cortopar

Just a quick follow-up... I've since ordered the SMP chrono with full service from Andrew, along with a Chanel J12 box set for my wife. Was originally going to get her a Constellation or Ladies DJ, but she liked the Chanel better. I've had the gen bug lately, so don't be surprised if you see me post about a gen Rollie or Omega soon. As far as the next rep, I think it will be the IWC Flieger chrono. Final note... Nothing would make my day more than a Navitimer with a properly working slide rule bezel. I love the Navitimer reps, but the bezel is the whole draw of the watch! I have a Citizen BAS (big ass Skyhawk), and really enjoy the slide rule. Here's hoping for a next-generation Navitimer. Best, Bob

"Contradict the law..." Forget for a moment that there's a raging cultural battle going on right now, and forget you know anything about any of these debates. It's obvious to any casual observer that the US justice system/laws (as well as much of the Western world) has it's roots in the Judeo-Christian ethic that our founders shared (whether they were explicitly religious or not). Try to look at it objectively, and explain how a natural reading of: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" Is violated by having a plaque of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse? Is the plaque making a law establishing a religion? Is the plaque preventing a Jew, Muslim, Wiccan or whatever from worshipping/exercising their religion? The whole "debate" is overblown in my opinion.

Thanks for all the tips! I'll probably tackle this later in the week.

I see misconceptions about this all the time, and so thought this might be of general interest to people. 95% of the reviews and descriptions you read of dive watch (or more properly "elapsed time") bezels will tell you that divers use these so they don't "run out of air." This is totally bogus. Divers keep from running out of air by checking the pressure gauges attached to their air tanks. Elapsed time bezels are used to track the amount of time you're underwater. When you're down, you're breathing air that is at greater pressure than when you're breathing at the surface. The pressure forces nitrogen into your bloodstream. If you have too much nitrogen in your bloodstream when you surface, the reduction in pressure will cause nitrogen bubbles to form in your blood (the "bends" or decompression sickness). To avoid DCS, in the "old days" divers used tables that told you how long you could stay underwater at a given depth without having to incorporate decompression stops during your ascent. The whole point of "recreational" or "non-decompression" diving is that in an emergency, you can immediately surface without excessive risk of DCS. The use of dive tables can result in drastically shortening your "down time" since to be safe, you have to calculate the nitrogen level in your system based on the deepest depth you were at. Modern dive computers are more accurate at taking into account the various depths you experience during a dive and the amount of time spent at each. They don't "penalize" you for your whole dive time if you were say, at 120 feet for only a minute and spent the rest of your dive at 65 feet. Long-winded way of saying, elapsed time bezels track how long you're underwater for dive table calculations, not to track your air usage. Hope this was informative. Best, Bob

I promise. Not a noob to forums in general, but definitely a noob to rep forums. I actually registered at TRC first (a couple days before here), but I'm really glad I found RWG. More active, and a great bunch of people.

This is a really nice detail on the reps that I hadn't noticed or thought to check before buying. The oyster bracelet on the Sub I bought from Andrew has a totally correct diver's extension. Here's a great tutorial on how to deploy it: http://www.rolexreferencepage.com/divesuitlink.html I've had my Invicta to 133' on a wall dive in Maui. Not sure I'm that brave with a rep, though.

Totally off-topic, but I've been getting more and more disgusted at the constantly rising prices and falling quality of eyeglasses. My last Lens Crafters "top of the line" rimless glasses cost almost $600 and lasted less than a year. I stumbled across a few sites recently that make glasses overseas and import them to the US (or other places) at tremendous discount. Anyway, got a new prescription a few weeks ago and ordered 2 pair of glasses from http://www.zennioptical.com The way you can choose a rimless frame, and then pick from tons of different lens sizes/shapes was very cool. I got the glasses in about 2 weeks, and the quality is much higher than I was expecting. Comparable if not better than what I can get locally. I got a pair of rimless and a black plastic "fashion" frame with high index lenses, AR, etc for less than $80 shipped. Can't beat it.

I've noticed a few other people seem to hail from Las Vegas, or at least visit here regularly. If anyone knows of a local rep-friendly (or at least rep-tolerant) watchmaker, I'd really appreciate a PM. Thanks in advance!

I don't know how hard the "316L stainless steel" the manufacturers claim to use is, but I'm thinking of using either 1) file 2) wet-dry sandpaper 3) dremel at low speed. I'm not looking to do any serious "shaping," just to slightly knock down the sharp edges. Advice? Thanks, Bob

This is my first post to the board. I first want to say "Thanks" to everyone who moderates or participates in the forums. You've created a fantastic resource that has helped me, and I'm sure, innumerable others. If you're new here, you need to read these threads: Best reps available today All of the links in By-Tor's signature Reputable dealers If you ask who makes the "best sub" you will get flamed. You will get sarcasm. You will be told to search. Do use the search, look at the pictorial reviews of the various sub reps available. However, if you are looking for the best sub rep "out of the box", I think you'll find as I did that buying the ETA sub "Noobmariner" from one of the trusted sellers will make you happy. I just received my $188 ETA sub from Andrew (aka Trusty) and I'm very pleased. I own an Invicta Pro Diver (8926) and was planning to purchase the 9937 (8926 with ETA 2824) before stumbling on RWG. The ETA "Noobmariner" is twice the watch the Invicta is by any reasonable measure other than perhaps manufacturer's warranty. A little side note on my experience with Andrew. In a word... fantastic! Ordered 12/7. In Las Vegas and on my wrist 12/12. The watch may be detectable by an AD or WIS, but I have spent many hours looking at and handling gens, and looking at gen/rep comparisons online. I can honestly say that without a loupe and a gen to compare, no one is going to "call you out" on this watch. I'm ordering the SMP Bond Chronograph with pre-sale movement servicing and waterproofing from Trusty next. I can't wait! A little about me and why I like reps: I can afford just about any reasonable Rolex, Panerai, Omega, IWC I want to buy. However, I cannot afford *all* of them that I'd like to buy. I appreciate mechanical movements, and I love the styling of a number of the bigger (and not so big) Swiss name manufacturers. Buying reps is not about trying to "fake" social status. To me, it's about having the opportunity to own and enjoy 5 or 10 (or more) different watches. When buying gen, I could only realistically afford 2 or 3. I'm planning to purchase a gen SMP or SMP Chronograph, and am using the rep SMP Chrono as a "test drive" so to speak. Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Thanks again to all the regulars, and a hearty welcome to other newbs like me. Best, Bob