

i've purchased a few times from puretime...the watches i recieved were OK, although one or two had loose fitting bezels that needed sorting and another had a long scratch that wasnt clear in the qc pic-nothing some wet/dry paper didnt sort though...as for comms i once had an email convo with nikki so quick it was like we were texting or on msn, and the problem i had was sorted there and then...imho they aint the best, but definatley nowhere near the worst!

eventually i decided on rebuilding my orange franken into the standard black watch, new gen dial with white numerals and black bezel is on its way it will be a totally new looking watch and should rekindle my love for the xl PO again. the parts im swapping out will be listed on the bay pretty soon, but i will post here well before that to see if any members are interested first.cheers guys!

of all the watches ive ever purchased and had sent by ems they have always arrived in the uk around 3 to 4 days later...and after tracking them they always show up in coventry sorting office in the uk...so imagine my giggles when ive been tracking my latest purchase for over 6 days and instead of arriving in the uk its last tracked at new york in america and is now being passed through the united states postal service...it should be parcelforce in the uk! has this happend to anybody else where a parcel has taken rather a large detour?? it would also help if the ems tracking was working...the site is down right now grrr

I have had the 45 for well over 18months, 12 of which its been frankened-the orange was always a dream watchand had to be the xl version...I now also have the 42mm with black bezel plus an orange bezel to change when I like...and like I said its on my wrist almost daily...I'm really torn between passing on my 1st ever franken seeing as I wear the smaller version more or keeping it incase I suddenly grow to like big watches again...I suppose the funds could get me another watch or 2...but from all the watches I've ever bought and sold without thinking this one has a hold on me!

gen dial and hands fit my 45mm planet ocean franken with asain eta 2824-2 with very little probs...i did have to make the center holes ever so slightly bigger tho, im talking a fraction of a mm, to make them fit and sit right.

thanks guys, had a feeling the general concensus would be to put it away and grow to love it again in the future! theres one thing im very tempted to do though...i dont think its the watch im tired of-i think its the colour...i also have the 42mm PO with black bezel/orange numbers (plus a spare orange bezel for when the mood takes me) which is on my wrist 4 days out of 7, so my idea is to re-frankenize my franken i think i'll remove the gen orange bezel and dial and replace with the black bezel/white number dial option...i have a rep black bezel anyway and would buy another gen dial with white numbers-i could then recoup some of the cost by selling the orange bezel and dial...i also have a gen eta 2824-2 to drop in too, so could pass on the asian clone 2824 and get a bit more cash back...possibly i could totally change the look for very little cost overall... but can i actually be bothered doing it!

hmmmm, my franken 45...i love it, i really do-so why the urge recently to sell it on...hmmm indeed. i dunno, for months i've been wearing my 42mm watches, and my 45 has been sat away, pretty much begging me to wear it, yet when i do its just starting to bug me-like when a girlfriend wants you more than you want them...ha! but its just not doing it for me anymore...maybe its me getting older and not wanting something so loud on my wrist anymore...meh, i dunno, so what do you guys think? leave it locked away in the hope i may re-discover it in a few months? let somebody else enjoy/use it? or break the franken up and flog the parts? what to do, what to do??

if your happy with the piece go for it buddy the lume markers do look soooo much better on this one! yes the pearl is ever so slightly off center but i could live with it, you can get aftermarket bezel inserts off ebay for as little as $15 with nice pearls anyway if you wanted to. -1 sec a day is pretty damn spot on for the timing! mine was +9 but has now settled down to +4...

more likely the driver had a shed load of parcels this time of year, took one look at the block of flats and thought "too much time to find the flat, too many parcels yet to be delivered...on to the next delivery..." i had exact same problem over and over when i used to live in a shared house as a student, to the point i ended up getting things sent to my parents address...

bezel alignment is an easy fix...although you could ask for it to be done and have new pics sent showing it more centered, it all looks fine-but to me the one thing standing out is the 6 o'clock lume marker-it looks wonky in every pic...pointing too much to the right.could just be angle and lighting though??

id love to see a bremont supermarine 500m with rubber strap...they always seem to overlook bremont, ive never seen a rep of one

cant wait to see the pics bud, very good choice and you wont be dissapointed!

apologies, not promoting or suggesting anyone buy one or anything...i simply just found it while browsing around online and thought it may be of some use..., i have now deleted the link and posted a pic instead ...i think a nice standard new style PO rep is still a long way off let alone a great looking one...but just saying from some pics ive seen on various sites things are moving forward...im not that much of a fan of the new PO's anyway lol the original just looks right to me