fraggle42

Cheers bud. If you like them, I'd just get one. They're not all that expensive for a nice gen, they are €398 direct from Laco and look far better in the flesh than my quick pics show them. https://shop.laco.de/en/Classics/Laco-Used-Look-861785.html

QC pics are for you to verify that the watch in the QC pics looks exactly like the watch in the pics on the dealers website. When you chose the watch you will have looked at the dealers website and looked at watches. Each watch on the website has multiple photos showing you closeups of the watch from all sides, and probably the strap / bracelet and the insides of the watch. The QC pics are to make sure the watch is the correct one, the strap is correct, the dial, hands, bezel are all correct and the right colour, check that no numbers or markers have fallen off the dial, that there are no dings or scratches on the watch or bracelet, these are no marks or scratches or missing paint on the dial or bezel. Think of it the same as checking round your new car before you drive if off the dealers lot. The dealer calls you to tell you it has been delivered and is ready to be collected, so you get a lift down there, finish the paperwork and then walk around the car a few times, looking for stone chips or any other damage, checking it's got the correct wheels, check out the inside to check the seats, that it has all the options that you specified, that there's no accident damage, etc. If there is something in the QC pics that has you worried, post those QC pics and state your concerns and we'll have a look and say what we see.

I suspect that Mike may have sent that 6538 to Nanuq before you got it, who tested it almost to destruction, left it out in the sun for 500 years, threw it into half a dozen BBQs, and then tied it to a tow rope and dragged it behind his car whilst driving all the way back to Mike to be posted on to you. Poor thing!

That jumping 1/5th a second hand bugs the hell out of me! Could not live with that.

Run away! Run away NOW! First this Pam (nice, BTW), then another, then a couple more, then a couple of straps, then your first super rep ($500+), then you fancy frankening one. And it's at this point that you are so far down the slippery slope and going so fast. Ah well, best to just buy the 80 watch box to start with, but get ones that are stackable

From the photos it almost looks like they have just squeezed the ends of the links shut to hold in the pin? If so you can probably bend one side open on two adjacent links and remove the bars, remove one link and put back together. Very cheap! Or an alternative that I would consider is getting another cheap bracelet or mesh from eBay. They are cheap enough and can be adjusted normally.

I'm already half deaf, don't want to end up half blind as well!

Well, depends on which model Mike. Some oil filled got to go back, some argon filled with moisture capsule, some argon filled, those should ideally go back but if your favourite smith services them you lose the argon - doesn't affect the watch. Yes, it prevents corrosion but look at 50 year old watches and see which are corroded - the ones that haven't been looked after, all the ones that have been services are OK I think. I looked at Doxa but they just don't do anything for me, too orange LOL

Haha! Thank you, why do cats so love to start cleaning and preening whenever a camera comes near them? That or they turn round, look at you and then decide to investigate the camera, sniff, sniff, sniff, ruining the "natural" shot you wanted to take LOL

Heh, yeah £1393 ecluding VAT and shipping, so $2350 plus shipping plus local taxes to you, so something like this http://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/Sinn-U1-on-Strap-p379.htm will be cheaper. We usually find that anything in the US and UK, the price in $ is just the same figure with the $ removed and a £ added!!

Stainless? They're 'avin a laugh! The U1 is a gen, from here:- http://www.pageandcooper.com/sinn-u1-tegimented-metal-bracelet/ Cheaper than anywhere else and got the tegimented clasp on the rubber thrown in (usually £190) The other place in the UK who is an authorised dealer, Chronomaster Ltd, told me that "The U1 doesn't come fully tegimented, you need to use a tegimented braclet from another watch and it doesn't properly match in colour" which is [censored] - so I emailed him back saying something like "Thanks for telling me that you've got a standard U1 in stock that you really want to shift, but saying that rather than lying would have been better. Tara!"

Sunday, sitting on the sofa doing physio, looking out the window at the lovely weather! (the plaster is 50cm long and goes right over my knee - had kneecap retrospectively resurfaced + back plate put on it)

When shopping with the TDs it is better to email the "top dog" first and just say what watch you want, exactly (and by that I mean colour of dial, case, bezel (if there are options), bracelet or strap, clasp, etc, etc, say where you are and exactly what postal service you recommend. If there is anything you are not clear on, ask here like you have done, or ask the TD. Once you have everything sorted exactly between you and the TD, ask the TD exactly what you need to order and where from their website. As an example of newbie cluelessness and not asking the TDs at the start, my first two rep watches I ordered with shipping via the UK. I mean, I live in the UK, so I want them sent to the UK obviously! The website explanation of this "UK shipping" was terrible and I didn't realise it meant via the UK and then onwards to somewhere else, so that wasted $35 (that I had as a credit note for the next order). So it's like anything else really, good communications are the key to everything running smoothly.

