TeeJay

Could be used as a weapon.

So can a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, according to On Her Majesty's Secret Service

R, It doesn't look oversized on you, so just wear it whenever you feel like it

Interesting reasoning and nice story!

Oh btw - is that 47s head in your signature ?

Thanks, and, indeed it is, 47 and I share the same hairstyle

Your best move would be to apply for a Fiance Visa. It will enable you to move to the US for a period of time, but, at the end of that time, you will have to actually get married I nearly went down this route myself about 5 years ago, but wound up with a cheating whore for a partner. I was lucky to have a friend good enough to tell me what was going on, and I called things off. Needless to say, had things not changed, I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in now, and instead, would likely be living the life of a cuckold in America, so things turned out good in the end

Best of luck with everything

[Edit to add]

Well here's the thing re work:

1. I can get my Dad to open up a company over here, and have me sent over here to establish it, seeing as what he does is a niche field, not many people can do it, i can get a hb1 visa for over here.

Will this work?

Yes and No. It depends on the working situation. Someone who is emigrating to America with the plans of starting a business (being self-employed) must be establishing a business which will provide work for people in the area (I believe a dozen) Also, if you were going to be going to work there (albeit as your dad's representative) you would have to commute to a place of business. You could not claim your domicile as the business premesis. Another option, I believe, is to be contributing $1M to local industry. I only know these conditions as a friend also planned to emigrate with an American fiance, and, while he worked remotely for an IT company, so they said he could simply work remotely from the US as easily as he did in the UK, because he would not have to travel to a place of business, the powers that be did not consider that to be acceptable...

Done.

As someone who has lived a life ashamed of their teeth, I have nothing but sympathy for the guy (My lower front teeth are too small, so appear very gappy. Fortunately, I can keep my bottom lip covering them )

Looking at the votes, Ethan's the clear leader, so good luck to him

My reason has already been given by someone else :

i love watches and i do not see the justification for spending 20k on a watch.

At the end of the day, I won't buy anything purely for it's 'brandname', for example, if I can buy a generic version of cola rather than Pepsi, I buy the generic version...

Some might say "Well why not buy a $10 Quartz?!"

For the simple reason that I do not like how the $10 Quartz looks, in terms of aesthetics and styling. The $10 Quartz might have really poor quality lume, or not be water resistant, or not have many strap options... That's why I like Panerai watches. They're large and clear enough for me to read easily in any lighting condition, won't flood if they get wet, and, being automatic or manual, I know that the only reason for it stopping, will be mechanical failure, not just the need for a new battery.

A quick story of the most recent compliment I got on a watch. I was at a christening party and talking to a guy about stuff in general, when he asked the time. I told him, and he was so shocked at the time, I held my wrist up for him to see that that was indeed what the time was. He then said "Wow! That is some watch!" (I was wearing my 104 on its SS bracelet. Yes, I know I still need to take photos and post a review of it... ) As he was clearly interested in it, I took it off so he could view it better, and, when he took it in his hand, he was really surprized and impressed with the weight of it. Now, he obviously wasn't a collector, so the dreaded "Is it real?" question never cropped up, but, it was nice to have a quick chat about something, and have someone genuinely appreciate a watch, which, I suspect, many of the 'purists'* would possibly turn their noses up at Of course, if he had asked if it was real, I would have explained that it was a rep, but, as it was, he just appreciated it 'as a watch', which was nice

* Translation = Overly anal people who obsess over minutia and flaws in replication which many others can overlook or ignore

Dont wear the PP if you don't want to. Its your day to shine.

Just let it come to you the day of. Don't have to preplan it.

Congratulations TeeJay!

Thanks for the congrats

From my experiences with the APRO, I'm not too sure if the PP would definitely be 'my style'. I know there's a white dialled variant available, which would be in keeping with my idea for a white dialled watch, but I'm a little concerned about the size... Does anyone have any comparison shots of a PP Nautilus next to a 44mm PAM?

I know the PP would be the smarter watch, I'm just wondering if the PAM would be more 'me'...

Thanks for the suggestions and comments, guys I've had both the white Vacheron Constantine Overseas and the AP Royal Oak, but never really 'felt' them. I think the easiest thing for me to do would be to buy both watches and see which goes best with my suit. PAMs are definitely my favorite, the PP is definitley the smarter of the two, I'm just wondering if I could deal with the PPs smaller dial...

Thanks also for all the congratulations, it is most appreciated

A quick test for sapphire crystals, is to drop a single droplet of water onto the crystal. If it remains like a 'bead', chances are it's sapphire. If it 'spreads out', it's not sapphire.

