thatgrip

The lume is easy to get good, but the rest of the picture becomes grainy and ugly because of too little light.

Although it can create a "plastic" look to certain surfaces in photos, Noise Ninja is an impressive tool for removing noise. It uses an algorithm which more accurately targets noise without destroying texture the way the CS noise reduction filter can. Using NN, I've saved many pictures which were simply a bit too grainy for printing.

Thatgrip

I know the 46mm slab of B&R has been muched talked about on the board, especially the quality packed movement. But does anyone have experience owning the 39mm version? I know it's not 1:1, but I can't wear something the size of a square pocket watch on my arm. And, since the movement in the 39 is also sketchy, can the case accomodate something better?

As a noob, it is a pleasure to read your reviews. I looked at this bit right after checking out that fabo Tudor you modded. Coming on this board 4 months on is still like reading Car & Driver when I was a kid. Each issue brought me into an amazing world of beauty, speed and mechanical strength, kinda like enjoying the pictures and musings these reviews provide. Thanks for taking the time. That goes for all the reviewers on the board. This place is stellar.

Grip

Flavor Flav...your watch has arrived.

Oh my God that's funny.

In light of recent developments such as PP and other infiltrations to the board, I think it would be a good idea to put our house in order, posts such as "I think our dealers are filthy rich....at least $25,000 a month".....serve no useful purpose for the sustenance of our hobby, provocative post such as this only serve to inflame and engender a determination to undermine the hobby....by those who don't share our views.

We should be more circumspect when posting, one thing I would like to see end....( and would like it if we could edit ALL the posts )........is to see the dropping of using personal names when posting......I feel uncomfortable when I see my name posted.....and particularly when I get an e-mail from a noob who has 2x posts...saying....'Hi Neil'........there's no need to use anything other than our screen name......!

There are many other things that we could do.......such as not welcoming noobs with open arms and advising them where to go shopping......we don't know who they are.......let them earn the right to that info......don't just hand it out willy nilly.......stop posting links to websites and e-mail etc etc..!

At the risk of being berated I'd like to point out as a noob that when joining this little fraternity, I saw no giant placard telling me what to do or how to present myself other than the demand to maintain civility on the board. As for as using personal names and welcoming with open arms, there must be lots of us who simply didn't know that "hi neil" or "hi ken" in an email was harmful. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a Rules Of The Board page when joining, informing prospective members what they can and can't do. And how exactly am I to earn the right to purchasing a watch? Do I need to say lots of great stuff, or simply show sufficient servility before the senior members? I've asked some dumb questions and been schooled appropriately. Now is it ok for me to buy a watch?

I sit behind what quite possibly could be the greatest internal combustion engine that will ever grace this earth

How can a smallblock Chevy fit inside an RS4 engine bay?

I'm not quite sure how we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe you should consider changing the avitar???! I don't think the Spiderman outfit is the problem. It's that dangeling participle.

Perhaps my language was inflamitory. Most of the infered ire in my response was aimed at chitown's post. When I said the mechanical watches we collect here were "highbrow" and stated my passion for them calling certain quartz timepieces souless, you took offense. Sorry for that. As for being in the same "we're all phonies boat", personally, I collected replicas because they afforded me the opportunity to own mechanical chronographs and adjustable ETAs for a fraction of the price of a brand name, not simply to impress my friends and co-workers with a watch they wouldn't know anything about anyway, you know......the "best watch in the world is a Rolex" crowd.

I honestly thought the best way to answer your question about "where are the quartz replicas of great looking mechanicals" was to state "we've been there....done that." It wasn't a put down. I suppose your OP struck me as a bit challenging and my reaction was "you're willing to wear a quartz rep,...happy shopping on Canal Street" was a little intolerant. Sorry. It's just that damn avitar......it makes me so mad......

Many thanks for your kindness. As ever, when you get to the heart of the matter, differences have a way of being understandable and expected. I enjoyed the back and forth, actually. Having 3 little ones and few truly great friends, I've little in the way of good back and forth. Still, I am sorry to have spoke too glibly about people's motives regarding watch collecting and tinkering.

Now, as for the Avatar, I suppose the jiggly bits could be, uh...in bad taste. But as I'm looking at the myriad of booby pictures as avatars and wrist shots, Spiderman can at least say his painted member is sublime.

