TeeJay

Thanks, amigo, although none of them are anything compared to your 168000

Many thanks, that's very much appreciated I'm looking forward to my planned 6542-inspired custom GMT the most, as I think that not only will it fit in with the more 'vintage' aspect of the collection, but it will have a lot of my creative input, so will be a truly personal piece, and one I've had on a mental back burner for over three years now The surprize, is how much the Tudor DJ is vying for everyday beater status, it's minimal, simplistic and uncomplicated, yet it seems to be ticking all the boxes

I'm not a fan of Breitling in general, but I think that looks pretty tasty As long as the subdials function as a stopwatch (even if quartz) rather than the 24 hr/day/date subdials, it gets a thumbs up from me

I would respectfully disagree with that observation. For example, Rolex introduced the GMT movement for Pan-Am. Sure, the GMT II I'm wearing might not have been built in Switzerland, but at the end of the day, I feel it does still represent that historical contribution, and Rolex as a company. Sure, it was made in China, but Rolex saw fit to outsource part fabrication to China to increase their already considerable profits, and their greed, is what has enabled me to have a 'Chinese Market Rolex' for a fraction of the price the suits in Geneva want to try and charge me for it. While I would never attempt to pass a replica off as the genuine article, I feel that they do still represent the company (in this instance, the Dark Side of a company's corporate greed, and the results of that) and regardless of if it's a real Rolex, or a fake Rolex, it's still 'a Rolex' I like to think of reps as fair trade watches

For the first boldened point: I have never worn a watch with any complications like toubillon, moon phases, power reserve etc, and equally would never wear anything like that, simply because they are not to my taste, so anything like a Patek is totally out of the queston for me. I have a passion for watches, which I have had since given my first watch as a child, but that's not to say that I like all watches... Sure, I can appreciate the engineering that has gone into complications, but they certainly don't appeal to me to wear them... For the second boldened point: My appreciation for a brand comes from the history of the brand and it's historic peices and contributions to the industry, not from a modern perception as to the 'status' such watches convey, or even many of the 'modern releases'. The only reason I like the Tudor Heritage Chrono is because it is a re-release of the Monte Carlo, and retains that early 70's aesthetic. The 79090 might well be a mid 90's watch, but the aesthetic of the case and design, is classic mid 70's. My favorite watch in my current collection is not the last watch I bought, the last watch I built, the one I wear the most frequently, or even the one which contains the most gifted parts. It is this one: A plastic submariner with a quartz movement which no one could in a million years ever believe to be a genuine Rolex. Why? Because every time I see it, I smile at the joke which it is, and it reminds me not to take life too seriously. As for unbranded versions, sure, they would be an acceptable watch, but without the branding, they would only ever be an incomplete copy, like trying to recreate a Big Mac or a Whopper at a home barbeque and not having quite the right special sauce. The aesthetic requires that the branding be there, not the prestige such branding may convey. I've never once been called out wearing a Rolex rep, I've never even had anyone comment on one either, nor has it gotten me any 'special treatment', so while I can only speak for myself, it's realy not about the status or the supposed status, it's about what I like in a watch

Ignore the blur, but color-wise, this is much closer to how the dial's color appears to the naked eye than the earlier photo I'd posted

PS If anyone feels it looks like a dog's dinner, feel free to say so

Thanks indeed, only a few more pieces to build and I think I'll be done I'd still love a 16800 and a 1665, but can't see myself ever actually wearing them, so they may get bumped from my plans

I guess I finally grew up And many thanks as always, without your generousity, the 79090 and the Tudor DJ wouldn't be running With the exception of the 79090, Heritage and Pro-Hunter-esque sub, there's not much in the collection which would have been made after 1985

Ahh, different

Yes, STOP IT! IT WILL NOT LEAK!! And even if it does, you need to wear that shit like it cost nothing and you couldn't care less if it does or doesn't

:tu:

Decking... Watch hands... Just thought I'd post up a new collection group photo, as it struck me that I finally have a rather handsome (IMHO ) collection once more, with a watch for almost every occasion (I say 'almost', as the 79090 needs a new Tropic-Style strap for Summer Wear, I still want to build my custom GMTIIC Prequel watch, as well as plans for a Rolex take on the Breitling SOSF) From every day beaters to suit and tie, from super-casual and camping to tattooing (plastic Sub is quartz so unaffected by the magnetism of the machine) I think I have all the bases covered Out of curiousity, if these were gen (or closest equivalent for the fantasy builds), what kind of dollar value would the collection have? PS This is what the rhodium DJ looks like when it's not flaring out

