DiverDoug

Thanks jp! I'm starting to get the the impression that purchasing a rep is a bit like purchasing a car: options for underneath! I would rather buy a Ferrari with a 4 cylinder engine as long as it looked good (of course, the engine would sound a tad different to anyone not deaf and they could tell the difference, but you get what I mean). If movements can be replaced with a Swiss ETA, then it's something to consider for the future. I'm sure to the average person, even a half assed rep would look like a gen (of course, not to the members here though! :-) ) Thanks for the advice! Best regards, Diver Doug

For those interested in a real pressure test for a submariner rep : http://www.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/rolex-fakeymariner-depth-39849.html A few great photos!

I saw on another forum where an actual offshore diver tested a Rolex rep (a sub or SD) by actually attaching a rep to the side of the dive bell. I think it was good to a little over 100m. I'll try to find the link somewhere. It was a great read with photos too!

Thanks for your input, Stag. Are you an ex-C-DUC as well? I worked on a dive job once (in a place in Australia called Weipa, which I'm sure is Aboriginal for "Fakking big ass crocodiles"!) where there were North Sea sat divers as well. One said that his Rolex actually imploded while being pressurized. The good thing was they were watches issued to the divers by the company, Comex. I would imagine the early days of sat diving in the North Sea during the 70s would've been pretty wild! One good example where the helium valve may be of some use would be for hyperbaric welders, where their habitat (ie the job site) would be 100 % helium. Still, even though they are a marketing gimmick, they look pretty cool ! :-)

Do you think that the 2813 movement has improved in quality over the years or is it still luck of the draw (or buying from the right TD). I guess I'll just keep reading, but the more opinions the better! Thanks, fitmic! :-)

Thanks! I think I'll put the disclaimers in my sig block. It's because I had a really bad experience with another forum (more from a couple idiot members), so hopefully this place will be better!

Hey all, Ok, before I ask my first (of many) newbie question, I'll ask for forgiveness in advance, but I also have a few disclaimers to state so I don't get flammed : 1) I have searched and researched many of the threads here for a few days now, but I still can't really get a straight answer (though some come close), hence why I'm putting my balls on the chopping block to ask here. 2) I don't know whether this is in the correct area for the question, so mods, feel free to place it in the correct area. Ok? I'll crack on now :-) Anyway, I'm actively researching on what to buy from whom as my first rep and I have a question re:movements. I came across a few reps from Trusty and I want to guage advice/opinions from the more experienced members here. One rep was a PO with the following stats : Asian 4813 Auto movement, 28800 bph, 21J 42 mm dia. (don't really like the colour though) The other was a SD - Nickel plated Asian 2813 Auto movement, 25J high beat 28800 bph 40mm Now, I know that the 2813 movement is the low end of movements, but what makes them so bad? I have seen the full-spectrum of answers so I don't know what to believe. I know that the higher the beats, the smoother the sweep of the minute hand will look, but does the higher beat mean a higher quality or greater accuracy? With the PO, is the 4813 movement better? With the second, is the nickel plating and/or the 25J (as opposed to a 21J) an advantage, or just marketing? So many questions!!! The reason I'm asking this is that the above two watches were not very expensive (ie sub $200), and I just want to test the water so to speak. I'm more curious to know if the 2813 movement will at least keep somewhat accurate time, or is it more of a crapshoot? I've seen older threads where people say their 2813 movement has lasted them for years, while others say their movement is dead by the end of the week. From what I've read, obviously a swiss ETA movement would be the goal, but funds are a little tight right now, so I just want to feel a little confident that I'm going to get a somewhat decent watch that will keep time, or are some 2813 movements better from certain TDs? (PM me if you don't want to answer in public) thanks everyone, and I look forward to hearing to your replies! (even if it is just a link to a thread I could read) :-) Best regards, Diver Doug PS I'll probably be purchasing my first rep(s) soon, so I'll need someone to hold my hand in support !

