TeeJay

A few recent posts have made me realize that it's time I graduated from 'short-pants' and got myself a DRSD. I don't care how plausible it might be for someone of my age and status to be wearing one, I want one, so have been doing quite a bit of research on the subject, and today, decided to start some provisional prep work with regards the lume on the dial. Before anyone says anything, yes, I know that the lume on a 40 year old watch would not be good, and the luminous paint I'm using is adequate, but certainly not super-lume in terms of luminosity and duration of glow... My pockets aren't deep, so my plan is to obtain one of the readily available 1665s from a dealer, and making a few aesthetic modifications, ie insert fading, case softening etc, but the dials available are that yellow color which isn't really what I have in mind... I want the watch to look 40 years old, but not with the harsh yellow lume which some genuine examples have shown... I might bake the dial for a few seconds, but essentially, I just want to re-lume the dial, then matte spray. With that aim in mind, I've been doing some experimentation with what I have available, and was hoping that folks might be able to give a 'yay or nay', as to if they consider the appearance/color of the lume to be in accordance with the standards of a Mark IV dial. This is a thin coat of white enamel paint, covered with a thin coating of luminous paint. As you can see, the base color is a variety of yellow tones, and personally, I think that the color has been reasonably obliterated. To my eye, I would describe the color as a very pale creamy off-white. Black was used as edging, just to show how the contrast might look on a dial Thanks for reading the long-winded explanation, and thanks in advance for any feedback

Temperature's dropped a few degrees today, so cold enough to wear this

Thanks, where cam I find those recommended dealers?

Main forum index page, just scroll down till you hit Watches, Clothing & Accessories...

Not sure if there's a particular version which is better than any other, but I'm sure you'd be happy with one from any of the forum recommended dealers

I hope your day's going well too, K

That looks really nice When you bleach the insert, I'd suggest sanding down the back of the insert so it sits a bit lower in the bezel, but other than that, looking good

The beauty of QC pics is that you get to see the actual prodduct you are purchasing. When I buy something from eBay I never purchase an item with "stock" photos. I always purchase from one of the actions w/ a very detailed description and a lot of photos from different angles etc. This allows me to get an idea of what I'm actually buying. Either way QC pics are an added bonus.

I do think some people take it a little out of context when they start nitpicking.

I can see your point, but when dealing with 'power sellers', they all use stock photos. As long as they send what is described/shown, there's no issue, and even if there is, they can normally be resolved easily As above, I think if someone needs to check a very specific aspect of the watch, then yes, it can't hurt to ask for pics, but I don't think dealers should always be expected to provide QC pics on every purchase, unless they are specifically requested

A variety of immunologic responses have been attributed to tartrazine ingestion, including anxiety, migraines, clinical depression, blurred vision, itching, general weakness, heatwaves, feeling of suffocation, purple skin patches, and sleep disturbance

I know, but it still makes kids go :Jumpy: :Jumpy: and tastes great

Ok ok I was thinking it was EURO cents can you figure out those Greeks that have ruined both the future of EU and even more so the EURO. Its a shame. Good thing some countries still have their own currencies like the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Poland.

No Euros here Have to admit, I quite like the idea of a global currency (Dollars, of course) but I realy don't like the whole EU thing... Thanks to the EU, certain food additives aren't allowed, specifically tartrazine (has a tendency to make kids go :Jumpy: :Jumpy: ) but all that does is keeps wonders like Fanta Grape off the shelves in my local stores

[Edit to add]

Contraband

Your from the UK? ins't the expression in you neck of the woods "my two pennies worth" or "my tuppence worth" ?

I was raised watching American TV and reading American books. I might speak English with an English accent, but I think and write in American

Gave it two dips of about 1 min each and rinsed off in cold water each time. I could see there was definitely some colour shifting as it started to colour the bleach a little. The my wife distracted me and I had a smoke and by the time 5 mins had passed it looked like this

Thanks, I'll definitely give that method a go I haven't bleached an inset in a while, but a planned project will need it, and I want to get just that kind of effect

Agree with Teejay.. But as previously stated.. If you want QC pics, then you should ALWAYS specify that you'd like them before ordering the watch.

Absolutely so

I am very grateful for the QC process. On my most recent purchase the QC pics enabled me to opt for a different watch with a little better aesthetics. Or put differently, if I were buying a $500-700 second hand gen watch I would demand to see it before buying it? I have no idea what the level of inspection is at a factory level for rep watches so having a look at what I am getting before it is sent is important to me. I haven't had to return a watch since the QC pics program was started. And now I will only buy with QC pics. I used to focus on the trade section because at least you knew what you were buying. Now I feel it is much more that way with the dealers. People were often paying a premium for used watches for exactly that reason.