I was hoping to get a little feedback on a piece I put together and refined over the course of the past few days. A year or so back, I ordered a budget (and probably fantasy) DJ which originally had a rhodium dial with Roman numerals, which for some reason, I modified to have a faux-wood effect dial. Not so long after, I was gifted a couple of 21j movements, and a gold Tudor sunburst dial. Due to fitment issues with the second hand, I was unable to fit it, and it was simply an hours and minutes job. I did give it to my mother in law, but recently, she said I could have it back as she never wore it (she only wears the FM Crazy Hours I got her a few years back) I tried wearing it, and really liked the fit and feel of the Presidential bracelet, but I've never liked gold, and the dial just didn't quite feel right for me. At this point, I decided to try installing a black Tudor dial I had acquired from JMB, but which had been too small for any of the DJ cases I had, as it always just went through the rehaut But I persevered, and swapped the movement holder for one which was a much more secure fit, and now the assembled dial and movement simply sits in the rehaut, rather than completely falling through to the crystal In addition to installing the Tudor dial, I have long been inspired by the DayDate built by Ubiquitous, which was given to Rolex-trained watchsmiths, which features a matte black dial, and wanted to create a DJ variant, so I sprayed the dial with varnish, and re-assembled it. A single incident of hand-fouling has been corrected, and now it is running strong Of course, it still has no second hand, but I actually quite like that, as it lends 'a stillness' to the watch (which I'm sure the Japanese have an expression for) which other 'second hand' watches simply do not possess. It's that 'pause' in a Japanese movie which focusses on an empty hallway or how the light falls on a rock. It is the second of rest after breathing out, before you breathe in again. The other thing I like about this watch, is way in which the matte finish to the dial works with the brushed finish of the case and bracelet, and creates, in my eyes, a very subtle, very understated watch, suitable for any and all eventualities and wardrobes. It would look casual with jeans and a t-shirt, smart with a suit, maybe even formal with a tux, yet it doesn't scream "I'm a Rolex and cost a load of money!!!" or otherwise call attention to itself in any way, it just flies completely below the radar, somehow making the observer not keep looking at it. I just wondered if others felt the same, and am interested to hear any thoughts or feedback

Very nice, K What language is the datewheel? I know it's not German...

I've never had a chrono watch leak (including 21j versions)

If only I was

Precisely so, because as mentioned above, wealthy people* tend to be very tight with their cash by saving whenever possible, so I think what really grinds their gears, is not so much someone having the same thing as them for less, but the idea that someone got a better deal than them or that they missed out on a good deal which someone else has taken advantage of, not necessarily the 'thing' itself *Inherited or earned wealth, not football players/rappers etc

I consider myself 'B'. In addition to my comment above, I think some of it may be the realization that they got rolled by the gen company to pay X amount for a watch which could have been acquired for less. The others, are just elitist douchebags, but hey, karma pays them back by having their wives and daughters screw their tennis coaches

Thanks, J, I nearly had a coronary when the movement hit the floor and the dial and hands went flying Feels strange looking at the matte dial, but I'm sure that by the time comes to transplant the movement, I'll have gotten used to it, it's really quite a subtle effect, and would be perfect if it wasn't for the damage to the varnish Nice Explorer, by the way

Rather than going down the route Cromag mentions, which is about elitism, I'll take a slightly different approach It's like going to a really fancy restaurant, and then seeing someone else paying for their meal with a special offer coupon. The guy paying cash feels that voucherboy doesn't deserve to be getting the same meal, the guy with the vouchers feels like he's getting a good deal and saving money. Who's wrong in that scenario*? *Okay, it's not quite comparable as the guy with the voucher is getting the exact same meal as the guy paying cash. We aren't getting the exact same watches as the guys buying gens, but I'd say the same principle applies. I view these as 'fair trade' watches

I decided to take a cue from the 1984 16800, and decided to matte varnish the dial of my GMT II. Had a few issues... First reassembly the dial wasn't 100% dry and caused hand binding, so stripped it down and put a crease in the varnish removing the GMT hand So watched American Guns to kill an hour while the varnish dried further, then reassembled. And proceeded to drop the movement/dial assembly onto a tiled floor and lost the second hand for half an hour :bangin: But got it all back together, and it hasn't stalled or stopped despite going past midnight, so I think I got away with it As mentioned, the watch was only purchased to provide a movement donor, so the varnishing was only a mini project, but I would've been pissed if the movement had been killed in the drop The dial is not as pale grey to the naked eye as it appears in the photo

Fantastic work and presentation

:tu:

Well I suppose that would be a more realistic solution