DiverDoug

Update : Oct 24 - More QC Photos arrived, as requested, but are they the same watches??? The initial QC photos were pretty good, but as per my last post, I wanted to see the watch on a timeographer (?) to prove that it was a 28800 bph as advertised. I got the additional photo as requested, and it shows a 28800 movement : But here's the photo of the watch that is not in the timeographer : Notice anything different ? (Hint: Omega symbol) ...or am I just being paranoid and it's a matter of lighting ? I already asked for the watch to be sent, but I then sent Trevor an email asking him to explain the difference between the two photos, so the horse might've already bolted, so to speak. Anyone's input would be greatly appreciated! DD

Thanks for your input, guys! This would have been great if only all of the photos were still available : http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/102044-how-to-replace-an-asian-21j-movement/

Not yet, but if they're required...

UPDATE: QC photos arrived today (18 Oct). Looks really great, but would really like to see it in a beat counter (?) to show it is a 4813 28800 pbh instead of a slower one. Now will wait for it to be sent... DD

Hi all, I know that servicing a 2813 movement means replacing it because it is so cheap, but are there any tutorials on how to replace an entire movement instead of just a stem? I know Edge put up a nice tutorial, but the photos can't be seen any more... :-( I searched all over youtube, but the best I could find was just a dissection of a 2813 but no actual replacement into a watch body. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. DD

Thanks for your input. I was pretty certain that my next purchase would be through Andrew simply because he has the watches I'm after, plus all of the feedback similar to yours. I haven't had any experience with Sead yet, but I'll take people's opinions into consideration... DD

UPDATE : NEXT STEP COMPLETED - SENDING THE MONEY - 16 Oct Ok, now the wait begins. I just wired the money via WU to Trevor, so now the waiting begins. Hopefully I'll receive some QC photos before the end of the week. Does anyone who has dealt with Trevor have an idea of how long it takes to recieve the QC photos, or is it just wait a while? The watch I got isn't a rare model and he says it's in stock. I won't get worried for a while though. Just have to follow the rules regarding patience. Oh well....waiting....waiting...waiting... lol DD

Funny you mention that, as Andrew was the other choice. Totally agree with you:website, but I got a bit scared off over an email exchange that I'll elaborate on later. It's actually a bit funny in hindsight (right out of a Benny Hill sketch! :-) ), but very frustrating when it was happening. However, I chose him as well based on the feedback which seemed to be all good. He didn't have the PO I was after (wrong colour) and didn't bother to offer to try to get it, but he has a couple really nice Pateks for a really good price (albeit with a 2813 movement, but if they run and keep somewhat accurate time, I'm not worried). But does he have PayPal? I didn't think he had it..oh well, I see myself buying a nice Patek dress watch...or two...or more...very soon! DD

http://www.trwatch.com/ He has some pretty good deals, which is why I went with him (plus the number of glowing reports in his review section), but I would much rather pay via PP or CC I'm still a little bit hesitant myself, though I just think it's noobie nerves acting up. I was going to send him the money via WU today, but for some reason, he hasn't replied to any of my emails today. I don't know whether he's just snowed under with orders or he's taken the day off. Either way, I'm not going to question his integrity now, but I will wait until I hear back from him before wiring him the money. DD

I live in Brisbane...where would the GTG be held? Is it just for this forum or does it also include other forums? DD

I nearly ruined my keyboard with all the drool caused by the PP ref 530 photo...

I figured the price was a little low for a swiss movement, but a little bit of truth in advertising would've been appreciated and would guarantee me purchasing my second and subsequent reps from Trevor. It's a bit up in the air now (though not out of the realm of possibility). Good information...in hindsight! ;-) lol... As far as I was aware, PayPal was there and was one of the reasons why I went with Trevor, only to find out everything wasn't as his website said it was. He has sent me a few emails since and seems genuine, but now I'm waiting to find out how I can pay. I'm banking on all the good reviews he's had to have a relatively smooth transaction. So far, it hasnt't been perfect, but the red flags haven't gone up...yet. So far, my inexperience is probably making it more difficult than it needs to be. I'll just await for payment instructions and maintain a patient attitude. I just keep reminding myself why I chose Trevor as a TD. Funnily enough, the other TD I've chosen accepts credit cards (supposedly! ;-) ). More to follow...details as they become apparent :-)

Hmmm...new update about 60 mins after my last: Now Paypal is not available so I need to go through WU. What else is not as per the website...