I know lots of modders names but their locations... My geography is worse than a drunken sloths so I'll let the others chime in!

89 EACH! Are they solid gold? Just ordered a Sinn U1 and triple checked the bracelet and strap will fit me, it's all tegimented and matching links are available so not a problem. I think the standard bracelet will fit 8.5", strap a bit longer.

I would imagine with any gen movement, or serviced rep movement, the chrono can happily be left running and the chrono gears, etc, will just wear at the same rate as the timekeeping gears, etc. I don't imagine in anything but the cheapest chinese clones would they make the chrono components out of a lower quality metal than the timekeeping components. However the part of the mechanism that starts and stops the chrono it will only be designed for so many operations, so if you are constantly starting and stopping the chrono these parts will wear quicker than intended and will wear out before the rest of the watch, and in the case of bad or cheap rep movements with not so good tolerances and cheaper metals being used, (but exactly the same design and thickness of materials as gen), they may fail very quickly. I don't have any experience and am not yet skilled enough to know common problems in rep 7750s for example, but if I get a rep chrono movment I'll try to limit myself to use it once or twice a week. (and I mean pushing the buttons, I'm happy to leave it running) If I know I'll be needing to time something I usually make sure I'm wearing my Bulovia 1/1000s chrono quartz watch, or one of the other gens.

Mike I'm sorry mate but I don't have any BTR links spare. The third one I had to get came from a dealer on Chrono24, one link for about £35!

You can either take the outer AR off completely, or get the AR redone. Search this forum for information on how to remove AR (involves chemicals and a lot of elbow grease). Getting the AR redone it will probably be easier to send the watch head to one of the modders who does AR and get them to do it, although you can save money by taking the crystal out yourself if you're happy dismantling the watch.

Sorry, I was referring to 'mtbkr65's post that has either an invisible cat, or a very doggy looking cat

<looks up Toygers> Awww! CUTE! (but I still prefer bengals, my next cat will be a bengal or two)

Thanks guys for the confirmations. I'm a software (and hardware) engineer and when someone says something like this that isn't right, part of my mind just goes "Uh? Something not right!" and I'll work through it myself for fun.

Coca-cola, back left. Don't ask me why, just something about it, and the others, in rep form, never get frankened anywhere near as Rolex's.

I was thinking about this because I read the comment ("chronos drain power") and thought "The mainspring cannot somehow "unwind faster" or the spring "uncoil faster" as everything is connected by gears to the balance wheel, the gears are fixed in relation to each other by meshing teeth, so WTF are they on about?". Excuse my ramblings if this is of no interest to you Having thought about this, unless they are massively simplifying things, or there are multiple clutches at work somewhere, it's simply cobblers! A fully wound mainspring can unwind through 'X' rotations, with 'Y' torque available at the start, and 0 torque available when it is completely unwound. The watch movmement requires 'P' torque to run it. The chronograph requires an additional 'Q' torque to run it. 'P' plus 'Q' (if the chrono is running) is the total amount of power required to run the watch. The power supply has somewhere between 'Y' and 0 torque available, dpending how fully wound it is. If the chrono isn't in use, when 'Y' is greater than 'P' the watch runs. If the chrono is in use, when 'Y' is greater than 'P'+'Q' the watch (and chrono) runs. Consider the case with the chrono running, the watch will run until Y = P+Q. (technically Y < P+Q but we know that the system is only loses power (it unwinds) and making this tiny change doesn't affect the outcome and stops my brain imploding) If you now stopped the chrono, Q can be removed from the equation:- (Y)-Q = (P+Q)-Q Y-Q = P and If Y-Q = P, and Q is positive and not zero, Y must be > P, meaning that there is enough torque available to run the watch part by itself and the watch will start running again. So I would say it is better to say that running the chrono places a greater demand on the mainspring, but if you stopped the chrono at the exact moment the mainspring could not provide the required torque of the watch + chrono, it would remove the extra power demanded by the chrono and so carry on running and run for just as long as if you had never, ever used the chrono. I.E. if your watch has a 48 hour power reserve, playing about / using the chrono as much as you like within the first 36 hours will not change anything, if you then stop using the chrono the watch will still run for the same length, 48 hours. Or put another way, when you fully wind a main spring it has way, way more power than is required to just run the watch, and the chrono is just putting some of that excess power to a good use rather than letting it go to waste. If the excess is not used it is just wasted trying to throw the balance around with far more energy than is needed, with an end result that the energy is converted into heat in the balance spring, impulse pin, oil, wear and tear, etc.

I think if it was a good make, and the dial was mis painted and slipped through QC (how???!?) it would be recognised as being very rare immediately and would go straight into someones safe, and would be in immaculate condition. It's not some slight, tiny mistake you can't see is it?