It's funny, but I bought my wife a rep ladies datejust, she really liked the way it looked but she was annoyed by the fact that it would stop. I bought her a used Tag quartz for $150 at the local secondhand shop, which after a polishing, rebrushing and a new battery it was 98% good as new. She wears it as her daily beater and loves it. So I understand the phenomenon. I would also point out my experience is part of the problem -- there really are not that many high end quartz watches that you can't buy for a few hundred bucks used, especially if you're going to use it for a beater anyway and don't mind a couple of scuffs. So why get a rep?

As far as fighting with the "mechanical watches have soul" crowd . . . I know you know already, but it's a waste of time. It's an emotional visceral thing anyway, so once someone buys into it so you're not going to carry the day with argument no matter how good it is. It's like trying to talk a devout Christian into embracing atheism by explaining to him the logical flaws of his faith, or "proving" to a loving parent that his daughter is, empirically speaking, rather ugly. Ain't gonna happen.

Regarding the shallow pool we inhabit by wearing high-priced knockoffs . . . most of the old-time, regularly posting members own gens in addition to rep. It is because they love mechanical watches but can't buy 20 of them that they buy reps. A lot of us basically started off because we thought it would be a lark to check out what fakes are like compared to our gens, and got hooked when we saw how good they can be. So I'm not sure that's necessarily a fair characterization. The posers who just want fake bling to show off at clubs, etc. don't stick around long, they get their watch and leave.

I have to admit I am a little puzzled by your comment that rep makers put mechanical movements in reps of quartz gens. the reverse might be true, but that hardly ever happens. To be honest, there are very, very few quartz gens that people are really interested in -- maybe the quartz SMP, Breitling Colt, Sinn UX but the best known reps everybody wants are mechanical watches with no quartz variants -- Moon watch, Submariner, Navitimer, Luminor Marina. If you check out the "big-box" rep websites like Trusty's or Wo-Mart, they have quartz reps of common quartz gens, like Cartier Tanks, Omega Constellations and the like. There just aren't that many quartz gens to begin with.

I guess my original question which referenced my wife's Link was based on the men's quartz version. I thought it to be the same model as the rep TAG I've seen on a couple of dealers' websites. But, the rep apes a different Link model - an automatic. In fact, I thought the men's Link was exclusively quartz except for the chrono. So my question is foolish. As you said, almost all the interesting genuine watches are mechanical, so what be the point of a knockoff with a quartz drive? It's accurate but where's the interest? I ride the fence on external vs. internal beauty. My wife's watch is, to me beautiful and understated. Knowing that an exceptional design encases a generic quartz movement hasn't left me cold. Bizzarini's are spectacular cars with small block Chevy motors. They are gorgeous but reliable, without the internal beauty/challenge of an Italian engine. Still, a V12 Ferrari engine is a work of art. I'm fairly certain once I see an ETA gearset up close, in the flesh, I will be stoked.

As far as my proletariat-verbal-warfare-against-The-Man, because I know where my superficialities lie and have known a handful of people unaffected by status, it seems amazing that the board is free of artiface. Since I was a sprat, I've loved cars (and later watches). This was due to a. the nice ones are shiny, pretty and look fast/sleek b. People look cool, impressive driving/wearing them. Why I still like cars and watches hasn't changed all that much. So when a reponse to my thread ranges into a monologue about 15 meter sloop racing and chess grandmasters, it's obvious I'm not the only one affected by perceived status. But given some of the responses from members, perhaps I've overstated the case. I didn't mean to make anyone angry by my suppositions and deductions, true or false.

For the same reason that some people bought cars from LOTUS in the 70's and 80's. They were unreliable (they broke down frequently) compared to other British cars at the time (e.g. Dolomite Sprint etc.) but they were mechanical works of art. The LOTUS Esprit is a prime example...

Speak for youself, not all of us...

I also agree...

That about sums you up...

As they say "Get a Grip!" LOL

Scott.

Thanks for the honest response without getting in my face. Out of curiosity, what about the TIMEX question? Would you really consider spending a buck and a quarter on, say, a stainless rep of a 1950's watch with auto movement? Perhaps I overstated the group's collective social status motivations. Sorry for that.