Wow! I wish this thread would have continued, as I would've loved to hear themuck's explanation. As a former commercial diver and dive instructor myself who has spent more than a few hours in a chamber (never using Heliox though or in sat), I can safely say that a helium release valve is pretty much a gimmick. As it stands now, there are probably less than 2000 (high estimate) of sat divers working now (unless you have $25K for a course, not including the costs of training just to be eligible for sat training). The helium release valve actually has nothing to do with depth of water, but more from being in a hyperbaric environment (although the same pressure, a hyperbaric environment is totally dry) that has helium in it. When you are decompressing in a hyperbaric environment, because of the difference in sizes of He atoms (as opposed to N atoms in air), there are different rates of escape from spaces in the watch. I've worked with sat divers who have had their company-purchased rolexes either explode or implode while in the chamber, so it does happen. However, given that 99.99% of people who have a He-release valve will never have the need for one, I look at it as a gimmick. Exactly the same way that it is irrelevant having a watch that is waterproof to more than 100 m, as you'd probably have a dive computer and backup. Seriously, most divers will never dive below 50m anyway because it takes some pretty advanced planning and specialised diving gear (including mixed gas) Also, given that the time of a sat dive is controlled from outside of the saturation complex, there is actually no real reason for saturation divers to even have a watch because their time spent underwater is irrelevant. Because their bodies are saturated, their decompresssion times will remain the same (assuming they are always at the same depth for the duration of the dive), and this is controlled by the panel operators so there is no real need for a diver to bother looking at a watch (since they can't leave the chamber anyway). Still, this is not going to stop me from getting a PO ! :-) Just my two cents on this topic in case anyone was interested.... Diver Doug

I've had the same 19" iMac for the last 6.5 years. Other than installing 2gb of ram to max it out (to a whopping 3gb!), ut has never missed a beat. The hdd is filling up though, so an upgrade to the 27" one is in my near future. $150 to max out the ram to 16gb?? I'm there! :-)

Greetings all, Ok, I'll get right to it - My name is Diver Doug, and I'm a newbie. With this in mind, I will probably ask some dumb questions, so please be gentle. I found this forum after another forum turned rather unfriendly (or should I say, a couple rather idiotic members). Therefore, I would rather be around people that are a little bit friendlier, and if a noob (such as myself) asks a dumb question, people would rather just ignore the question rather than some rather immature flaming comments. Whew !!! Glad I got that off my chest! Anyway, I'm a transplanted Canadian living in Brisbane, Australia, and so far I'm glad to have found this forum, as the info in the threads seems pretty extensive. I particularly love the reviews by veteran members (and fellow Rush fan) such as By-Tor. It makes the decision of what to buy and from whom so much easier. I am new to the rep world, but am keen to start collecting. As my name might tell, I used to be a commercial diver (and dive instructor) from way back, so a couple dive reps are high on my list (I'll include a wish list at the end). However, there are a few others that I have my eyes on. I've seen a few of the TDs listed here and been on some of their websites (especially yours, Andrew!), so any advice/recommendations would be appreciated (don't worry though, I've read a lot of the threads too). I also read the newbie sticky here, but I wish some of those links were still working! I also have a few questions, primarily pertaining to watch movement comparisons. I don't know whether to ask here or no (and I've searched t, so if anyone can recommend a member/thread about movements, it would also be appreciated. Anyway, I'll be lurking around, so hopefully I'll hear from people from time to time. I'm always keen to meet new people (especially if you're in the SE Qld area) and learn from their experiences. Will also be admiring other people's reps as well Best regards, Diver Doug PS Diver Doug's Wish List 1) Omega PO 2) Rolex Seadweller 3) Patek Philippe (from the Complications range) - still looking for specific models 4) Panerai - either a Luminor Marina Automatic or a Radomir (haven't decided which one yet) 5) Vacheron Constantine - still deciding which