TeeJay

Absolutely awesome watch To a 'civilian', it would pass as the real thing To someone who 'knows the brand', it's identifiably fake... But to anyone who appreciates watches, it's fun to spot the tells, and still looks good

That's a real shame your grandfather felt unable to press charges, but chances are karma settled the guy's hash for him at some point Thanks for bringing up such an interesting topic

I hope karma settled the hash of whoever did that to your granddad. Reps are reps, but they can still be enjoyed 'as watches'. The first time I saw a Rolex, I was about 11 years old, and a friend bought his dad's Rolex into school. It was gold, and on a presidential bracelet. I'm a bit fuzzy on if it was a DD or a DJ, but I think DD. My friend let me wear the watch during a maths lesson (We were both interested in watches at this age) but by the end of the lesson, my wrist had a rash around it where the watch had rested. I've not worn or touched gold since. I'm not sure if it was a rep or gen (it would not have surprised me if it was gen) but it was my first exposure to Rolex as a brand.

I wouldn't say I get it all the time, but my wife feels that the money I spend on watches could be better spent, and my father in law is just a philistine who worships the Quartz, so finds great pleasure in mocking any slight failure of a mechanical movement... (one of these days, I'm going to use a Sub as Bond did in OHMSS and see how he likes it then ) Only my mother in law understands

Very elegant

That's definitely the design with the most variation in colors/finishes that I can think of from the PAM ranges

Sorry I don't have a better picture to kick this off with, but I can't find my digital camera anywhere, so am left with just the camera on my iPhone... Same watch as last night, but I put a few scuffs onto the insert just to help blend it in better to the rest of the case. Not totally hardcore vintagising, just enough to make it look like it picked up a few dings at the same time as the rest of the case Have a great weekend, amigos

Apparently, 'bog wall graffiti' is where the name 'Spandau Ballet' was discovered. Always amusing to read the musings of 'bog seat philosophers', although it's normally pretty predictable

A bit 'off the menu' for me, but that does sound like an awesome sandwich

Any time

I'm not normally one for flowers, but that's one gorgeous specimen

Those're some spectacular photos, bro, thanks for taking the time to share

Thanks, R I was in two minds about it at first, but I really like the red quarter I've seen inserts sold on the Bay as 'Tudor Submariner' inserts, but with the same red/black split, as on a Coke GMT II... I'm not sure how accurate they are, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to do this, even if just temporarily, but now it's done, I'm rather liking it, and at least the insert has a little history itself, in its source

I was looking in a drawer for an old wallet, and found a plastic Submariner I picked up in Spain a few years back. I know I've just ordered a replacement black insert for this watch, but, seeing the plastic sub, I couldn't stand the bleach-stripped insert any longer, so performed a transplant It's not perfect, but, I actually quite like it... It certainly makes the watch 'feel complete' at last (even if not necessarily finished ) I'm now actually considering doing a little gentle vintaging work on it, and keeping this insert in place, as I really like the red quarter... From this, earlier in the day: To this now... What do folks think?

Any time I'm still thinking about adding a Rubberstrap Safari to my collection when funds allow, thanks to your awesome diving shots

Very nice, bro

An awesome watch, which is still on my list And still on my wrist: Might the vintage sub have been ousted from the top spot...?

I certainly know that feeling. The other day, I treated myself to an$8.50 bezel insert for a project watch I'm working on, and given how dire my financial circumstances are, that $8.50 might as well have been $850, as the impact financially was about the same. But, there comes a point when, no matter how dire circumstances are, you just have to treat yourself to something just as a reminder that there's more to life than worrying about money... This is a truly awesome community, and once you've been here a while, I think you'll come to see that community in action Amigo, everything needs more cow bell *insert cowbell clip here*

Not quite my taste, but from an artistic point of view, absolutely fantastic work The photo's not loading for me, but I like the sound of it

Even I have my limits Abuse to the case is one thing, and aging of the dial, again, no problem, but real damage like that, a little too extreme for me

If it wasn't for the damage to the dial, I think I would really like that I'm all for a little 'character' in a watch case, but that kind of damage to the dial... That's going just a bit too far for my taste The actual color combinations though, look really nice

Thanks for the feedback Even though I haven't experienced a 'gen' movement, (and I can't remember how smoothly the Swiss movement in my first Sub wound ) I did notice a definitely difference in the feel of winding the Seagull movement in my wife's DJ, compared to some of the other cheap Subs/GMTs I've owned. Definitely a more solid feeling movement, just an irony that it decided to self-destruct after falling from her wrist Would you say Alpha watches were worth considering as parts donors, or as watches on their own right, or do they give the feeling of something 'trying to be' something branded? (where at least the reps are trying to stick closely to the original)