I don't think comparing factory-issued watches to buying pre-owned watches is really the same thing with regards the need to see pics, afterall, a pre-owned watch could literally be in any condition, from pristine, to seriously beaten up and abused, and what the seller thinks of as okay (or unacceptable) the buyer might consider the opposite. Buying from a dealer, as before, a no-date Sub is a no date Sub, and as long as it matches the dealer's sales photo, that's all a person would get with a genuine 'buying online' experience from somewhere like Amazon I would agree with the caveat that if someone's spending Big Dollars, or needs to be very specific about a particular detail, then sure, QC pics are helpful for them, but I don't think it needs to be considered SOP for all dealers all the time on all [regular] purchases Just my .2c

Watches with black dials always look good

Thanks £37 shipped to my door

Check it out

While on the site, check out the Kisai RPM, it was designed by a friend

Obvioulsy some dealers are better than others. Some dealers have better quality watches and should therfore be prefered. Unfortunately the service and QC given by the one and same dealer varies with time (and sometimes the dealer is probably not even one single individual...)

So no single dealer will stay being the best in the long run

If you do your homework well, know what kind of replica to buy and avoid hurting the dealers feelings in communications with him or her, then most problems will be avoided.....

Budget stuff can still look good too

As krpster said, date looks a bit large, but other than that, a really nice watch... Good acquisition

But I like you too much for that

Same watch, new photo

I mostly use a dealer who trades under 'eshopping88' on CQout, but then again, I'm strapped for cash and not prepared to spend big bucks unless a project really calls for it. Never had an issue with the guy, he's always taken care of business like a pro. Another CQout dealer I bought from religiously in the past, was TonyXKF, before he fell foul of the CQout three-strikes rule, and now he trades here as WatchEden. Not had the spare cash to actually purchase from him since he 'upped his status', but I'm sure his customer loyalty is every bit as good as I remember

No mate, just threw it straight into some Domestos thick bleach we had under the sink.

Still got a few things to do to it, but very happy with both the costs, and the results

Awesome, did you leave it in long? I've had mixed results with bleaching, but also once tried gentle sanding first

That's something i personally like to avoid. The exchange process is tedious! Not to mention being -1 on watch during the process and having to pay shipping.

I recently ordered a PAM 217, and got QC pics. And it was a good thing too, because pictured was a PAM 127! Having been able to sort this out before the watch was shipped/received saved tons of hassle in the back & forth that's sure to ensue. Especially since the dealer i bought from is not known for being a great communicator.

My personal experience with exchanges have been quite bad. Once, i got a quartz instead of an the automatic i ordered and immediately emailed the dealer. It took a whole week & a half of back and forth where he kept doubting that i got a quartz and kept asking for pictures of the movement. As if i had something to gain by making false claims.

So, i guess the point i'm trying to make it, QC pics (& even vids) are necessary if dealer does not qc the items before sending it out. i don't mind getting just the tracking details as long as i can be sure i will get the watch i ordered.

Sounds like you've had a bit of a rough deal with dealers and QC. I've lost count of how many watches I've bought over the last few years, but it's probably close to fourty. Of those, I've only ever received one incorrect watch. The three which had to be returned due to faults (one flooded under immersion, one had a pin come out of a bracelet link and the other was a matter of the crown eventually not screwing down) were all issues which QC pics would have been unable to prevent or warn of. Which dealer gave you those issues, I'll be sure to avoid them in the future... I can understand that your past experiences have made you somewhat nervous about things, but maybe that is a sign to find a new dealer, rather than asking for pics? Sure, returns are a pain when they occur, and when I first started buying reps, I thought it was unfair to have to pay return fees, but sadly, that's just part of the game

Yes thats probably the better alternative...until then QC pics all the way

:shock:

I expected bigger stones from you, Dr. Gran...

Fantastic results

You've had fantastic results, especially with the dial baking and insert bleaching Did you sand the insert at all prior to bleaching it?

I used to use Firefox, but have used Safari for years now and much prefer it

I had one of those too when I had my fifty fathoms. I don't know why, but I think I just like the feeling of the watch as a bracelet that is allowed to slide around on my wrist. The leather or rubber straps just grab too much on me. I must admit, I do like the NATO or the Bell & Ross nylon straps quite a lot during the summer

I know exactly what you mean there, as you say, a bracelet does have a lot more movement in it I wear my strap tight enought that it doesn't slop round my wrist, but loose enough that it still gets a bit of movement as well, just to aid with the ventilation NATO straps are definitely the best when it comes to comfort in the heat, I just don't like how they feel when the get wet, and it's not exactly a secret that I don't like taking my watch off in water (probably a drowned industrial diver in a past life )