Bit confused by the bit about my avatar and the reasoning behind it. There do seem to be many of folks on this board that care an awful lot about an inch and a half picture which serves little purpose beyond amusement/titillation/information. Yours is pretty cool; I like the classic atomic logo.

cheers,

Chris

"The tv business is...a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason." Hunter Thompson

This stuff has been argued to death, and it seems to me a fairly pointless exercise to take the high ground based on rationality when it comes to arguing about stuff people want but really don't need which is ultimately all this is, subjective preferences. Nobody needs gen luxury watches or even rep luxury watches, quartz or mechanical. Fine, quartz makes "more sense." Do you also want to take on everyone about eating steak instead of soy, drinking cognac instead of malt liquor, driving something other than a used Honda Civic, whatever? Smoking, drinking, the utility of religion, etc.?

There aren't high quality quartz reps because the rep makers don't feel like there's a market for it to make it worth the trouble. There's not a lot more to it. You're frustrated there aren't enough people who feel the same way as you do to create a viable market for something you want, that's understandable but that's all that it is, there's no right or wrong attached to it.

I basically agree. I honestly said my peace about wanting to have a cool watch from a cool company on my wrist. I only started getting "rational" when a few members decided to sniff haughtily at my question and start throwing around aesthetic reasoning, completely ignoring the totally shallow end of the pool we ALL inhabit by wearing high priced knockoffs. I can shovel the sh** like anybody here (except maybe TTK whose sarcasm and intellect are killers). But I want discourse which doesn't devolve into stuff like how Mondrian really had it going on with all those colored squares, or Picasso's Red Period is exquisite.

The reason for my delving into the subject of quartz's is due to 1. my lack of knowledge, 2.the insanity of looking for old threads similar to the one I started. I wanted opinions from a representative group of this massing of watch fanatics. The more responses I've read, the more I'm turned on by the auto watches. I can start to feel my fingers elongating...breathgrowingshort...teeth getting longer pain...have to pant ...need to howl. Basically, I'm screwed by the answers to my own question. Thanks to By-Tor, I have some confidence I won't need to crack open the case immediately and start screwing things up.

Anyway, thanks for the response. Well said.

Well , let me say this...

I got my Tag after high school. It's a great watch. Deep down, however, I always wanted a Rollie. My great-uncle has one, my uncle has one, but I don't. I couldn't scrape together $3000+ for one, so I kept wearing the Tag. Eventually, I stumbled upon the world of reps. I bought a cheap auto Rolex in Mexico and thought it was awesome. From there, I found the original RWG, and got directed into the world of high-end reps. I got fascinated by the mechanical movements and the different brands, Rolex, Omega, etc.

The interest in me has never been the accuracy of the watch, but the "style" of it. I like utilitarian, stainless, tool watches. I don't care for gold or diamonds. I like to putz around with them. Make sure I can swim with them.

It's the same with my car. I drive a 1957 Volvo 444. My wife drives a 2006 Montana. I like to change the oil in the Volvo and adjust the drum brakes. My wife thinks I'm crazy, too.

OK, that's an answer I can dig. I'm reminded of the used Scalextric 1/32nd scale racing layout my folks bought me for Christmas when I was 8. I could work on the motors, change the tires, put different transaxles in, etc. The whole thing, though expensive, (I didn't know it) was far more thrilling than a run of the mill AFX speed demon set. The reason I have a compressor and paint sprayer, and various tools I don't really need goes to that same desire to grind away on stuff, make it my own.

Without all the elevated language surrounding what is in effect a duplication of jewelry meant to wow and impress, what's left for me is a love of good design and a level of ease of use which I need as my 3 sons don't really care WHY daddy is yet again unavailable. For them it's enough to know that he can't play or read or color because he's too busy. Hence my desire for quartz...I'd love to have time to work on movements, but I cannot. So my perfect collection is 2 quartz 1 auto. The Zigmeister fixes auto. I replace batteries.

To me, if the gen is quartz, you like the watch, they make a good rep, then why the heck not. I have a good Omega quartz rep that I use as my daily beater and since it keeps better time then anything else, I use it to set the time on all my 'soul' watches

Where can you get a good quartz rep?

You pay whatever you want for what you want. No body really cares!

Two of the most popular replicated watches, the Tag Link and the Omega Seamaster are offered by their respective companies in both formats.

All I can do to illuminate the appeal of mechanical watch ownership to the true afficianatos is to offer an analogy. I love watching 12 meter class yacht racing. The skill and teamwork of a racing crew onboard a beautifully engineered, fimely tuned racing boat as it slices the seas gets my blood pumping. Does it lessen the experience one bit knowing that a guy on a Jet Ski could cover the same course twice as fast at a fraction of the cost????? Not a bit. Am I excited by a passion to watch Jet Ski racing??? Not even a little.

