TeeJay

That's quite a collection, bro I would take photos of my Rolex collection, but it mostly consists of empty cases and half-completed projects The only truly wearable one, is the Snowflake Tudor, as I damaged the movement in the vintage sub yesterday through sheer laziness/clumsiness, and now the second hand moves as gravity takes it, which is part of the reason why I decided to order the 1655, rather than the DJ to continue 'project woody' I can see this being my future Rolex collection when all the projects are complete... Snowflake Submariner on NATO strap (for hot weather/extended low-light situations) Tudor Submariner (alternate beater) Wood-dialled DateJust (for 'dress situations') Black-dialled DateJust on leather strap (for more 'formal' situations) Vintage ExplorerGMT Hybrid (daily beater) GMTIICSubDweller (a project build purely for its own sake, which might not see much wrist-time ) (and whatever I can cobble together from any spare parts ) When I eventually get the LV Sub as the hand donor for my project, would you like the green insert for the 'virgin sub' on the bottom right? I wouldn't want it for anything, so if you'd like it, just let me know

You may well be right there, modding is just too much fun, but there might be a watch eventually which will remain in a 'stock condition' (or as close to stock as a home-build can be), I just think that the 1655 guts will make for a great combination with the low-profile case Thanks for the birthday wishes

Thanks indeed, amigos, I had a fantastic day, I just had to wait for some cash to clear into my account before I could get myself my birthday present (I also treated myself to some Pocari Sweat, I've had some serious cravings for that since getting back from Tokyo )

I'm rather looking forward to it myself, it's been a while since I did a decent review Having considered, I think I'm going to go with my plan to create a hybrid ExplorerGMT, mainly to maximize the functionality, but also, because the low-profile vintage case is just so damn comfortable to wear Here's the dealer's listing, it'll be interesting to see how the watch matches up to what's advertised

I have to admit, I've never actually tried using oils for painting, I never could get to grips with water color, and my skills with acrylics is 'limited', to say the least... What I really need to try my hand at, is tattooing... 100% concentration required, and almost no margin for error (I would say 0%, but sometimes, things can be 'fixable') That was the mindset I tried to have when working on my dial So consistency wise, we're talking something like hairgel? More viscous than water, but not as solidified as Swarfega? Thanks for the advice

Any time, and thanks, it was a great day

Thanks, it was a great day (last saturday) as I was able to spend the day with friends I don't get to see often I figure the cost is reasonable as a 'present to self'

I know what you mean, the other day, I'm sure I read someone asking 'who had the best budget sub' being directed to a WM9 Sub Sure, absolutely awesome watch, but certainly not what could be considered a 'budget piece' by any stretch of the imagination... I paid £35 (including shipping) for the 1655, and I have to admit, I am quite tempted to keep it in 'factory condition' (other than the aging) but, given that the 24 hour sweep hand is simply an AM/PM indicator, I think using it for a hybrid ExplorerGMT would be creating something with a wider range of functionality. As you say, at the end of they day, they're just novelties. Just 'a watch', so I guess another example of 'less [cash] is more'

That's one very nice strap

I'll be doing a write up and pictorial review when it arrives I haven't decided yet wether to simply keep the watch intact (although with some suitable vintaging, of course) or, to transplant the dial and movement into my vintage Sub case, and install a GMT bezel insert, to get something unique, and more functional

No change for me, but, here's an aspect of the strap I haven't highlighted before

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll certainly look into it

Is it a very different medium to work with, rather than simply being 'a smoother paint'? Did I once read that you said you used a palate knife for lume work rather than a brush, or am I thinking of something else? Thanks again for the feedback and encouragement, it's much appreciated

That's crazy spending bro, I don't think I can compete at all

That's a really interesting effect I like how it looks, but as above, I think I would consider that time to replace the crystal when it gets to that condition

If anything needs pinning, it's the Dudemeister's thread, as he had a much better outcome than my attempt

Thanks indeed, that really means a lot coming from the Master I want to eventually 'move up' to SuperLume, my only concerns at present were the costs, and if I could actually paint accurately enough to do it. I was impressed by the luminous qualities of the Night Color that Slartibartfast used on the Tudor Snowflake dials, (not lightsaber-bright, but certainly a decent duration of visibility, and ideal for my needs) so I figured a bottle of that wouldn't break the budget for a trial run Here's a photo of the hands I lumed at the same time as the dial, but forgot to photo yesterday. I guess a Tudor GMT will be a required project at some point

That would be much appreciated, bro I think I've got the basic technique figured out, it's just a case of getting fine enough control (possibly with a smaller brush/oiler/whisker ) and getting the right luming material, possibly to get a 'smoother paint'. Grinding the Night Color certainly made things easier, it'll be interesting to get round to other lume matierials in the future Many thanks I think I got to the point where I realized I should give it a go and see how I got on, just incase I ever needed to do it in the future That's definitely what I'm thinking, but it gives me a clear goal to aim for, in terms of technique I didn't take any photos (but can do so tomorrow) but I also re-lumed a set of GMT hands, one of which, being my DIY 'Lollipop' hour hand. I was actually surprised at how easily the lume suspended itself across the gap, the surface tension of the paint must be pretty good Thanks amigo, but I'm no dailmeister, I wouldn't even say a 'gifted amateur', just someone who got lucky So far, the dial passes the 'two foot rule', but I won't be happy with my work until it can stand up to close scrutiny It's funny just how snappy Rosie can be, as with me, she's like the white Persian in the Bond movies and never bites, but any time my mother in law tries to pick her up (and she is really her cat) she always gets bitten

When I first did the 'mental re-shuffle', it would have been my Omega 2531.80, which was bought with inheritance money from my gran, but as that's been sold off, I don't want to buy another, as I think I would just feel that it was a 'substitute' for that one... I think now, it would probably be a red and black GMT Master II. All the looks of a sub, but with the added bonus of the GMT function, and the color variation of the insert I think either that, or another Yacht-Master. My last one wound up in pieces, but as it had no sentimental value, I'd be quite happy to have another The 3-D bezel insert makes for a really interesting variation on the regular 'Sub theme', and the watch looks great for formal or casual dress, so actually pretty versatile Thinking about it, I'd say the Yacht-Master is definitely the 'One Watch' I would have, if I had to be limited, simply because it would go with a wider wardrobe, and the GMT function isn't truly a necessity, even when traveling

She adopted me as 'her human' as soon as I met my wife. One thing's for sure, she's got character Thanks for the offer, bro, I have a few spare dials lying about already (flat vintage and 'raised' modern) so I'm okay for practice materials, but the offer is very much appreciated I figure if I keep practicing on flyers and magazine pages, that'll hone the skill for when I come to work on a dial I saw a budget IWC Twin Crown watch a while back, which I liked the look of, except for the yellow lume on the hand and bezel. If I could get my skill enough to re-lume the bezel, I'd be happy, and tempted to get one of the watches

Yup, that's how she rolls My mother in law can't pick her up without getting choddled on, but she never bites me

Ultimately, it was the discussions which RobbieG started about 'if you could only have one watch' which made me 'mentally restructure' my collection, even before I realized I had to sell it to pay for my wedding and reception, so now, I'm thinking along the lines of just having one watch to represent that type of watch

No major change for me

Happy to oblige