perini

That is so kind of you Kruzer, thanks a lot I would take one in steel, one in PVD and (if available) one in titanium.

Three days after the GB had reached the 10-watch quota I PMed Sash asking whether it was too late to join. He replied saying no problem, so I sent my payment. Since the quota had been reached and Sash had my contact info I didn't consider adding my name to the thread. I guess this will not bring comfort, but once I had to wait longer than 6 months for a damned watch (remember the infamous Paul crazy sale?).

I received it last week (around Wednesday, not sure). By the way, I have just checked again the EMS tracking info for this watch, the website still returns "No information for this tracking" I forgot to add, thanks Sash.

I wouldn't bother too much with the tracking info... I guess I was in the first batch (since I didn't buy the additional rubber strap) and the tracking info didn't work for me either. After trying 3 times I forgot about it for a few days, until the new toy arrived. As fas as I am concerned, I am glad I took part in the GB, the watch is stunning, my waiting time was not very long and the price was great. I trust Sash will do his best to solve any pending issue with this GB.

Wouldn't be enough to anonymize the link? Correct me if I am wrong, I think that doing this would hide the origin of the link: add "http://anonym.to/?" to the beginning of the link without leaving any blank space (for instance, http://anonym.to/?http://www.google.com ). Other choice would be removing the 'http' in your link (or replacing some letters, say, hxxp) which would force to copy and paste the address in another window. Sorry if I am stating the obvious!

In another HK Sotheby's auction last October a PAM-203 was sold for 92,800 USD. In the same Sotheby's auction a PAM-290 (SE of 1 unit, a Luminor GMT 8 Days with blue dial) was sold for 85,100 USD. Also, a Firenze set (PAM-224 + 228 + 229) was sold for 40,200 USD, around 2.5 x list price.

The Spartacus straps are still sold by Strapmasters USA, here is the link: http://tinyurl.com/35bpm6 The Spartacus looks great, however I find that the most beautiful strap with guard is the Signature strap in Metta leather made by Robert Ross aka "russiarob" (but really expensive!).

Here are some IWC ads I have found on watch fora and eBay (I think several ones have already been posted here in the past). A few of them are not very politically correct!

Ishann, have you asked Ruby about the 18k Casablanca? Ruby is a dealer at the RWI forum (the Dark Side), she told me several months ago that she could source that same Casablanca in solid 18k rose gold with 2892. At that moment I didn't buy it since it was too $$ , I was looking for the version with the cheaper 2824 movement. You can find Ruby's subforum on RWI, her e-mail address is goldmedal88@126.com (I have seen her address posted on this forum so I guess no problem doing so again). By the way you have excellent taste, it is an amazing piece.

Congrats Admin! You took a bold decision, I am glad that you have been accepted as a PhD student at a top university. I agree so much with Raijor: "earned success is the best success". I am also an academic noob, I recently finished a Physics PhD and now I am a postdoc doing full-time research in theoretical physics. I can understand very well your joy and your excitement about the future. There are lots of ways to try and make a difference in this world, being an academic is a beautiful way of doing so: the work is both analytical and creative, you enjoy a big deal of freedom and you have the opportunity to contribute to human progress in a meaningful way. I hope that you cope well with the long hours and the stress of the PhD and that you will be very happy with your decision.

Put me down for 1, please Thanks!

Stunning! Thanks for the pics. I saw it on Joshua's gallery, and it looked very nice, but it looks awesome in your photos. Anybody has found other flaws?

I agree! The croc pattern is gorgeous and the strap looks amazing. I have seen many pics of straps made by Aaron (Hktan) and he is a master.

Have you seen this thread on Paneristi about a guy picking up his Ferrari watch? Ferrari Time! >>>>>[scans]>>>>>>>> Lucky guy, he has the right car to go with the watch...

What a beauty... Archibald, I am glad you are happy with the actual watch, after all the effort you put in managing the group buy. Congrats!

Mee too! By the way, this baby is 42mm, not too small, but not as large as the 45mm Offshore models. And I wouldn't really mind to pay more $$$ for a piece with better finishing and accuracy, especially as we are talking about AP.

Wow This has to be one of the most beautifully tanned vintage straps I have seen. I had seen other pics of Gabo straps, but they were too new. Lovely!

The MP6 is a great strap! I have one of these too HWILG, you can buy new Mario Paci straps from TimeConnection (tcstraps.com). They are limited edition series so in order to buy a new strap of a past model I believe you have to custom order it (c.o. are $219). If you can wear 120/80 in 24/24 there is right now one used MP6 -black with black stitch- for sale at a nice price at the accessories corners of Via Paneristi (viapaneristi.com) and Paneristi (paneristi.com). BTW I am not the seller!

Have you tried King? I got mine (028 hobnail dial without PVD) from her not long ago.

Yes 4fun, I meant rose gold But, did Archibald confirm it to you? When I asked him by PM about the quality of the gold he said that the model he meant in the first post was in 18K yellow gold, not rose. From the photos I seem to like the rose gold model quite more than the yellow one. Maybe because I love the AP Offshore models in that metal (Montoya, Pride of Russia)...

Archibald, does the dealer offer the red gold model too, or just the yellow gold one? Thanks!

Finepics, I may be wrong, but I have read somewhere that Panerai changed the PVD coating for just one production model, the 195 (limited edition for collectors). Panerai people were not happy about the resistance of their previous coating (TiAlN) and they tried a new kind of PVD coating (DLC). The new coating proved more resistant but nevertheless didn't keep Panerai management happy, then Bonati said Panerai wouldn't issue another PVD watch again.

Maybe I'm wrong, isn't that model the brown weathered historic croc? DinoZei (DZ) straps are now Strapmasters, they are sold by www.strapmastersusa.com, www.strapmasters-europe.com and www.visiotime.com. The only problem is, their retail price is $$$ ($290-300 ), so it's better to find them discounted in the P and VP Accessories Corners. Another opportunity is the sale of prototypes that the Meyers do from time to time in P and VP, besides they always include several colors that don't reach the production stage. I love the SM/DZ crocs They don't seem to be as liked as the OEM gators, but I find the SM crocs more rugged, which suits the Luminors well.

I'm in for one too Thanks a lot!

I used Moneybookers a year ago to send the payment for one watch to Eddie, since his Paypal account had been suspended. So my experience is very limited, but I can say that Moneybookers was cheap and fast, no problem at all.