Hi all, Ok, today (14 Oct) I purchased my first rep from a TD here. I thought I would document it to see if anyone would see if I had done anything wrong. If you are a veteran watch buyer, you've probably seen this a million times from other noobs, so I'll apologise in advance for the boring story. So here goes... I've been lurking around here for a little while now and always a bit nervous over the first purchase; however, I've been given the impression that buying from a TD on this forum will be a lot eaier to deal with should any problems arise. I don't know what to expect, but I know (from reading various threads here, there are a few common points: 1) buy from a TD here 2) Be patient 3) Should any problems arise, seek the assistance from one of the mods here 4) Be patient...it'll come! 5) I said, "Be patient!" I followed some other advice that to choose the TD before choosing the watch. Good point, but I already had a good idea in mind which watches I was after before I even joined up here, so did my redearch in the TD section. I had a look at the TD reviews, particularly for the ones who, despite being a TD, seemed to be a bit shifty. Despite most of the TDs having favourable reviews, most seemed to have their share of rather unsatisfied customers; however, there were two that stuck out as actually not having any bad reviews (at least on the first page) : Trevor, and another one, who will remain unnamed for the moment (due to a rather comical email enquiry that gave me a complete run around...will post later, as I still want to purchase a few reps from him.) The watch I chose: The watch is nothing exciting, as I'm sure it's probably one of the most common ones. It was a V5 correct version PO. This is where it became a little bit confusing. The headline says it's a 4813 28800 bph 25J movement ($140) ( As I said before, I'm just dipping my toes in), but in the description, it says it's a "Nickel plated Swiss Eta 2824-2 Automatic movement, 28800 bph, 25J Insginia (sic) Rotor", with an optional Asian version "Less USD 50". Being a noob, I sent Trevor an email to equire about this. He assured me that the 4813 and 2824-2 movements were the same in quality. He also answered other questions fairly quickly (as well as advising me that he was going to be closed between certain dates without me even asking), so my confidence in him was rising pretty steadily. The purchase: So, today (14th) I decided to order it. I registered and went through the prcess. Then when it came to paying for it, one of the options was PayPal...Huh??? I thought it was supposed to be difficult, but instead, it's even easier than I expected. More points for Trevor! I added the notes to the order saying that I'd like the Swiss version, not the Asian version, and I'd like the QC pics sent to my email address. The order came through, saying that it was going to be $140 (as expected).... And then.... I get an email about 10 mins later telling me that it was going to be $278 + shipping...WTF ?!??!?!?! I sent Trevor an email asking him about this about why it says in the description that it's a Swiss Eta movement, but there is no indication of that price. He gave me a quick reply saying that the price I was quoted as was for the 4813 movement (again, points to him for the quick reply), but then when I sent him the screenshot of the watch where it says quite clearly that it's the Swiss Eta 2824-2 movement, I suddenly get no response....Hmmm, bonus points are drifting away very quickly. Anyone care to weigh in on my predicament? Am I a victim of false/very misleading advertising, or have I caught him out? I'm not going to cast any dispersions on him (yet), as I need to get it clear that I've done everythign right. I'll ask for your patience with me, as this is my first purchase, but any advice or suggestions (and any hand-holding) would be welcome. I'll keep updating this thread to see what becomes of it. Diver Doug PS If anyone can sing me "Soft Kitty", that might also make me feel a bit better too :-) PPS I just got a reply about it : "sorry, there is wrong for the description, for the watch , the price is different of the different movement". Ya, no kidding. Oh well, I'll keep updating this. I'm not going to bag Trevor yet, as it is stil early in the process, and he's been pretty good (the best in fact) so far with regards to communication.

I wonder what sort of "movement" is running it? A 2813 4-cyclinder engine? :-)

It seems like you can get any kind of rep in China these days ! http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/man-caught-selling-fake-lamborghini-in-china-20130920-2u3yl.html I wonder which factory these would be produced in.... :-)

Silly noob questions (hey, "noob" and "silly" = a tautology!), but what is a "DG" movement ? Nice method of "servicing" the watch too ! lol

I really like the reps from Andrew, so he will likely be who I go to first. I think I'll do a little more research into TDs and how they operate. I'll start a new "My first rep purchase" thread :-) !

Thanks for that. I guess I'm going to have to go to the next phase and order a watch and see what (in terms of quality) arrives. If it's a crap shoot, then I guess it's time to pull the pin and get moving! Anyone have any recommended TDs ? :-) Best regards, Doug

Hey gnarly, Went to petaling when I was in KL in April. Have you purchased any reps from there? (:-) lol) Maybe when I'm there next (hopefully before the end of the year) I could recruit you as a local to show me all the secret places for good deals that us foreigners normally don't know about! Loved KL when I was there (fantastic food!!!) I'm still a noobie learning here too! Diver Doug

Hey Nanuq, as long as you can keep warm, diving under ice is a whole new world :-) This is how I earned $10/hour in Canada: Much warmer in Australia! ;-) Stag, Here's a shot from Weipa. See if Ross recognises anything : Again, because a commercial diver's time is monitored by the topside (plus I was under the water for about 200 mins at a time), a dive watch isn't really necessary. Plus, the visability for a CD is normally pretty limited (ie measured in inches; feet if you're lucky, dark, etc), so reading a dive watch is pretty hard anyway (even a Super Lume! ;-) )

I was on the first dive crew on that project back in'97 (96 days straight with no break) !! One of my jobs in the morning was to check the nets for any holes (ie croc bait), then do whatever tasks to help the UW welders from Hydroweld (ie prepare weld sites, take core samples at the bottom of the piles, etc). I can put some photos up for anyone interested..

What an honour! I would be wearing it with pride! Speaking of depth of diving, here's a interesting article I found on a CD site about the deepest working depths : http://cdiver.net/2013/09/30/compilation-worldwide-dives-300-metres-sea-water-msw-deeper/ Does anyone still think they need a WP watch to go to 300m ? ;-)

Good to know. Thanks for the clarification!