TeeJay

Yup. Threatening Admin, trying to sell frankens (purchased from members here) as gens on eBay... Doesn't happen often, but those're two examples which spring to mind.

I would if I could, I've just got a lot on my plate at the moment, and not even enough cash to pay my own bus fair at the moment, so I won't be able to make it, but I hope everyone attending has a great time

I'd say go with WatchEden, so that's one vote for each dealer To answer your question, no, it doesn't matter, I'm sure they all have access to the same stock...

Good to see you back

There was a really cool one posted a while back for the Submariner. Something like 'remember this face' in the title, and a photo of a US Naval officer, that one was awesome

I'd suggest getting comfortable with decasing the movement first of all. Then maybe with swapping the dial and hands. Those're the basics from which all future mods will spring from and depend upon. Best of luck, and enjoy your journey, you'll soon be doing things to your watches you never thought possible previously

Very nice work As mentioned above, you'll feel so much more satisfaction if you complete the project and fix the issues yourself, rather than sending it out to someone else There's nothing in this hobby as satisfying as being able to look down at your wrist, and think "I built that!"

But not a rep, or the Paneristi will nail it to a tree

And of course, the very first, 1954 6200 Not even called a Submariner

Sorry to hear that, good vibes are on their way

I see what you mean there, afterall, the movement in a budget PAM is pretty much the same as the movement in the Swiss version (and possibly even the real thing) it's only when dealing with stuff like exotic hair springs that the movement can be considered to be superior to the regular version I have to admit, I never thought of it in terms of the cost 'paying the wages' of the endorsing celebs, I wonder what percentage they get out of each sale You're quite right about the exclusivity being a perception, I recal someone once said on forum that essentially anyone with a moderately well paid job could afford a decent watch Of course, I doubt saving the McWages for a gen Sub would ease the sting of having to say "Would you like fries with that?" Thinking about it, someone who did do that would probably be called out more, because of people's misconceptions and perceptions of them/their job. I certainly know that feeling, glad to hear life's been treating you well though

I think Freddy answered the question perfectly, but, something I would like to add to that, is don't forget, the name Rolex itself. Sure, a vintage watch might look like a beaten POS to a civilian, so they'd be less likely to comment on it, and if they were, said owner might say "It's my dad's/granddad's Rolex he wore during *insert war of choice here*" and the instant the civilian hears the R-Word, their opinion of the watch will go through the roof. Not because it's old, not because it is an inherited item with sentimental value and a load of stories it could tell, but because it's 'a Rolex', and those are magic words to hear. Once, an ex-fiance who knew I liked watches, in conversation, said "One day, I'm going to buy you a Rolex." Things didn't work out, people move on, shit happens, but those words were magic. Didn't matter what model she might have one day planned on buying (at that point, I couldn't've named or distinguished between any Rolex model) what mattered, that she was going to by me 'A Rolex'. That's how civilians think of Rolex watches. Not about the history, not even about the actual value, but brand-name recognition

IMHO, it's not worth paying more for the Swiss movement. Unless your wife is actually interested in watches, she won't care as long as it tells the time, and Asian movements do that just fine Can't really suggest any different dealers for this watch, so I'll just say go with the price you like, and I'm sure all will be well

I would say 'yes', it is possible to have too many watches, but I think it depends on the person's wearing habits. If someone is to change their watch daily, or even several times a day based on their activity/wardrobe, then that allows for more variety (but probably still revolves around a few core favorites) on the other hand, others (I fall into this category) tend to wear a specific watch for a while, maybe only changing for activities or even seasonally (I'm aiming to be seasonal, but also with a daily beater, and something for more formal wear) I think as long as people are wearing the watches, then that's not too many in a collection (unless they are someone who specifically chooses to collect and not wear them, but keep them as display items) I'll look forward to other's thoughts on this aspect of watch collecting

