TeeJay

No, which is why I wrote 'similarly' (as opposed to the same).

Ahh, I'm now seeing coded DW reference (or maybe just spaced from pain meds) so I'm guessing that's the source

De minimis non curat lex. Law's never been big on comedy

Indeed, and as before, if Rocketeer has some kind of watch shop, I don't think that such behavior would be considered not worthy of the law's attention... Local papers frequently warn people against 'cowboy operators' and such scams, which this kind of thing could certainly be considered. I know that the fact it's been done to rep goods weakens the case to a degree, but, I think the fact that the case revolves around services offered and not provided, combined with the potential to affect members of the general public, might mean that at the very least, Rocketeer might have to answer some official questions... As folks have said before, these may be reps, but we're not paying with rep money

This sad wretch looks like the Rosetta Stone of nearly all of the problems that typically plague reps. It is really a crap-shoot out there, guys. And if ever there was a good reason to buy even the simplest of watchmakers' tools (so you can at least remove the caseback), this is it. Though, to be fair, I have seen similarly nasty stuff (though not to this degree) inside a couple of Phong's expensive franken-tonas.

Do you think this watch came from Phong?

I am not trying to suggest anything as in my experience these sort of confrentations end up in a "Handbags at a 1000 paces" sort of situation with no one doing anything other than threatening.

I don't know how offay you are with the way police in the UK do things .

He will if he compalins of threats get a number to an immidiate responce department

Who will come and lock all you bad boys up

Why would he not be able to complain to the police if this was reported to them it would be l laughed out of court.

The police would not be overly concerned that a few people were missing their Copy watches and crystals

They would however be concerned about threatening phone calls and messages and very concerned if a gang showed up at the house threatening violence.

But you go ahead you obviously know everything and don't see any problem with your actions nothing to do with me just telling you the likely outcome that was all

Just seems silly that you have forwarned the guy and are risking a major proplem with the police

I doubt the AR fraud cases would get 'laughed out of court'. As I pointed out above, someone might have received the replica watch unwittingly... It is not a crime in the UK to own replica merchandise. It is a crime in the UK to offer services, take payment, and then not provide said service. Given the nature of the scam which has taken place here, I highly doubt Rocketeer will be able to bleat "but they are fake watches! Who cares that I ripped them off??" and be let off blame free. His actions (from what I understand) are a deliberate and premeditated act of fraud. Again. That is a crime in the UK, and legally actionable. To put another spin on this... Rocketeer is (from what I gather) a professional watchsmith? (of sorts?) Who is to say that he does not also scam customers who come to his shop with 'legitimate business'? If he's prepared to scam people who consider him a friend, who's to say what he's capable of with the faceless public? No, while a complaint to Trading Standards might result in the complainant getting their watch confiscated (unlikely, but possible) I think the complaint itself would be investigated due to its potential implications to members of the public who might employ his services...

That said, any kinds of threats or violence could also be acted upon by the authorities...

I have found this watch going for a decent price does it look good to the trained eye?

Ive compared it with pics of the gen and it looks good.

What's the ticket price? As others have said, the PVD coating shouldn't be quite that polished, but other than that, it looks okay. I have a near identical watch (more matte finish to the PVD) which my wife bought for my birthday a few years back. My personal advice on it as a watch, is that I found it hard to match to a wardrobe, as a watch that thick and black, is not exactly subtle on the wrist, so it actually got very little wrist time... In terms of overall watch, I really enjoyed wearing my PAMs, loved the large, clear dials, and enjoyed the ritual of having to wind the watch daily. My humble suggestion, would be to go for the same watch but with a stainless steel case rather than the PVD, simply because it will be more versatile to match to a wardrobe

[Edit to add]

Here's a quick wrist shot of mine... Ignore the time, I set it to 10:10 as the movement is dead (my fault )

Here're a couple of photos without flash

There was an earthquake during the shoot....

Thanks T.

Any time I'm not normally a fan of the TT look, so you know it's got to be good if it wins me over

Oh man, that is classy Best of luck with the sale

Never have I seen such terrible workmanship and so much damage on a brand new fresh from the dealer watch. Not sure what happened but someone was really asleep when this one was put together, or maybe it was late on a Friday and TGIF at the bar... Lesson learned, when it starts out bad, it can sometimes get much worse.