This is for my 'official' wedding in February. I'm going to order a specific watch, as well as duplicates for my best men. We're all going to be wearing black suits, white shirts, and red ties (Agent 47-style )

The options are:

Panerai 114 on SS Bracelet, or, Patek Philippe Nautilus (blue) on SS Bracelet.

It's going to be either one of those two watches, but nothing else, and I don't want other suggestions.

At the moment, I'm leaning more towards the 114, as PAMs are what I feel more comfortable with, but, I'm wondering if the PP might be that little bit more elegant for the event...

Thanks in advance

Nevermind, I just read Andrew's response

I never aim to pass my watches off as gens. If someone assumes it's real, that's up to them. If they think it's a fake, then good for them. If they actually bother to ask me, I'll tell them I wear reps because I don't think they (gens)(as a brand name product) are worth the price tag. I'm simply not prepared to pay it, as I have more important things to spend money on. Reps give me a watch I like, for a fraction of the cost of the gen, meaning I can have a larger collection.

This is possible but I sincerely doubt it is true. I have had conversations with Victoria that were fairly long/elaborate and she always stuck with her story well. The wrist-shots were also pretty convincing. If this was just some guy faking it then I have to congratulate him on keeping so well in character and devoting so much time and energy to pranking us! To successfully pull this off somebody would need to invest a fairly large sum of money in characteristic reps to be posted here in photos. Definitely probable for a prankster genius, but I think too much work for an amateur.

I think the real story is a little more upsetting. A few people here were very very rude to her and she contemplated leaving many times. I have a feeling that some of these individuals persisted in harassing her via private message causing her to become so frustrated that she left without any warning. The last message she sent me basically read "I am almost out of here". If this is the case then I really hope you people are proud of yourselves.

One of the wrist shots, was of a watch which I sent her (the VCO I couldn't 'bond with') If this was the work of a faker, they were either a ) female, or b ) getting a female to pose for wrist shots.... Fakers might wind people up for their own amusement, send people on stupid errands or ask for money, but they would not be spending this much of their own money just to maintain a charade. Personally, I don't think Victoria is anything other than what she said she was, and, as your message says, I think she might just have had too much, which is sad, as, the worst offenders are no longer around (and good riddance to them being gone)

I have to admit, I've got a hunch that Victoria won't be returning... I hope I'm wrong, as it's not the same without her. It's too quiet, like being in town really early, and it's light, but there's no one else about...

Ziggy will be back when he feels the time is right

@TeeJay: All the dealers are ultimately "approved by the membership". The positive/negative feedback comes from them.

I, for example, never suggest a newbie to buy from a certain dealer, except if I know that he has the best version of some particular replica. Being a admin team member doesn't make any difference, I always had the same principle.

In that sense I've never understood the saying "First choose your dealer, then choose your watch". I think it's utterly idiotic advice, because the right way to approach this thing is to first find the correct, most accurate replica model and then start looking for the dealers who sell it. Of course the post-sales service play a big part, but I guess all current longtime dealers must have those things covered quite well.

Our dealers aren't "officially approved", because

1. They're constantly watched by the membership and the admin team. Nobody's place in this forum has been carved in stone.

2. They play a small dealer's fee (which is ridiculously low, may I add...). They're only "renting" a sales section here, not owning it. They're not telling the admin team how the forum should be run, either. We make all our decisions based on the interests of the membership. They are our first priority, not the dealers.

We can always play with words, but that's how I see it. If you have been around for years (as a dealer) you have already proven yourself over and over again... and if you're planning to be a dealer (long-term) you still have to prove yourself, in your every single transaction.

3. We don't, ultimately, take the responsibility for the dealers and their (occasionally bad) transactions. We only approve/unapprove their sales section, not guarantee anyone's delivery.

Hopefully this explains my previous post, and my choice of words better. Whatever terminology I should use, I don't know... does it really matter? I think you get the idea.

Thanks man.

Thanks for explaining, that certainly clarifies things, I guess what I was meaning, was that once dealers are 'approved', it is very rare for a dealer to be 'unapproved' (unless they get personal TTK-style), and that can make it appear, that if a dealer si going through a rough patch, as if they are still being treated as 'approved' by the admin, rather than a closer eye being paid to their practices. As I said before, this is just 'cloud gazing'. It's probably no more than putting two and two together to make five. I was simply commenting on things as I saw them.

Am I missing something? Who self-distructed?

