TeeJay

That's looking absolutely awesome A fine project indeed

Thanks for the feedback, guys, I cannot take any credit here, as all the construction of this dial was done by R. He just sent me a couple of uncut transfers incase I wanted to play around with them myself, the dial arrived fully finished, and fixed to the brass backing disc All I did, was cobbled together a photoshop version of the dial layout, which he then refined into the final prints

Okay, I'm sure you all remember Slartibartfast's awesome Ranger dial project, well, since then, Slartibartfast and I have been in collaboration to explore the medium of dial transfers as a viable substitute dial. Given the recent popularity of Tudors, and as the previous project had been a Ranger, it made sense to stick with the Tudor theme, and in the end, we wound up going with a no-date Snowflake dial. The process of producing the dial, Slartibartfast documented in his above linked tutorial/pictorial, so all I am doing here, is reviewing the dial 'as a product', and presenting it to the community as a fun project, which has given very good results Any questions, I would suggest to direct to Slartibartfast, as he is the one who actually brought this all to fruition, I was merely a sounding board and reviewer. While Slartibartfast has very kindly gifted me the dial reviewed, that has not in any way biassed my view of the dial, because I am genuinely impressed by the finished result, and would have given a positive review even if the dial was not to remain in my possession. Onto words and pictures (who remembers that old classic? ) The actual face of the dial, is, as in the above linked tutorial, a high-quality print onto water transfer paper. Here are a couple of 'raw transfers' so people can see how they look 'coming off the line', to bear in mind when comparing to the actual finished dial... Here's a better shot to show the clarity of the printing... After application, the dial was painted with luminous paint (not superlume, although I can only imagine how awesome a superlumed dial would look) and then sprayed with matte varnish. While I have been told that the transfer would not withstand getting wet, and that the edge can be a weak point, for the transfer to potentially seperate from the base dial, I can honestly say that I found no such problems when installing the dial. While I handled the dial gently during installation, I did not treat it any more gently than I would any other dial transplant, and there was no issue whatsoever. Here's a few shots to comparing the dial to a Silix Vintage dial. Personally, I think the quality is comparable. The varnish gives the dial an awesome texture, the text is clearly and crisply printed, and I think it looks fantastic Here it is installed on the movement (I decided not to go with the destro setup in the end, as I just wasn't feeling it) And all cased up... I am not happy with the condition of the watch case, as I really want to get a black insert back in place, but at the moment, it's financially not an option, so I'm making do with the bare metal. That said, while I was not over happy with the condition of the NATO sub 24 hours ago, I am now thoroughly overjoyed with it, and would be happy to wear it publicly, even though it is still quite some way from accurate to the gen... From this point on, please excuse the condition of the crystal, as it obscures the clarity of the dial, but to the naked eye, on the wrist, the dial is incredibly clear and easy to read. Certainly the clearest Rolex dial I've seen, and on a line with Panerai clarity/ease of visibility. Could this be to do with the square indices being more noticeable to the eye than circular ones? I don't know... Either way, on the wrist, the dial is very easy to read at a glance With its equally vintaged blood-brother: Standing proud: And a final wrist shot As above, 'happy' does not begin to cover how pleased I am with the dial, and what an awesome start it has gotten my Snowflake project off to. Slartibartfast is a true gentleman, and collaborating with him on this project has truly been a pleasure R, thank you again for your generosity in gifting me the dial, it really is very much appreciated, and if you'd care to add a few words about the production of the dial and the issues overcome, please feel free

Something a little different for me today A review is to follow shortly, but for now, here's a teaser

Certainly the darkest day of my life, and one which cost many dearly. I lost a good friend on that day, and very nearly a cousin, but what really shook me, when talking to other friends, was how they had also lost relatives and parents. At first, it seemed strange how something on the other side of the planet could not only affect me, but also people who I knew, and it was then that I realized just how small the world really is, and how we are all connected to each other on some level. It sickens me that the people who committed the acts claim to have have done so in the name of God. If they were truly religious, they would have understood how utterly forbidden their actions are. A dark day indeed, all we can do, is make sure we never forget, and pray that nothing like it happens again. May peace be upon you all.

