TeeJay

Good input! I have never considered VC before, because I thought they make only old fashioned watches. This dial is sweeeeeet.

Here's a link to the review I wrote on it 3 years ago

Vacheron Constantin Overseas... I couldn't stand wearing it myself, but it sounds just like what you're after

Cheers TeeJay. Thats what i have already done. Hopefully its just a snag with the delivery.

Something else to consider, is that even if the tracking number is accurate, there might be issues with the website itself. Every time I try to log in to Cousins site to look for parts, it crashes every browser I have open, so never rule out an issue with the site itself Also worth bearing in mind, is how sloppy the UK postal service can be at times...

There're transitional subs, so why not a transitional/hybrid Daytona I like the sound of it I'm not sure how it would work, but I do like the sound of it

Not too sure on delivery times from France to the UK, but I know things get from the UK to there in a few days. Might be worth confirming the tracking number with the seller, as there could have been an entry error... Best of luck for a happy resolution

I'm going to go out on a limb and say gen

It's been a hot day today, and the weather's expected to stay this way at least till the weekend, so the tropic-style strap is getting a proper field test Most comfortable silicon strap I've worn, and nowhere near as sweaty as the flat-backed one I had last year (and somehow lost )

thats actually a good try....................... mine went waaaaaay off chart.

Thanks What happened with yours? What techniques were you using?

I'll be totally honest, I don't like the white dial at all with the GMT. Historically speaking, yes, very cool, but on a purely aesthetic level, it just doesn't do it for me. Plus, given the rarity of the watch as well, if being called out or having to explain the watch is any kind of fear, the watch becomes unwearable... Just my .2c

Oh and re: gaming machines. Video cards dont matter a hoot. Unless you do video editing or motion graphics. Even then they dont matter much.

If shes using illustrator, indesign and photoshop, then money is better spent on ram.

+1

I quite agree. The only reason I had a custom-built gaming machine a few years back, was because although I wasn't using them for games, I was leaving it turned on about 18 hours a day, using it for the majority of that time, and found that 'regular' PCs couldn't stand that kind of use without overheating. The computer I had built was built to the specs of an Alienware gaming PC, so while it was designed for very intensive work for a few hours without overheating, it was quite capable of running regular operations for much longer periods without overheating. In the end, the harddrive packed up after about 5 years, and I bought a refurbed PC rather than rebuilding as that was the cheapest option (and the modern components were better than what had originally been installed) but I must admit, that gaming machine ran smooth as silk with whatever I needed it to do

I'm not really into computers or their specs, I just use them, and know what I need them to do, but, I do have some advice on the subject.

Anything built for gaming, would be an excellent choice, as it provides fast processor, excellent graphics card, and sometimes most importantly, the ability to be run (especially if only using it for graphics, net access etc etc) near 24/7 with no fear of overheating. If desk top publishing (I love that old skool term) is not going to be a crucial aspect of your daughter's course, then the ability to use the computer for graphics is not such a key priority, so neither is screen size. If it might be, then she is going to need a decent screen to be working on. I haven't yet used a laptop which had a suitable screen for actual graphics work (quick photoshop tweaks, maybe, but certainly not for projects running into several hours) my current monitor is 22ins across the diagonal... Windows7 is an awesome package, and very versatile, certainly the best windows OS I've used since Windows 98 (I hated 2000, XP and barely tolerated Vista) I've been running a downloaded version, which recently, suffered the black screen of death, and a "You might be using counterfeit software" message, but, not only did the OS continue to function (albeit with a black desktop) but the online treatments solved the problem, and it is back running at full capacity as usual I hope those bits might be of help

TeeJay-

Aging components is like making soup from ingredients you have never seen before.

All that is really required is optimism and you have proven it.

It looks fine to me and will only get better.

If you look at some of the really old gens which come up for auction, you will see how close you are.

Keep at it.

Carl

Thanks indeed I've seen photos of a pair of 6200s, where the lume application is really sloppy, I think I just had a different idea in my mind for how I wanted the dial to come out, and it doesn't quite match that goal Still, I'll pick up some matte varnish at the end if the week, and see how much of a difference changing the texture from gloss to matte makes

Never heard of it before, but then again, a few weeks ago I'd never heard of the bubblebacks with the Cali dials, so always good to see a new face

Thanks for the kind words, Teejay, I am heartily impressed with it, if I can't find an insert I'm not going to worry too much, it doesn't look as bad in the flesh, but I would like to change it if I can.