Watch technology was driven for years by the quest for the ultimate in accuracy. The quartz watch forever changed the rules and expectations and in a way, freed up the mechanical artists to create marvelous beauty. A perfectly engineered mechanical chronometer has a personality. A Casio Quartz is souless.

A chess match between two brilliant grand Masters is no less a study in fantastic multi level human intellect just because Deep Blue can wipe the floor with both of them.

OK....off the soap box!!!

To the first point, why if Tag and Omega deign to make quartz watches can I not find one in the rep world? I mean the rep 1st world, good case, bezel, strap, etc.

Regarding the second point, as I stated in my original post quite clearly, I can absolutely appreciate the beauty of a complex mechanism as quasi-art in itself. But your analogy doesn't work. My quartz and your automatic watch perform exactly the same function- telling time accurately (I don't care what you say about mechanical beauty, without accuracy there's no argument). A racing sloop and a jet ski both sit in/on the water and transport occupants. But they are clearly different animals, more dissimilar than similar. The same cannot be said for automatic and quartz watches. They look identical on the wrist, save that only one has a sweeping second hand.

And as far as soul, which most responders continually highlight, I'm guessing nobody here would give a rats ass about a Timex GENUINE watch with "soul". We're not here for the boundless love of mechanical beauty alone, not even a little bit. I'd guess the average genuine version of the timepieces advertised on our dealers' sites would run into the thousands of dollars. Associated with those dollars is a perceived lifestyle complete with J Class racing, vintage wines, classic European automobiles and the like. So don't dump all over me because I want an accurate watch that looks and feels the way the quality rep autos do. Most folks here are playing at being wealthy, myself included, by virtue of the names on our wrists.

And Deep Blue (or for that matter, an Intel Pentium 2) doesn't have a heartbeat, date girls or care about the beauty of quantum theory, again not an analogy I find compelling.

Honestly and Forthrightly,

Chris

Why not change your goofy avatar LOL

I don't really care much about my avatar one way or the other. I think it's funny, end of story. Tomorrow I might put a picture of one of my kids up. Maybe not.

So here's a question for which I hope I'm not slammed. My wife has a gen TAG Link quartz. So I'm wondering. What with all the sob stories of autos which are doa or have immediate need of adjustment/lubrication for a pretty significant fee, where are the quartz reps? I know there is cachet in buying an automatic watch. But, hey, we're all trying to perform the "Rolex drape" to varying degrees. At some level, I don't care if my watch has the sexiest movement. I want something reliable that looks authentic. Quartz. Before you scream, yes I like autos as well. There is something super cool about having a real mechanical device, one that truly replicates a beautiful original. I am also lazy-batteries cater to that.

So, how about it? If the genuine article is quartz, why should I pay MORE for an automatic which is guaranteed to be less accurate and likely to have problems a quality quartz unit will never have.

Chris

ps that Ferrari being discussed on the board the last few days is absolutely gorgeous. I don't care if teeny tiny hamsters make it run.

Good God, this was supposed to be put in general discussion. I'm sorry.

Hey all. I still haven't connected with Neil, though I see someone else who posted a plea for TTK managed to cadge a response. So, a question. Do his photobucket pix represent watches which he can procure or is that limited to the ones delineated in his dealer section (at the moment a Chopard). Maybe I've simply been asking for something which he doesn't have. Thanks for any answers.

@thatgrip......it's not you......it's me......

Give me a clue as to the cotent of your mail......I've just finished answering about 120 e-mails this morning.......sometimes.....you're just at the back of a queue......but I usually get around to them all.....please also bear in mind that because of my condition...( diabetes )....some days my motor will sputter and not start....( people who have diabetes will know what I mean by that )........it makes life difficult.....fortunately they are only watches...and nobody loses a limb f you don't get an answer.....

You have warned many folks that your box is always full and that life is not merely selling watches. Since I don't need to be coddled by a large breasted woman and told the watch I want makes me super awesome, your methods are just fine. I wasn't actually fishing for a response from you but rather trying to figure out from those in the know how often to email, etc so as not to [censored] you off. I'd rather get a watch at some indeterminate point down the line from someone whose reputation is righteous than anything else.

Anyway, the watches I dig are the 200 and 74 (black, yes?). I'm wondering about cost. Beyond that I'll pack the moneybookers account with wampum and send it to Thailand. Thanks for the response and perspective. Your diabetes is, say, about 5 million times more important than my watch purchase.

