Watchwatcher

I don't know about you, but I find that the chinese made springbars don't hold up for more than a few months until the end pieces begin to warp a bit from center tube and become loose... I'm looking for some of the 20mm long, thin 1.3mm, double flanged bars in the highest possible quality, 100% stainless steel. (If they were available, i'd even pay up for a dozen in titanium) OFREI, does of course have good quality ss springbars, but only if you buy 100 at a time. I do not need 100 yet (give me another year or two). http://www.ofrei.com/page232.html Anyone have any suggestions on sourcing high quality springbars. THX

I had been looking for a nice titanium watch for a while, and I came down to a few options, two of which were sectors (including this one) an oris, and a pam. in person, Ti has a really nice look and feel to it, very subtle brownish tone (next to ss) and the matte/bead finish is the way to go... the sector Ti bracelet is one of my favorites with nice sturdy feel, contrasting matte vs. polished links and heft without heaviness.

i don't know if 'bad' is the word, but i agree that mechanical watches are far more intriguing. of the 30+ watches in my collection, this is the only quartz (with the exception of a watch that the owner of timex gave me -- would have been rude to turn it down

Nanug... the middle crown is screw down, and perhaps because it is titanium, the threading feels very sharp precise and tight. Top pusher starts and stops the stopwatch function, with the yellow hand counting seconds and the large green hand for minutes. Consequently with just the minutes and seconds hand used for stopwatch, it is effectively a 1hr stopwatch, although it will continue operating after the the minute hand laps the first hour. I am a swimmer and I find this function quite helpful for timing my 30 minute quota... if necessary i can stop the stopwatch for a couple minutes (adjusting goggles, etc) and restart. The bottom pusher resets the two stopwatch hands to 12:00. Unlike most stopwatch/chrono resets, the hands do not 'snap' back to the 12:00 position but move at a gradiated pace, clockwise back to 12:00... hard to describe, but eye-catching. JTB... charlie cairoli... a wiseguy huh? I actually wore this on my last biker outing... and the other bikers thought it was cool... (pic below)

You'll probably either hate this or like it... I picked this up fairly inexpensively (used, but not abused) recently. My opinion is that sector as a brand is basically in the 'el cheapo' budget category... but every once in a while lightning strikes and viola...you get something worth a second look. This is the Sector Apnea, titanium case and band, rated for 300M. A comfortable 43mm case size for a diver. The red hands tell the time, additionally there is a 1hr stopwatch. Not a watch I would wear among serious company, but definitely a fun one for the beach or pool... and built to withstand some serious water pressure. The main downside (and it did weigh a bit on my decision) is that it has an eta quartz movement (making it the only quartz movement in my collection). The face is worth a very close look...center dial in black with concentric circles, likewise the tiny seconds dial has its own concentric circles, the yellow, orange and red background sections are not flat but have raised ridges that extend like spokes outward from the black center. So let me know what you think! (Would it make you feel any differently if you knew this cost about the same as a decent rep?)

Collector, I also just bot a watch from a foreign seller who does not accept ebay. He had been around for several years, but only 12 transactions. I think that because he did not accept paypal, the bidding was pretty light for his watch, which I picked up at maybe a 25%-30% discount to what they usually go for. I asked him to write his name and date on a note and take a pic of the watch with the note, which he did quickly and without hassle. I was also able to track him down and verify his address using a foreign online phone directory. Finally, I used google satellite map to verify that his address wasn't a parking lot. I sent a postal money order, which can be traced. Now it is a matter of waiting and seeing if i got scammed or not. Good luck on your purchase.

"I broke 7 drill bits off and took 2 hours to drill the 4 holes… "

The GMT hand on this is WRONG, totally. Unless I am mistaken, the GMT hand should have a smaller arrow point tip, like this 029B

very interesting... i was going to say the same... 029 with 2892 is +3secs per day (out of the box)... although i've gotten into the bad habit of resetting the seconds to the atomic clock once a week... now that's anal.

witnessed the towers come down firsthand. watched the video. does the american public know every detail of how the terrorist attacks were orchestrated and carried out? No. There is no precedent for 9/11, so having 'experts' go to their textbooks and say this couldn't happen and that couldn't happen because it defies our theoretical understanding, only suggests that maybe the 'experts' do not have all the facts. For each of the 'inconsistencies' raised in the video, I could think of half a dozen completely reasonable answers that the narrator seems to have missed...

Here's my question... is it actually possible to achieve the same rehaut on the rep using an ETA2836. I am wondering if the polex movement isn't thinner and consequently allows for the deeper rehaut. If that is the case, there only one way to allow for deeper rehaut on the rep and that is to use a 'deeper dish' case back... not really a great solution. Is the MBW rehaut more close to the gen?

hey nanug, sorry to hear about your son's loss, glad to hear you won that green machine on the 'bay. i must be lucky... i never bother chaining my wheels to a pole and yet no one has run off with them yet...

i'm not a pam expert (although i own several), but that looks very cool. can we see more pics, face, etc. and specs on what we're looking at... i think you've got a winner...

Arch... there are lower quality reps which are labelled WG, but are actually just polished SS. These are just a non-starter in my book... the problem being that SS oxidizes rather quickly, especially 316L, and consequently is quite gray in comparison to rhodium. However I will standby my statement that a good WG DD from a reputable dealer has the same white hot appearance of a solid WG Gen. I haven't compared other makes and models, so i'll take your word for it on those... especially the FMs, which I suspect you have more experience than anyone else on this board.