Maybe the choice of words was a little 'adventurous', but there have recently been quite a few issues regarding DSN, where six months ago, he was the Golden Boy when it came to PAMs, and it made me wonder what kind of scrutiny the admin pay to dealers, and at what point do they decide that they're not providing a good service anymore, and no longer eligible to have their space here as a dealer. I'm not saying DSN should be banned, not at all, I am simply using him as an example of the situation of how there can be instances of a dealer falling below the acceptable level, but not facing any visible sanctions from the admin... That's all

It seems that on this forum for the most part the Cartel dealers are the dealers of choice.

On a number of the other popular forums there seems to be a few more choices, especially a couple of CONUS dealers that I have recently dealt with

who are not drop shippers. Makes all the difference in the world. I am so sick of receiving watches with mis aligned dial indices and bezels, that buying from the Cartel has become an effort in futility.

I agree too, that the game has changed in the last few years. The really good reps are definitely way more expensive than in the past, but for the most part

they are of better quality than in the past. Speaking personally, they last three watches I have purchased were EXPENSIVE relatively speaking. EL's 3717, after Z's modding and ETA swap was a 750.00 watch. MBW/MBK PP Nautilus after ETA service is now a 650.00 watch, and the beautiful BSO Heritage, with eta servicing now a 450.00 watch. The days of the asian 21J for 150.00 seem to be over. For the most part my experience with the 20 (+) reps I have purchased in the last 5 years is that if you do not service them is that eventually they will just up and quit running one day. When the average price was 125.00 to 250.00

per watch, when they quit working I threw them in the old watch drawer. Those days are over.

Finding a good dealer, establishing a relationship, and giving them most of your business only makes sense. I don't believe you can do that effectively with a 'drop shipper'.

I agree too, with the notion that these forums are created for sharing good information. If Carl has found the golden goose (or Geese), please have him share the info with all of us.

FWIW.

I agree with all of what you've said there I admit, I've had success with 'out of the box' Asian reps, but, I know they'll need servicing eventually (probably sooner rather than later) indeed, that's why I haven't worn my 127 for a while... It's being serviced

You're mistaking members for moderators.

Members go around singing praises of Josh/Andrew and informing noobs that the iOffer route is a minefield. Moderators, the forum officials, don't.

I quite agree with that, but, all the time there are any dealers listed on forums, there will always be the assumption (and we all know how bad those can be ) that their presense is due to a level of endorsement on the part of the officials. Or rather, a reverse almost. If dealers were utterly unreliable, they would not be tollerated at all. The fact they are tollerated, gives rise to the opinion that that is official, even if that is not, technically speaking, the 'party line'... That is why I felt, that for an official to turn round and say "There are no recommended dealers..." could appear somewhat contradictory. The fact that the impression might be incorrect, does not prevent that impression from appearing...

Oh, and people don't like being overly honest about cartel dealers because they fear they may lose their rep supply. Dealers have blacklists and many noobs that get bad treatment would simply disappear thinking the whole rep game an elaborate scam.

Oh definitely the case. Maybe if there were more options available, people wouldn't feel the need to rely solely on the Cartel, although, in all honesty, given the levels of anal behaviour and unreasonable demands exhibited by some, who would willingly want to submit themselves to that potential abuse... (regardless of the cash which would be made)

Sorry folks, I didn't expect it to be this long bvefore I could get back to the computer, it's been a long day....

Not directed at By-Tor personally, but to touch upon the points raised in the post:

This is an open forum, and a HUGE market for good dealers. There are no "official RWG approved dealers", and will never be. Members and supporters are our main concern, and the members ultimately make this place what it is.

While this is certainly true, I dont believe that this is how the information is conveyed to newcomers to the forum(s). Such n00bs are often told (when asking about A N Other dealer) to buy from (insert Cartel Dealer of choice here) instead, as they offer super-dooper, Triple A Grade service, and are 'forum recommended'.

I consider it somewhat conflicted for dealers to be able to have 'a pitch' here (even if it is at their expense), with all the benefits which come with it, (even if they are not 'officially sanctioned') only to have a comment that there are no 'official approved dealers'. If they are not approved, they should not be allowed to have a pitch here. Again, I might be 'cloud watching', but that is certainly how that situation is being described: On one hand, people are told "iOffer/CQOut dealers are scammers, our dealers are trusted, buy from our dealers," but on the other hand, told "There are no sanctioned dealers..." That does sound somewhat contradictory to me...

As I pointed out when starting this thread, there would appear to be some dealers, who, recently, have not been up to snuff, yet, all the time their practices are allowed to go unchecked, then the members who are mentioned as the main concern, are at risk from their practices...

