archibald

For me, it was a powerful reminder of three great universal truths: 1. Like many "great" objects the saga of its creation is more interesting than the object itself. 2. An attractive design has never been created by a committee. 3. The mind of a repmaker is a mysterious thing.

I'd go w/ the latest decorated-bridges/swan neck F series 111--since it has a more accurate guard than the H series, all you need is a relume, capped hands, and you'll have about as accurate of a Panerai as you can buy.

There are only two IWC's worth buying, so it's safe to say that neither of them will ever be accurately repped:

Currently I can only add 11 + 7 incomplete. So..1013.

I'd also be all over the seamaster 300 and the RO offshore. BTW, here are the PVD and Brushed versions of the muller chrono. C'mon makers--just put some round pushers on the existing case and do the dial.

It seems as though more and more folks around here are hankering to expand out top quality rep horizons beyond Rolex and PAM. I suspect, though, that the makers confine themselves primarily to PAMs and Rollies because they know they're going to sell them. since we're probably a fairly accurate sample of high end rep collectors it occurs to me that if we each list a few watches we'd like the best makers to make, a pattern might emerge which may or may not lead to a run of high-end reps different from the usual. Mine: Muller Casablanca Chrono: Asia 7750 will work fine. Omega PO chrono

I think you're getting to where I've been for a long time now--I just can't get excited over another 44mm, SS watch with locking crown guards. To some that's the be all and end all of their collecting, apparently, but it no loner feeds my beast. My own PAM malaise is, I think, is caused by seeing a bunch of sweet watches that I know could be repped just as beautifully and sell just as wellany of the next 10 44mm Luminor reps that will be produced in the near future. i bet we could all list 10 right off the top of our heads. I think those of us who love PAMS but are not obsessed with them to the exclusion of all other watches, should help the factories extract themselves from their PAM rut by not buying any more. Unless the makers start breaking new ground--a blue or anthracite dial, a Ti auto, a radiomir aside from some variant of the Black Seal, a Mare Nostrum,etc. my Panerai dollars will be spent improving the watches I already own with aftermarket parts.

You answered your own question. With his well honed powers of observation Bres3000 says : "It's as though they were Closed out of spite." I agree. In fact, that appearance is the basis of my curiosity.

The mag you're just going to have to live with for the time being--I believe the OEM 40mm PAMs use a 5mm cyclops, so we can probably count on the makers to keep using the old substandard cyclopses on the reps. Are the hands' defects really visible at actual-size? I used to have this sydrome where I'd be happy with a rep until I snapped shots to show off or ask a queation here. Then, after noticing some flaw at 165X, I wouldn't be able to wear the watch w/o worrying about the 6 micron ding on the crown guard. If it's visible w/ the naked eye at norman check-the-time distances, contact the dealer for a replacement set of hands or watch. If not, don't sweat it.

Aside from Rolex and aftermarket Panerai--parts that fit high end watches are hard to come by on ebay but they do show up. I bought a lot of 6 muller crowns over a year ago and have seen none before or since. I also saw a big pilot crown once. Keep looking. Another way to go might be to source an OEM deployant clasp from an AD and then find a high quality strap that fits from one of the better strap dealers, whose straps often excede OEM quality. I'm a big fan of HM-Watchband straps, which I think are of higher quality than most OEM straps (but are way pricey).

admin, I vote nay on this. I have too-many-White-Castles-wrists and there's no way I'd strap on either the 187 or the GP. Just flat out too big.

Sorry, double post.

I think there's little question that's a rep, and that the bezel is cast in gold. That's pretty easy to tell how by how shitty the casting job is. Since I'm always persuing idiotic ways to improve my reps, I've looked into having solid 18k versions cast from ss rep or OEM parts to make use of a few Maple Leafs collecting dust in my safe--I think "storing" them in sweet rep form is a much better use for the gold. They have some newish casting technology that can cast stuff like crowns, backs, and bezels with nearly the precision as milling, but it looks to me like that process was not used on that watch. Cases are pretty easy to do (as evidenced by that case) but engraved bezels are nnot.