Ulich, in the link you posted the discussion is about the differences in the physical properties and appearance of 440 stainless vs. 316L. There are a number of additional differences that the 'engineer' neglected to mention. BUT, that is NOT what you started talking about... the issue here is NOT whether 440 is superior to 316L... it is how a White GOLD DD rep compares with a solid WG gen. As I mentioned before, if you have a good WG rep, it has been plated with Rhodium... and in terms of exterior appearance, it looks the same as an 18K WG gen... both are plated with Rhodium. If you put two gold DDs side by side... there are some minor differences, mostly having to do with alignment of the DD windows, but the gold... or more correctly, rhodium exterior, is the same.

ryaku, that's an interesting comment. i rec'd the panda and at about the same time one of my alltime favorite subs came up for auction on ebay--it's gen, so it'll cost an arm and a leg. so i sold the panda and have a couple other unworn pieces i'll probably let go. i have a couple classy reps, like ELs jules audemar in RG that are very classy, but simple enough to wear anytime. the panda really seems to call for an occasion. i used to have many such occasions to wear this type of watch, i no longer do... maybe that's a good thing?

swd... there is of course one other tool you could use instead of a dremel... i hesitate to mention it, because most watchsmiths have been sworn to secrecy about revealing its existence. when a truly expert watchsmith is at the point of giving up on the most difficult of repairs... this is the tool they reach for... kind of the 'universal' repair tool... guaranteed to fix the problem in a matter of seconds... mind you, i've only heard about this tool, never saw one up close with my own eyes... rumor on the boards was that nanug had one (and used it far too frequently)... here's a rare pic.....

...this is the beginning of a whole new life of making microscopic adjustments to things around the house. once you have a dremel, you will see the world in an entirely new high-def granularity... formerly unnoticeable flaws and rough spots will become painfully evident... blemishes which you had previously taken for granted--that knick on the coffee pot, that tiny scuff on the the stairway railing, will now REQUIRE careful dremelling. swdivad... i present to you... the new universe... all there for you... and all requiring a thorough dremelling... but just start with the inge.

I do this with most of the S/S watches I've bot... both with the bottom edge of the case and inside edge of the bracelets... even the mbw's come feeling sharp... Buy a dremel or black&decker wizard (smaller version of dremel) and use a buffing wheel and polishing compound. Just to be clear, if you go to your local hardware store, they will probably carry both rubbing compound and polishing compound. The rubbing compound is a heavier grit and useful if you need to buff out deep scratches or shape the outside of the CG's after filing. The polishing compound works well for taking off sharp edges. If you have any brushed surfaces that are near the areas you are polishing, I'd also recommend protecting them with blue masking tape. After you have buffed the sharp edge down, you'll need to use an old toothbrush and liquid handsoap to clean off the compound. IF you want a complete dremel attachment kit which is cheap, check out the various kits from this seller: http://cgi.ebay.com/100-PC-Rotary-Tool-Acc...1QQcmdZViewItem

you may want to reconsider the dealer you are working with. i've put my WG DD side by side with gen YG DDs (admittedly not WG dd's) and had offers to trade... not from people you would normally consider to be uninformed. i suspect that given your background you see something in the finish that the average person does not... but i'm still biased toward what still appears to be a vastly better value proposition... and, yep, i have owned both the gen and rep in WG... loved the gen, but realized it was a total waste of money.

Um... Ulich... you need to do your homework a little better... a good rep is rhodium plated... that would be, uh, how can i put this... EXACTLY the same finish as the gen. A WG gen does not actually show any WG... just rhodium... which it is also plated with. True 18K WG is too yellowy.

amk, there are only a few dials with the combo you indicate... 18K gold fitted with black markers (but also gold retaining rings) and TT's which as you point out have the black marker+ss ring. I have also seen several exotic YMs with SS ring, usually used to retain precious stone (ruby, diamond, etc) on ss case and bracelet. I own a black marker with ss ring on white MOP dial, in addition to a blue faced YM... both are among my favorites. For some reason, i never found the rolesium particularly attractive -- the sparkling dial reminded me too much of a christmas tree ornament.

edd.. As for Cyrus Nowrasteh... "...whose stated purpose was to promote conservative films too out of the mainstream for holywood." Um... yes? Do you think Hollywood is representative of the mainstream? "...the film itself was conceived by a right wing christian activist organization known as Youth With A Mission (YWAM) though thier adjunct The Film Institute. " Again... um, yes? I've stated this before, YWAM is a fantastic organization that has done some tremendous humanitarian work in many emerging countries. The founder, Loren Cunningham is a remarkable, honest and humble man. And yes, the media has attempted to paint YWAM, of all organizations, as some kind of 'cultish' political operative. Those of us who know Loren and his organization have been kind of amazed, amused and shocked at this twisted distortion. I suspect there are many who buy into press commentaries, which seem an inch deep and a mile wide. There are several bloggers that have had a field day with various 'cloak and dagger' or conspiracy theories. No amount of arguing in an online forum will resolve this... as they say... you can fool some of the people all of the time... and all of the people some of the time...

looks great... almost a gun-metal blue gray. i didn't realize you could take all the links apart in that bracelet... was it just the Ti links that went into the bath?

nanuq, someone suggested that the reason for the current divide is that in America today about 20% of the country wants to see a radical change in the basic tenets of our culture... another 60% want to see these foundational moorings basically maintained... the rest fall somewhere in between. However, the 20% minority largely control or at least their views are heavily represented by Hollywood and the media--which evens up the battle to some degree. And actually 'war' is probably the more correct term... much more than a politics, this really boils down to a cultural war... hence the more biting nature... it involves core beliefs.