Should I email you again with a specific subject line which you'll recognize, so as not to give my address out to the rest of the freaks on this board?

Thankfully,

ThatGrip

I think the question speaks for itself. Who moderates the dealer review section and why was my topic removed? If there was a technical error, fine. But the discourse begun by me is absolutely germaine to dealing with Neil. For those who wish to purchase from him, my experience delineated in the body of my message in his review section spurred discussion, the general idea behind a message board. If the topic was removed in error, please put it back.

sincerely,

Chris

I should have done a little poking around. I see the topic was moved to general discussion. I will say, however, that I felt when I posted the question a few days ago it should be slated in TTK's section as I was in a roundabout way, reviewing his business practices. As a potential purchaser, the place I look for just such information is going to be the dealer reviews. Anyway, sorry for the bristling.

Grip

I think the question speaks for itself. Who moderates the dealer review section and why was my topic removed? If there was a technical error, fine. But the discourse begun by me is absolutely germaine to dealing with Neil. For those who wish to purchase from him, my experience delineated in the body of my message in his review section spurred discussion, the general idea behind a message board. If the topic was removed in error, please put it back.

sincerely,

Chris

Uh... Too late? Just kidding New Guy; here's your answer:

That's just Neil. He's kind of like a tornado, lightning, or the lottery. He may quite simply never answer your emails. That's just the way it goes. I've bought from him without issue, and I have also been occasionally completely ignored. You've got to sort of get into a 'Zen-thing' with Neil; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU. People get into trouble with TTK when they actually expect something other than a watch they've purchased (which in my experience he delivers without fail). Keep trying, don't obsess, find other watches from other dealers, and if he gets in touch, great; you'll get a fantastic watch. If not, don't take it personally - it's not you or anything about you.

Hope that helps.

Excellent advice. I'd prefer to deal with Neil as he obviously walks the walk as a dealer. I was actually contemplating attempting to shoot him cash through moneybookers to get his attention. If I included the watch # in a message attached to the money, perhaps a month hence the guy in the FEDEX/UPS/DHL truck would spring at me with a package that smells like Bangkok and Scotch. Anyway, I guess Zen it is. I'll begin by centering my chakra.

Thanks.

NO soup for you!

/Tim

Well said. I got a good chuckle out of that.

So, I've been attempting to buy a watch (or two) from Neil for a couple of months now. Once I got the protocol straight on what to include in emails to him, I emailed on a few occasions spaced apart by a week or so each. Then I waited a month + and tried again. No response, nada. What the f*(k? I'm a good guy; I love my wife and kids; I don't go on boards and screw with people. And I got a moneybookers account and included the fact in my last email, so as to indicate my level of seriousness. Assuming I've followed the rules, why can't I buy a watch or at least get an fyi email regarding same?

Please, before you respond, I don't want this thread to turn into a [censored] and moan session about TTK. Having read a good deal on the board, I am painfully aware the man has defenders like lap dogs and detractors with translucent skins. I don't give a rats ass about how great or what a POS he is. I want honest discourse. I've meted out respect and deserve the same.

Chris

TTK has indeed been experiencing some internet difficulties but has managed to log on intermittently and I'm sure his beady eye will fall upon this thread soon. Patience me lad.

JTB

Thanks for the response. I'm not attempting flippancy. The quake is not funny; my circumstance is, rather. I'll hang around the girl's locker room for awhile until the smoke clears.

Again, thank you all.

Pug (& others),

I don't want to be presumptuous; but here I am again, requesting advice about ordering from the venerable TTK. Having examined the Rules of Ordering (courtesy of jraines87 who answered my plea for the TTK how-to-order guide) I followed Neil's requirements to the letter, and sent off a request for 2 watches. "This time", thought I, "I can't miss." I might still be a few chromosomes short of full, but I can follow directions. Unfortunately since smoke signals are now the preferred method of communication in the Orient since the earthquake, I might as well have eaten my order and tried to contact Neil telepathically. Maybe then he'd puke up my request and fulfill it.

So, anybody have an idea whether Neil is in an order fulfillment mood given his communication purgatory? If he's amenable to receiving, how should I go about it? Junking up his new support page would be rude. And I don't want to willie nillie try to contact him on the board. There you have it. As people are trying to patch together what remains of their lives post earthquake, I'm trying to buy a watch so I can look cool. Americans Are narcissistic.

cheers,

Chris