Is it my imagination, or are more and more recommended collectors 'self-destructing'? Where people used to practically worship these collectors, there now seem to be frequent issues with reliability on not just one, but several collectors. Maybe it's just coincidence that these issues are occuring close together, and, as Humans are so oft to do, I'm seeing a pattern when really there is none (ie cloud gazing) Or, is it a sign that dealing on the various fora has stretched these folks beyond their capacity? Although we've never done business, or even really spoken, EuroTimez approach of total disclosure is like a breath of fresh air, to the old excuses of "Well it's a hard business and we take the risks!!!1"

I'm just thinking out-loud...

Hi TeeJay!

How's the other side of the pond! Hope alls well with you, mate! Talk of these TTs and Tube amps reminds me of my Dad when we were growing up!

He used to have a massive collection of vinyl! I wished we kept his audio components and vinyl!

Cheers mate!

Hike

All's well here, thanks, I'm even hoping to get that tie project off the ground before too long (I've had a succession of bills/expences/holidays one after the other ) Other than that, not much to report really How're things with you?

If I recall, the first album I bought, was the original soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever on double LP

I can appreciate LPs, but the only way I listen to music at the moment is MP3, as my other equipment is in storage

For handguns their is only one Western Arms man they are so good quality comperd to KSC and Mauri.

I have had them all and WA is the number one..

Cheers

Now that is a nice gun Classic 1911 controlls, nice looking grips, alround, an awesome piece I must admit, I do prefer the ergonomic grip of the P99, but I'll certainly look into WA as a company and see what they do Thanks

Well now that you mention it, and without any fear ,

I have never ever understood just WHAT any person, shape form or belief,

can see in Panerai, the real thing or otherwise.

They do absolutely nothing for me.

Also fully agree with the thoughts on diamonds, simply don`t like, aspire to them, wan`t them in any shape or form.

Something with an artificial inflated price kept high on the worlds market by an old school company De-Beers.

People berate rep watches , I berate and loathe diamonds. ( and Panerai ).

I can only speak for myself, but personally, my appreciation for Panerai is something which has developed solely as a result of my exposure to these forums.

I've always liked 'divers watches', and always insisted on having a waterproof watch. As I've gotten older, my eyesight has not improved with age, and, from relatives, know that the future does not look bright. While I'm not planning on going blind before shuffling off this mortal coil, bottle-thick lenses in my glasses would not surprize me Therefore, the most important thing for me with a watch, is it must be easy to read, at a glance, and in conditions ranging from daylight, to darkened room, to at night. For me, that requires luminous hands, and large markers. Panerai watches provide that Large enough that I can easily read the time, and (for the most part) versatile enough that I can match it to my wardrobe

The World According to Nanuq:

Panerai suck, in singular AND in plural. :yucky: It's not that I don't "get" them it's just... how many iterations of the SAME THING can a company make anyway?

I do agree with you here to a degree. Yes, PAMs are very similar in terms of appearance, so I agree there, but, on the flipside of that point, some of the variations, provide features which can be usefull to different people or in different circumstances. For example, the 112h is a really nice watch, but, if someone needs to know precicely what the time is (minutes and seconds) or what the date is, it would be as usefull as a chocolate teapot

All gold watches are hideous. Except my grandparents' gold key-wound pocket watches!

Anything with diamonds or jewels or false "blingy" reflective surfaces or doo-dads that exist solely for impressing other people should be run over.

Yup, I'd agree with that

Any watch that cannot survive regular HARD use, or that demands being taken off for the most rudimentary activities (like hockey) should be nailed to a tree.

I'd agree with that too I admit, I do have a watch specifically for rough work/hard use, but, that's only because I want to keep the others looking nice (not pristine, that has no character, but not utterly beaten up...) That said, if it came down to it, I would expect my 'daily beaters' to be able to withstand hard use without failing mechanically, I would just prefer not to get them banged up

- Trim your arm hair back guys. Put the small guard on your beard trimmers and give it a try.

If you don't like it, it grows back in a week or two. Nothing looks more gaudy then jewlery/watches nestled in tufts of thick hair.

Absolutely. Nothing disgusts me more than unkempt body hair

Guy's expect women to shave themselves, it's only reasonable to take similar pride in one's own appearance

Awesome guide, something folks could always find usefull

Welcome to the party

Now that reminds me of the first ever PAM I bought from Tony... I had to send it back as it didn't have much in the way of a power reserve (stopped every few hours) and at the time, I thought the hands and markers should match, and that I'd need a re-lume done... Little did I know that there was a model of PAM which should look like that

Wear it well