I agree, absolutely. Higher quality grade metals and other materials, so indeed, higher production costs, and a justifiable reason to charge more. However, other than a slightly different hue and shine, the difference between the SS of a gen 16610 and a rep 16610 is something which can only be detected by either a true WIS, or a scientific destruction test, it's not something that the average watch-wearing Joe Sixpack is going to notice, let alone appreciate. This was why I wondered above, as to if that average guy on the street would be prepared to pay a little extra for the watch made from the higher quality materials, if there was no brand name involved, as they're less likely to appreciate an 'invisible' quality On another matter, good to see you posting, I hope life's been treating you well

And yet that's the crazy/fun part of this hobby... When I sold off my original watch collection, it paid for a big chunk of my wedding, that's not 'worthless', but a quantifiable cash price I would suggest that the perception is what makes something valuable/worthless. For example, the guy who had a Sub for ten years thinking it was gen, only to send it off for service to be told it was a rep... How might that watch's value have been percieved prior to the revelation? Would people have thought it was an expensive watch? Would the guy have thought it was a worthless piece of crap once he found out it was fake? All that would have changed, was his perception of the watch, the watch itself, remained the same... I agree, these watches are luxury goods, but, adding the word 'luxury' to something, while it make an item desirable, it does not automatically make it valuable. A gen Sub is simply not worth the $$ price Rolex puts on the price tag. Even our reps aren't worth the price tag the dealers assign them. What we're paying for, as you say, is the brandname, the trademark, or in this specific instance, the 'skill of the forger' to create a (near) identical copy of the coveted original

Hell yeah, it's been too long since my bro was on the forum. I know life has a way of taking over, but I still miss my bro and the pillar he brings to this community

No worries, always happy to give advice where I can I have to admit, personally, I can't see the point in buying the gen, when the reps're just as good, but to each his own, best of luck with your purchase

On topic, I can see your logic: Use the 8k to get the Rolex, then flip the Rolex, and use that cash for the PAM... Makes sense, and if you can do it, go for it. On the other hand, I would question if the gen purchase is really worth it, given the quality of reps available. Also, with regard the 8K. Credit card, line of credit, it doesn't really matter, but, would you want it if it was called a 'debt card'? Is it really work putting youself 8K into debt, just to have a watch? (when quality reps are available for much cheaper) Entirely up to you, best of luck whichever way you decide to go

That's pretty much my method too, but with dishwashing gloves

You touch on the subject of waterproofing a few times... Now I will admit, I have not had any of my watches professionally pressure tested, and I have received one watch from the dealer which leaked (the replacement did not). However, other than that, I have never had an issue with the level of water-proofing of my watches... They've been bathed/showered/swum in, all without issue. It's been said that micro-breaches in the case seals will actually close up under high pressure, so it's actually under low pressure immersions (as detailed above) that a watch is more likely to flood or fog up. With many watches, particularly the diver's watches, the very nature of the design and construction of the watches makes them water-resistant, with flooding issues down to manufacturer's flaws (which can occur in all branded mainstream items, hence why companies carry warranty) I would be the first to admit, that the a21j movement in my sub is not as nicely finished, or with as exotic materials as the movement in a gen Rolex Sub, but, it still runs at +0.5 seconds over 24 hours, so what would the added cost of the higher grade materials actually get me for my money, especially if the case surrounding the movement is identical? (as when dealers supply a watch with both Asian or Swiss movement options, and the movement being the only difference) Longevity of performance, perhaps? Well, given the cost of asian movements it's as cheap to replace them as to repair them, and of course, even the gen movements still need periodic servicing, so that kind of longevity, we're talking about in decades, rather than months and years, so to be honest, not an immediate concern

Fantastic pic

After all the goodwill people've shown, I couldn't wait to share the good news Indeed, Robin's a pretty happy little dude, wants to do Jurassic Park for real when he's older I wish I could spend more time with him, but wifey is what you might call 'the jealous type...' Yeah, really good news Absolutley, they do indeed It is indeed, many thanks