What r11co said. My experience mimics his exactly. Went through 3 7750b1 PAM O51's before finding one that would "take" an overhaul and work fine, and i have of the asian 2892 copies which run around +/- 5 secs a day or less w/o having been serviced.

That's good news. So will OEM bezel, insert, and/or bracelet fit the 4th gen w/o mods?

i like my 40mm 51 on the bracelet, but i with it were more accurate--it should taper in the middle and then taper back out @ the buckle end, and should be more agressively brushed as per the OEM. Anyone know if any of the aftermarket bracelets have the taper?

I have a couple questions: Gran, did you lock all of the threads that are currently locked on RWG. If so, why? Who is Eric and is he currently selling watches under a different name? As a huge fan of both RWG's, the entire admin & moderating team....AND Gran I suggest that anyone who has information that contradicts gran's account come forward now, in this thread, and get the hollering over with over with so this issue can be laid to rest once and for all. If no such evidence exists all those who accused Gran of specific acts of complicity and duplicity should apologise so this issue can be laid to rest once and for all. Flame away if you have to, but the above is just a suggestion offered in good faith from someone who has enjoyed a lot of hours of diversion around here, yakking about a hobby we all love.

LOL!!! Mall-ninja. That's my word of the day. You are a poet, my friend.

I agree. We need to find out about a host of issues: locked threads being my particular ideosyncratic curiosity. Anyway, Gran: Welcome back, and my very best to you and your family!

Might want to speak only for yourself in that regard, Estaban. I'd definitely pay a Franklin for a well made strap in an interesting leather--especially if it has a cool story behind it--and I bet more than a few other RWGers would too. High end straps are IMO the single most important "Mod" on a rep both to improve apprearance and accuracy. HM straps (The best on earth bar none in my book) cost $140. Eliot and Drew's best straps are also over $100.

What a masterwork of investigative journalism from the LA Times. People missing the point of wearing a watch? Imagine that!! People with no taste? Shocking! Let me put it so even a reporter can understand: People don't wear watches solely to see what time it is. Watches are cool. Weaing an attractive/and or fine watch indicates an appreciation of time-honored craftsmanship, interesting design, and mechanical ingenuity--in other words it indicates taste. Do we really need the LA Times to tell us that a 22 year old LA kid might lack all of the above?

Don't know if this was posted on the old site but this page is pretty useful if you want to know the size, subdial configuration, and/or manufacturer of a given chronograph movement. Has pics of the movements. http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/roots-watch/...nomove.htm#polj

No need to defend yourself--but you should keep in mind that many old timers around here understand that we walk a pretty fine line and thus have zero tolerance for even the slightest hint that someone could be using reps for anything other than personal collecting. It doesn't matter for what purpose anyone wants a mod like that--and you have a right to want whatever mod you want--but posting about it here will get a reaction. Nothing personal at all. Just protecting the hobby. Just a fact of life. @ all: Pay no attention to sssurfer!!! He is mad. Proof: He wants to do another project w/ the rest of us. Seriously, I know jimmy is getting out of the biz, but I have no doubt that someone will do the following math: CNC machines have a .005mm resolution, a guard has about 10 cents worth of SS in it and many, many people bought flawed guards for $60 USD.

Thanks for the very useful infor Finepics and ubiquitous. Because I am a dope, this is for yet another muller franken--even though I haven't finished one yet because the hands do not exist on planet earth--I just bought an OEM ronde chronograph dial from the early 90's--muller made some powered by heavily decorated NOS V72's and some by the lemania 1870--I won't know which till I get it. Looks like I'm screwed either way--the subdial sapcing on the 1870 is different than the venus and 1870's are nearly impossible to find (and afford)--and if the dial is for the v72 version, I'll have to worry about the pushers or have a new case milled, keeping the bezel and back the same, which sounds really expensive. And then of course there is the same old problem----hands hands hands. Someday, though, I'll find a cheap source for custom hands. Anyway, thanks again guys.

Awesome quality, as usual, eddie!! BTW, what's with number 117? Is that the universal "this is a rep" code the signature of the factory, or what?