Wow...

Whenever someone makes a "My new watch arrived but doesn't work and won't wind..." post, I'm going to think of this... Absolutely crazy... Thanks for taking the time to document such findings, it's certainly interesting to see how and why a DOA watch is DOA...

Thanks for the feedback, guys

Freddy, I understand what you mean completely I'm not really going for any particular model of watch, I just want to build something myself, but not have it look 'box fresh'

ZM, I'll try getting some natural light photos tomorrow It's funny, in the first photo, the flash really highlights the scratches in the insert, which, with the naked eye, are much less noticeable, yet in the second, almost totally whites them out

The crown-side of the case also has some gouges applied, but I've worked on the idea of the watch being worn on the right wrist, so figured that there would be more impact damage to left side of the case, compared to the right side

If the hands actually reached the indices, they might not be so bad....

Given my potential plans for the project sub, I want to start making it "look it's age" a bit... Ignore the dial, the dial will ultimately be going, my focus is on the case/insert. I don't want to pop the pearl out, as I consider it a functional part of the watch. I haven't bleached the insert, but could do so in the future. Thus far, I have used a small screwdriver to scuff up the insert, and taken the blade of a pair of scissors to the case to put some gouges in. I then went over the sides with a 4 way nail polishing board to 'blend them in' a bit, so they don't all look like they've been freshly done, or make the watch look too 'over-abused'. I guess my goal is for the appearance of a 30 year old watch which has been banged up a bit during wear, but generally been well treated, not totally destroyed/beaten up...

What do folks think? More abuse? Suggestions will be gratefully received

That's a fantastic restoration

Happy birthday, I hope you're having a good one

As long as we're being given a home like this, I think we should contribute both monetarily, and conversationally (other than in the "rg down?" topic).

why not get "supporter" status, and put up some watches for sale? we have so many watches traded in RG, so I know a lot of you have some product to move. spend the $5 (if only for a month) support RWGs eco-system, let's show them how geeks do.

*just a suggestion...

That's some good karma, amigo

Nice watch!!! Is this a rep? Looks gen to me.

I believe it is indeed a gen.

Nice purchase, my friend

That's looking good

I'm tempted to try the reverse of that process as a project

Although I received 6 poorly AR

Is it just me, or does anyone else look at watches and think "That part would fit my project..."?

My friend she lives in Shenzhen but doesnt actually know anything about watches its a matter of me telling here which one(s) I want and she will source them.

I can also source them myself from here in Uk but trusting Chinese sellers over quality on the internet isnt a good idea.

I mean Ive seen the same watch e.g Omega Seamaster with the orange crocodile strap rand from

If your friend's got access to the watches, why not ask him which ones he thinks are the best? He's not going to sell a buddy a shabby watch

I'll suggest a Panerai 112

Oh man, that is absolutely awesome work

The watch looks fantastic, it's an amazing regeneration *looks about for watches to have this done to*

It is true that alot more people look at watches (& decide whether they think the watch is real or not) than will ever say anything. So, while it is very rare, in my experience, for a stranger to comment - good or bad - about my watch, I am aware that most people are thinking about it (sizing me up against my watch - do I look like I could afford the watch I appear to be wearing).

I think you're definitely right to say that more people will actually look at a watch and make a decision but not say anything, compared to the few who might. I definitely think the key to wearing a watch without raising that "is it real?" question, is to wear the watch, not let it wear you...

Only (new) friends will generally ask about a watch & I always say 'rep'. This of course causes uncontrollable giggles from my long-time friends since they know I am usually wearing either a gen-powered franken or a gen.

I do not know why (since, in my quarter century of collecting watches, I have only ever had 1 stranger - a waiter - ask about my watch), but this has to be 1 of the most frequently asked questions by newbies. Some people must travel in very suspicious circles.

I don't know, I just wonder if people might think that they're going to get called out as soon as they strap on the watch, as if it comes with a self-levitating neon sign which constantly hovers above them saying "Fake watch!" I think once people get that first decent rep, and realize that they don't illicit suspicious questions, rather compliments, they begin to relax about it all