B3nj4min3

Another day, same watch. UPO

good point. i'm very new to this so maybe shouldn't have spoken up.

but your tone is exactly what i'm referring to, not necessarily the actual "accountability."  i meant that as a general term to imply that sellers (of any service) should be accountable for what they sell. counter point might be, as stated in this thread, that we're all just buying reps and to go buy something expensive if we need customer service.  

but again, OP stated an opinion and i just decided to add my 2 cents as to participate in the forums. but you just confirmed my first sentence above in saying that much emphasis is given on how to be a good buyer.

for as long as you have been in the game, i realize that you have seen the changes and how far things have come since you first started. 

i'm greatful for the sellers who won't cheat you and and forums that assist in this process.  still, it's a 2 way street.  without the buyers from these forums as well as others, these sellers might be doing something else.  they're not AAPL and selling iphones.  they're in business due do the demand.  so i don't think it's unreasonable to expect some type of customer service whether it's emails or pertaining to what the OP has stated. 

of course these sellers might get sick of how newbs pick at every little thing as they have been in business for a long time.  but to that buyer, especially a newb, that transaction is the only and maybe first/last one he/she makes.

i had the same jitters that i was able to put down due to all the help from posts/members from this forum. not everyone is that lucky.

You have made some pertinent points however let me just attempt to answer some of your concerns raised. As a fellow "newbie" I also was unsure as to the reliability of many of the so-called TD here. However, after much reading and having ordered several watches I see that there is a fair degree of accountability from the sellers. Their business depends largely on their reputation, which has primarily been built due to their excellent communication, high level of customer service (eg. QC pics, replacement of faulty parts, etc), and even a degree of after-sales care.

All of this has helped the TD's garner a fairly loyal customer base which they wish to protect and grow. So despite the fact that one may not get stellar levels of service I for one have received as good if not better service from some of the TD's here than I have from a few AD's (despite having spent a fair chunk of money over the years there).

So to sum-up, the TD's are not perfect and the customer still has to do their own due diligence however I would they say they are accountable to their customers and mistakes, if made, are quickly rectified (at least in my experience).

I would have to agree... Not worth the risk experimenting with new dealers.

+1. The TD's are tried and tested. I personally have had superb experiences with the TD's listed and see no advantage with trying any other dealer.

UPO Pumpkin

Depends where you are. State-side, I've heard MD2020 is awesome and if you're in Europe then Rolexman is my go-to choice. Anywhere else I'm not too sure tbh.

PAM 359 for me today

Superb vintage straps there. Think I'll be ordering some up in the near future.

That's one of the best PO QC pics I've seen. The pearl placement is spot-on and can't see any other obvious flaws or give-always. I'd give it the go-ahead.

Wow, just wow.

The level of work and time involved certainly seems huge however no-one can deny the end result is a beautiful watch.

Superb job there.

A truly lovely watch and that lume is amazing. Certainly making me consider having all my reps re-lumed.

Gen U-Boat Flightdeck Ceramic for me today

Omega PO today

In a word; beautiful.

The versatility of that watch is amazing. With the mesh bracelet it looks like jewellery, and with the calf strap it would work perfectly with a suit.

I take my hat off to you sir for a fine job.

I tend to factor-in the cost of a service to any rep that I'm looking to buy. Once serviced, the watch will perform impeccably for many years (at least that what have come to understand). I'm actually going to be sending two new watches over to Rolexman at the end of July (he's got a fairly busy schedule) for a complete service of each. That way I'll have peace-of-mind running for several years to come. I've read that as long as the movement is serviced and regulated at the appropriate intervals you should have a very reliable and accurate movement for a fairly long time.

I'd agree with Scotty. A service should fix any issues and bring the watch to a reliable and accurate condition.

PAM 359 with PiG buckle

Btw, that green rollie in ubiquitous is absolutely stunning. I've never really been a rollie guy but that watch has just made my list!

Gorgeous watch and another great job by MD2020

Omega PO for me on this fine sunny day

B3nj4min3 did your crpo arrive and any news about the movement? Mine is now running flawlessly since two months and accuracy aswell as powerreserve is outstanding!

Thanks

Hi sputim, it did thanks and I've been wearing it for the past couple of days, bar one to see how it is in terms of accuracy.

Comparing it with another ETA movement, albeit a 7750, I can see that the finish looks a little dull and possibly a little dirty. I can't focus in close-enough to show the markings however it does certainly look like a gen ETA (cannot judge if it is all Swiss or a hybrid without opening it up) but it's most likely an older one, much like several members have pointed out/predicted.

In terms of accuracy (bear in mind I haven't properly measured the accuracy, rather just checked periodically to see if it differed much compared with a regular quartz watch), the watch seems to be tracking well. The power reserve also seems to be doing a good job overnight and for the one day I didn't wear it.

So far, I have few complaints regarding the movement itself. The only thing I will do fairly soon is to send it to Rolexman for a service to provide peace-of-mind running for the next few years at least.

All-in-all, I'd recommend the watch. The movement appears to be a used gen ETA 2824-2.

This certainly is problematic and if it's a sign of things to come as more-and-more manufacturers start to employ these private individuals/companies then we could end-up having a fairly serious problem.

One solution could be following the Amazon approach and having warehouses based in Europe. The watches could be shipped over in containers and from there the watches can be distributed to other EU countries.

This would obviously be a mid-to-long term solution and would certainly increase the cost of the watches somewhat (which could be partially offset by reduced delivery cost), however it would provide a near-guarantee for the safe receipt of the watches.

I'm just throwing a potential solution out there and I am not sure as to it's viability however I would hate for these issues to mean that our precious hobby dies (at least for us in the UK/EU) over the coming years.

Marathon JSAR

Likely it would, however depending on your wallet, it might make more sense to get an Asian clone and get it serviced. The difference in price will pay for a service. In the last year the difference in price of Swiss vs Asian has to e up hugely.

That makes sense. Would it be possible to have the rotor taken from the old ETA and substituted for the rotor in the clone movement?

I don't trust the dealers in that regard. I've been told recently that all the Swiss eta movements are old and dirty at the very least. The one in my Ti PO also was a mish mash of parts. He recommends always getting the Asian eta clone movement since they are always new.

Hmm, interesting. It's a shame that new ETA movements are getting hard/pricey to source however if the Sellita and Asian clones are of comparable quality at a lower cost then that'll be the plan of action for me.

Time to get this watch over to Rolexman so he can work his magic.

Rotten luck there mate. I'd recommend holding-out though that's easier said than done. I wouldn't get the Amazon watch. It won't really fulfil your desire for the Sinn and once you do eventually get the U1 you'll regret spending the £120 on the Momentum that you could've put towards your next rep.

Wow, that's an amazing repair/franken-job. Kudos to Rolexman and look forward to sending some watches over to him in the near future