Nothing wrong with semi-vintage, that's a fine looking watch, amigo

Ahh I'll consider myself told

Is that an OP logo on the hood?

Not much to say, other than wow I noticed you have the DSSD on NATO, out of curiosity, is it 20mm lug size?

I don't suppose there're any vacancies going there ? Just had someone enquiring about a tattoo design project, and as soon as I mentioned that I need paying, they vanished Is my work really that crap that I'm not worth paying? Time for a new career, methinks... Do you want fries with that?

Awesome outcome, bro I have to admit, I've always pronouced it 'porsh' since I was a kid, and despite knowing the correct pronunciation, I've just never been able to 'reboot' that language subroutine to say it properly Cool runnings

Thanks for the links Bucklecity is a site I'd already had a look through today, but I hadn't seen Christian Oliver's site, and there are some really nice buckles on there, thanks indeed

I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction earlier when the buckle on my favorite belt decided to break where the tang attaches... I got the belt last year on my birthday, in Spain, and worn it almost daily since. The leather is still in good condition, so I figure I'd rather put a new buckle on, rather than just get a new belt, and I wondered if anyone might be able to give me any suggestions on some good buckles? The plainer the better Here's a photo of the belt and it's existing buckle to help with matching... I quite like this one: But wouldn't wear a buckle like these guys... TIA, amigos

Nothing new here, but time for a new photo

Thanks, bro Taken on one of the best nights of my life, certainly one of the most memorable, and actually showing the GMT in full use (and a watch which has proven itself worthy for a place as one of my 'special projects' (No abuse planned this time, just 100% creativity ) ) I think it's a good job Emily was with me, as had I gone out for a night with friends by myself and gotten that drunk, I'd've been in for a roasting when I got home

Fantastic work

Here're a few of my favorite shots

I'm just sitting here stunned, and trying to thing of something, anything to actually say. "Sorry to hear", and "Get well soon", don't even begin to scratch the surface of how upset I am to hear you've been so ill, bro. I guess all I can say, is stay strong, and keep the faith One thing's for sure, and this might help, it might not, but everything you've gone through in life, and now this, well, when the time comes, you're definitely going to be getting VIP admission 'upstairs', no doubt in my mind about it. Take care of yourself, bro, and come our birthday, I'll be sure to drink one for you

Maybe they would have been more popular, if they'd had the lumed hands If I was in an AD, and saw a 6541 sitting next to a 1680, I know which I would choose

It's very easy to do. No need to touch the bezel or crystal. Just unscrew the caseback and set it to one side. If you see where the stem goes into the movement, look at the top surface of the movement, a few mm to the right of where the stem goes into the movement, and you will see a raised, round button, about a mm in diameter. All you need to do, is gently depress this button with the tip of a fine screwdriver (or something similar), and while holding the button down, gently pull the crown straight out. Simple as that Putting it back in, is just a case of reversing the process Best of luck

That looks like an awesome experience, Freddy, and thank you for sharing The other day, my wife and I were in town, and there was a busker playing, who, although not sounding exactly like that specific artist, had the same kind of 'clean cut' quality to their voice like artists like Bobby Darin, Andy Williams and Kenny Lynch, it really was like being transported back in time listening to them

Hmmm... From the look of the edges of the case, I am guessing that Part #2 is some kind of roller/bearing assembly which will enable the bezel to rotate, not freely, but with a smooth feeling of slight resistance between each 'number place'. It's hard to describe the feeling... With a sub, the bezel clicks 'sharply' from position to position, ratcheting into place. With the GMTIIC bezel, while there are 'points of pressure' while setting the position of the insert, it is all done smoothly, with none of the ratcheting of a Sub bezel... On a regular Sub bezel, Part # 4 would go into a groove cut into the inner edge of Part #1, and that is just a case of getting it all into the groove... Part # 3 is a complete mystery to me, hopefully someone else might be able to shed some light on it... I hope I've been able to provide some clarity

Now that, is a good theory

It's strange, as at least on a Sub/SD, the breakdown corresponds to the 'tens' in an hour, but on the Milgauss, it doesn't seem to have any correlation...