Any time Give it 24 hours, and see how you feel about the insert, it might grow on you If not, I'm sure someone will be able to point you in the direction of a suitable insert

That watch is is a real beauty, and the forerunner of the Planet Ocean, excellent aquisition I'm not too sure where you might source a new insert, but I'm sure they're available somewhere

I don't think I'd ever try that! Very good first attempt, you'll be a pro in no time! Go down to the hobby shop and buy a can of Testors "Dull Kote". It's a flat clear that's used on military models after decal application since decals need to go over a smooth glossy surface and tanks ain't s'posed to be shiny!

That's my plan, bro, I'm hoping that a spray of matte varnish will give the finish I was aiming for (and would have had, had my can of matte varnish not clogged up ) The worst that could happen is if there was to be a reaction between the paint and the varnish, and then I'd just have to strip the dial anyway If it works, I'll wind up with parts for a new spare watch so I don't have to endure the 1655, if it doesn't work, I'll wind up with parts for another project

hi TJ! Kudos for giving it a good shot. Alot of us wouldnt even get this far This is just one small learning step to improvement when you try your next one. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the encouragement, amigo I used the edge of a piece of paper to apply the second markers, next time, I'll use tracing paper to get an even finer line, and I'll definitely use matte varnish, I think impatience got the better of me this time

My aunt just posted these on her facebook page, so I thought I'd share

You did a lot better than what I would have done. Trying this kind of this for the first time makes you appreciate folks like Zig and Vaccuum who do such an expert job of it. I'll bet with a little practice, you would get a lot better at it.

Cheers

Thanks, dude, and as you say, practice makes perfect There're some aspects of it I'm really happy with, such as how the paint/ink reacted under the top coat, and I'm happy with the luming work I've done, it's just the roughness of the edges of the markers, which was from when I removed the original paint, and just couldn't touch up perfectly, and the color mismatch on the second markers which is bugging me... Oh well, maybe I'll just keep it and build a 5513 as a spare rather than my 1655

Im not much of a authority on Rolex dials but what I see looks good to my eye. If It's the "vintage" look you were shooting for I think you found It, thanks for sharing bro Mike

That's kind of you to say, bro, but I'm not happy with how rough the finish is around the edges of the markers, and to be honest, even the replaced second markers annoy me because of the difference in color. Next time, (if there is a next time) I'll be sure to match the paint properly, rather than just 'making do'... To be fair, hiding it behind a watch crystal definitely makes an improvement, I might give it a stay of execution till I can get more matte varnish, and then decide what to do with it

I've had this dial for quite some time, as it was originally intended to be part of a project, which for reasons I won't go into here, is simply not going to happen anymore. It was one of the typical faux-vintages available with the yellow paint on the markers which doesn't look particularly old, so my intention was always to re-finish the dial. To that end, I scraped the paint from the markers down to the bare brass, and then re-filled with matte white paint, topped with Revell Night Color (I also had to tidy up some of the edges of the markers with matte black, from where the screwdriver slipped and removed black dial paint Some of that 'restoration' work was more successful than others... In addition to this, I had to re-apply the markers at 39 seconds and 54 seconds. I'm happy with the work I did on that, but not with the paint I used, which I could probably have better matched had I the time and patience. Another process, was to randomly 'paint' the dial with black marker pen. My hope, was that once sealed with matte varnish, the different paints/marker inks would have given an interesting aged effect. Sadly, I didn't have any matte varnish, so had to use clear gloss spray paint instead, which I'm not particularly satisfied with due to the incorrect surface finish, so I might re-spray when I get more matte varnish, alternately, I might just strip the dial entirely and apply a Snowflake decal Here it is

all hail the almighty bead blasted skyland !

Damn, that looks top notch Looks like it's been carved from stone or something

+3 on the link... I've found this one, but it's still more than $29.

Nice work, bro

The big hand and the little hand says it's beer o clock :drinks: