archibald

Good idea!!!

They should rep it so a Navy pilot can actually afford to wear the watch IWC is using them to market.

@ k2222: There is some kind of shittty metal used sometimes in reps--I've run into it many times in low end muller reps--the $60 specials you buy for a crown or crystal. It's definitely not aluminum but it scratches easily, doesn't shine as much or hold a polish as much as SS. I always figured it was some scrapheap grade of steel. I know there's nobody cheaper than a chinese repmaker, but I'd be shocked if any of them were that cheap. The steel has to be the cheapest component of a saphhire crystal watch and w/ CNC probably the cheapest component to produce. If some a**hole really saved $.38 buying some low grade metal (probably because it causes less wear on the tooling) it certainly doesn't do much to dispell the stereotype of chinese business people. It would be great to know what other cases came out of that factory.

LOL!! I've been ccoking with aluminum pan for....uh...never mind, I forgot what I was going to say.

And only one of those has a snowball's chance in hell of helping you get laid...

Not to sound like a d***, but if I had $500- to $1000 to spend on a gen, I wouldn't. At that level reps are nearly always a far superior value. Aside from the warranty you get with it, a $500 watch is unlikely to be significantly better than a good rep, probably won't have better fit and finish, will likely have a similar ETA movement, and will have zero brand cachet if you care about that. It just does not compute to cheapskate like me why anyone would spend $1000 on a 44mm 6497 Powered third tier branded watch when they can spend $800 on a modded watch that is effectively identical to a $4000 Panerai, or buy a collectable Seiko dive watch when the same money gets you a highly collectable modded MBK "$5000" LV that would fool almost anyone on the wrist

Brasso works, but the very best way--like 15 seconds and it's gone--is red jewelers' polish, a felt wheel, and a dremel at the lowest speed.

These threads always make me think: Every single one of them prooves that crappy reps get as as many if not more positive comments from regular folks than the ones we slave over to fix a friggin .25mm definciency in crown thickness. Every time someone compliments my $80 Muller, I wonder why I've spent over three grand on mods and parts alone this year....for a second. Then I resume thinking about what I'm going to do with my TT Daytona...

You need to find out what process was used. DLC is the most durable by far, then Ti AlN, then TiN. The agressiveness of the bead blasting also influences durability. The interesting thing I've learned recently is that the type of PVD process used is not nearly as important aesthetically as it once was. These days a specific look can be achieved by a number of different PVD processes, so I guess it's possible to have durability and an accurate color at the same time if you ever decide to refinish the watch.

Never having posted over @ Paneristi, I guess I'm in the don't care category now that the slate is reasonably clean....and my congratulations to all RWG Paneristi who wanted this to just go away for personal reasons. Looks lik eall deep covers have weathered this potential crisis intact.

Excellent mods and creative thinking, Rolli. Absolutely love the springbar idea! I agree w/ kruzer--no need to pay homage to hitler's navy w/ a unit logo, etc. Initials would be just as historically accurate anyway.

I was just about to post that...and note the TZ guy's markup is less, too. The biggest scam of all: a watch nearly identical to the modded watch you describe above except with a swiss made movement, boxes, paper, and warranty. $11,000!

hands down, muller long island crazy hours and brown-dial tag monaco get the most positive comments. PAM's get negative, but I love 'em anyway.

Great movement. I guess tourby guessed the watch, but here's another trivia question. Who sold steel watches with that exact movement in the early 90's for over $8000?

Wow...A blast from the past. I haven't seen that movement in a long time. One of my favorite early reps before I went insane about accuracy, was a Glashutte fantasy that had that movement. What always amazes me is how good the fit and finish is on some of those pieces--much better than any $100 gen I've ever seen. Wear it well before you go insane and loose a night's sleep over the color of a date wheel...don't laugh...if you hang out here long enough you will.

I have to get to work so I admit I only read the OP. Pls. forgive if what I'm writing has been said over and over in this thread. For $800, I could live w/ the minor flaws but not with the subdial spacing (which also means you're stuck w/ whatever dials are made for the rep). It's the same old problem: most people will thinkk it's a real live Rolex. The people who know what a vintage daytona is all about, would say "rep" just as fast as they would w/ a $350 rep from the Trusty Time. If I pay that kind of money, I'd want a collector to have to handle the watch and stare at it to tell it's a rep. I'd just as soon give the cartell $350 for a watch that would fool the same 99.9% of the people as this one would...or I'd spend the money and do a great white that someone would have to set the date to really tell it's a rep. But that being said--I'm insanely anal. I think if a factory made them they wouldn't loose money. After all, less accurate reps sell for close to that money every day.

That's good news. I was worried since I've held in my hand items that another member purchased form mark that exactly match ltz's description (aside form the 36).

Roadster is powered by the 2894. Subdial spacing, pusher position, and seconds position would all be instant tells in a 7750 version.

I wish I would have gotten off my lazy ass to do it, not that I'm capable of doing any better...I just wish the poster would have opened with something like, "I'm a regular poster on rep boards, so feel free to disregard everything I'm about to say...but do so at your own peril. I'm not here to debate, defend, or disrupt.. I'm here to settle a score and hopefully save many of you future headaches and a few of you a lot of money." And then tell the story of mark. no links. no "finepics". Just facts. Those guys may be elitists, but I guarantee that anyone who's earned the disposable income to buy 10 overpriced gens understands the concepts of score settling and favors, which is exactly what outing Mark is.

Can you please PM me re: your Cortebert pocket watch and case? Mark may not have it anymore.

Came accross this during a google search. Read the descriptions. God, I love the Internet... http://www.vikbobil.se/etapage1.html

I kind of figured this would happen when I saw the prototype--they just didn't have the skills and when it became clear to them that you weren't going to accept the half-assed crap they're accustomed to producing, they bailed. But this is all for the best--at least you weren't stuck w/ 50 dials nobody would buy. You did a great job and all of us Santos fans owe you big-time. If you do find a good dial maker, I would take one thing they said to heart. You might want to invite one of the skilled graphic artists that hang out on RWG to join your project (I know of at least 3 who do graphics for a living, and they have been very helpful to me). I bet it would be very helpful to provide any dial maker w/ a finished vector drawing...